A REALLY Good Wedding Music Guide
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    I have pulled up the previous threads on this subject, but not finding a comprehensive list of truly excellent selections. IS THERE ONE?
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Make one.

    I present all couples with a list of suggested repertoire. I figured this was common practice.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    I used to use St. Clements in Chicago, but the quality has gone down on their selections and I would think SOMEONE on this forum has a good one so I don't have to reinvent the wheel.

    Here is the St. Clements list. I don't like the Psalm selection at all. I would prefer to use the PBP and recommend the Nuptial Mass from the SEP or the Latin, but that is a hard sell.

    Seating of the Parents

    Instrumental: Canon - Johann Pachelbel
    Instrumental: La Grace - George Philipp Telemann
    Instrumental: Four Seasons, Winter, Largo - Vivaldi
    Instrumental: Xerxes, Largo - George Frideric Handel
    Instrumental: Serenade - Clarke (Trumpet Required)
    Instrumental: Ecossaise - Clarke (Trumpet Required)
    No Preference

    Responsorial Psalm
    Psalm 33 • J. Robert Carroll "The earth is full of the goodness, the goodness of the Lord."
    Psalm 34 • Joel Martinson "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord; happy are those who trust in God."
    Psalm 103 • David Haas "The Lord is kind and merciful."
    Psalm 103 • Richard Proulx "My soul give thanks to the Lord, and bless God's Holy Name."
    Psalm 104 • A. Gregory Murray “The earth is full of your riches, O Lord, in wisdom you made them all.”
    Psalm 104 • Ronald Arnatt “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”
    Psalm 112 • J. Robert Carroll “Happy are those who do what the Lord commands.”
    Psalm 118 • Richard Proulx “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice, let us rejoice, let us rejoice and be glad.”
    Psalm 128 • James Chepponis “May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.”
    Psalm 148 • Robert Batastini “Let all praise the name of the Lord.”
    I would like to discuss another Psalm with the music staff.

    Gospel Acclamation
    Before the Gospel reading, an Alleluia is always sung (except during Lent). This will be led by the cantor. (Since the Alleluia is a standard liturgical response, it is taken from standard liturgical repertoire.) During the season of Lent, alleluias are omitted from the Church's liturgies, and the Lenten gospel acclamation "Glory to you, O Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ" is sung instead, led by the cantor.

    Offertory
    If you are planning a full Mass, the liturgy continues with music during the offertory and preparation of the altar. This usually takes very little time, so a short organ improvisation or instrumental selection is usually most effective at this point. The selection of the offertory music is left up to the musicians.

    Eucharistic Acclamations 
During Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer follows next. The cantor will lead the congregation in singing the responses within the prayer. Also called Eucharistic Acclamations, these include the Sanctus (Holy, Holy), the Memorial Acclamation, and the Great Amen. These responses are taken from the standard liturgical repertoire.

    Lord's Prayer 
Sometimes couples ask to have the Lord's Prayer (Our Father) sung. Although this generally works well on Sundays in your local church, keep in mind that your wedding guests will likely come from several different churches and faiths. Since this is the one common prayer among all Christian denominations, it is very important that everyone be able to join in praying it together. For these reasons, the Lord's Prayer is spoken, rather than sung, at Saint Benedict weddings.

    Sign of Peace 
Since the sign of peace involves speaking and movement on the part of the congregation, it is not appropriate to have vocal or choral music at this point.

    Agnus Dei 
The Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) is sung immediately following the sign of peace, just before communion. As with the other acclamations, musical settings of the Lamb of God are taken from the standard liturgical repertoire.

    Communion Procession 
In selecting music for communion, couples will want to keep in mind the nature of the Eucharistic rite as a sign of the unity of everyone gathered. If you have a congregation that likes to sing, a congregational hymn would be very appropriate here. A vocal solo, a choir anthem, or a meditative organ/instrumental selection could work well here too. Please note that one piece of music is usually sufficient for communion. 

    Communion Selection
Instrumental: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring • J. S. Bach
Instrumental: Sleepers, Awake • J. S. Bach
Instrumental: Water Music: Air • G. F. Handel
Instrumental: Rhosymedre • R. Vaughan Williams
No Preference

    Dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary
    Ave Maria • Franz Schubert
    Ave Maria • Bach–Gounod
    Ave Maria • Gabriel Fauré
    Ave Maria • Jacob Arcadelt
    O Mary of Graces • Traditional Irish
    No Preference

    Recessional
    The wedding recessional is usually a festive and joyous musical expression. Most often played by the organ alone or with trumpet or other instruments, there are countless possibilities, including these listed here. You might notice that some of these same pieces are listed as processionals earlier on this page. That's because they can work for either the entrance procession at the beginning of the wedding or the exit recessional at the end. The only difference is that usually they're played a little faster if used here at the end. They all sound great with the addition of a trumpet, but they also sound great with just the organ. Please make one selection.


    Trumpet Voluntary - Jeremiah Clarke

    Trumpet Tune - Jeremiah Clarke
    
Trumpet Tune in D - David N. Johnson
    
Water Music: Hornpipe - George Frideric Handel
    
Royal Fireworks Music: The Rejoicing - George Frideric Handel

    Rondeau - Jean Joseph Mouret

  • JonLaird
    Posts: 242
    Whether it's "really good" is up to debate, but this is what I use and it is generally effective:

    http://bit.ly/SEASwedding

    I do not give them a choice as to the melody for the responsorial psalm. Nor do I give them a choice for the melody of the Gospel acclamation or the Mass ordinary. I use ICEL for the latter if they choose English and Mass VIII if they request Latin, unless they are more familiar with different settings we do and want to discuss them (rare except for a few of my choristers who have gotten married).

    My choices for instrumental selections need updating, but in truth, at my strong recommendation most people choose hymns even for the bridal procession. Those that don't generally already know what they want.

    After I began using this form, I had a dramatic increase in people choosing a proper antiphon (instead of a hymn) for the offertory. Also, "Salve Regina" is now a fairly common choice for the Veneration of the Blessed Mother. A few people have chosen Latin propers, even for between the readings (generally people who usually go to our 12:30PM Sunday Mass which always has Latin propers sung).

    (For what it's worth -- I no longer personally charge to do the program, but we request a donation for the parish. I highly suggest that they let me do it because with the "in-house" programs we make, people--especially non-Catholics and visitors--can much more easily follow the Mass.)
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Hi JonLaird:

    That is a very nice interface. I filled it out to see what it looks like when it comes to you. Can you send to me at the included email address. Thanks.
    Thanked by 1JonLaird
  • JonLaird
    Posts: 242
    I have emailed Francis his responses; if anyone else would like to see sample output (with personal contact information redacted) or get a copy of the form to modify for your own use (it is fairly simple to set up), PM me your email address.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Thanks Jon. I will have to contact you when I am ready to build one of these nifty sites.
  • bonniebede
    Posts: 756
    Thanks for this jon, it is a very useful idea