# Wedding music advice



## troubadour (Jun 9, 2011)

Hello all,

I'm a newcomer here and a bit of classical music ingenue. As such, I was hoping to solicit your advice on a couple of musical aspects related to my impending nuptials. We are getting married in a church that, alas, does not have an organ. We have a string quartet and trumpeter instead, with the possibility of roping my sister in on the flute as well. At the moment, we are toying with the idea of the Wedding March from the Marriage of Figaro as the processional and Mouret's Rondeau as the recessional. But does anyone have any suggestions for other more unusual pieces that would fit the bill without being overly recondite or too experimental to be crowd pleasing? It would be nice to have an English composer such as Stanford, Tallis, Handel or Vaughan Williams. I think Parry's out because of the royal wedding. But I'm not sure how well some of the greatest pieces of these composers would translate or arrange for string quartet plus trumpet (though we thought The Trumpet Shall Sound from Messiah could work), especially as there is no choir. Also looking for music while we sign the register. We may have to have Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze as I am marrying the daughter of a sheep farmer, but any suggestions for this period of the service that could also work with the flute? Telemann perhaps?

Any suggestions extremely gratefully received!


----------



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

troubadour said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I'm a newcomer here and a bit of classical music ingenue. As such, I was hoping to solicit your advice on a couple of musical aspects related to my impending nuptials. We are getting married in a church that, alas, does not have an organ. We have a string quartet and trumpeter instead, with the possibility of roping my sister in *on the flute* as well. At the moment, we are toying with the idea of the Wedding March from the Marriage of Figaro as the processional and Mouret's Rondeau as the recessional. But does anyone have any suggestions for other more unusual pieces that would fit the bill without being overly recondite or too experimental to be crowd pleasing? It would be nice to have an English composer such as Stanford, Tallis, Handel or Vaughan Williams. I think Parry's out because of the royal wedding. But I'm not sure how well some of the greatest pieces of these composers would translate or arrange for string quartet plus trumpet (though we thought The Trumpet Shall Sound from Messiah could work), especially as there is no choir. Also looking for music while we sign the register. *We may have to have Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze as I am marrying the daughter of a sheep farmer, but any suggestions for this period of the service that could also work with the flute? Telemann perhaps?*
> 
> Any suggestions extremely gratefully received!


There are great sacred works for flute arrangement, like Bach's chorales. That Bach piece is an excellent example. If you like Telemann, my suggestion would also be Telemann's suite in A minor for flute that can be played with piano or strings depending on the arrangement. It has many movements of contrasting styles to pick and choose from: http://www.classicalcollectioninc.com/smftelemann.html

Actually, "Sleepers Awake" by Bach could work really well for you if you have the trumpet do the choral line, the strings the accompaniment, and the flute doing the obbligato, although that particular arrangement may be hard to find. Otherwise, flute with quartet only, or trumpet with quartet.

Personally, the March from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a great recessional, my parents used it, but if it doesn't fit your group of instruments, very well.


----------



## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Anything from Handel's _Water Music Suite_ works well, too.
_Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring_ of Bach is another. Pachelbel _Canon in D_ can work well for a processional.


----------

