Preparing the mass booklet can be quite time consuming for couples. If it’s a Catholic Church ceremony, the format of the Mass will be fairly standard. However, you still have to choose prayers, readings and ceremony music.
We asked Donegal-based wedding singer, Barbara Edwards, for some advice on choosing the music for your wedding ceremony and she has kindly provided us with this guest blog post.
“Hiya, we’re just looking for a couple of hymns for our wedding.” If this sounds like you, then read on…
For a religious ceremony, there was a time when choosing the music was a simple task. There really wasn’t much choice and invariably the music was chosen by browsing through the Veritas Hymnal or some other book of religious music. That’s what the rules were; religious only from start to finish and Heaven forbid something ‘modern/contemporary’ or ‘diddly aye’ was included in the programme.
These days, there are some parts of the ceremony where some non-religious (secular) pieces are allowed. Of course, for a religious ceremony, religious music has to be used within the body of the Mass. (Civil ceremonies are completely different as God is not mentioned at all, and certainly not in the music.)
“So where does the ‘modern/contemporary’ bit come in?”
In three places:
1. The Processional (entrance),
2. The Signing of the Register, and
3. The Recessional (exit).
Here, there is room to manoeuvre because at the entrance, the Mass hasn’t started and for the signing the Mass is already over. Now, I know possibly on reading this there are some shouts of joy going ‘great, we can have…’ Well, without ruining the moment, I should add that there is still a need for caution. When the music choices have been sorted with the musician(s) it is then the turn of the priest to have a say. Ultimately they have the final say and have to make sure that even those songs/pieces on the periphery of the ceremony are acceptable under God’s roof. So Lay Your Blanket on the Ground may not be a wise choice (an extreme example I know, but you get the drift).
“Ah grand, so where do we put them?”
- Processional (Entrance)
- Lighting Individual Candles
- Psalm (Optional to have it sung)
- Alleluia – this is always sung when a cantor/singer is present
- Lighting Joint Candle
- Offertory
- Holy Holy (Optional)
- Our Father (Optional)
- Communion (At least two pieces)
- Signing of Register (At least two pieces)
- Recessional
This list is not set in stone, but it will steer you in the right direction.. It may also help you make a very good impression with the priest especially if you haven’t seen him for a while!!
“Oh! that’s a lot of songs.”
Not all pieces have to be sung. One or two instrumentals is also acceptable. If having two at Communion, why not have the second one as an instrumental? This allows the couple, the guests and even the priest time to ‘draw breath’ and just relax.
Your music (and choice of musician) needs proper consideration, whether religious or civil. Of course there will be the ‘special request piece’ from Granny or Aunty Mary, after all it is a family day, but at the end of the day it is your wedding.
I’m a classical singer that knows my style doesn’t suit everyone. Choose what suits you as a couple, whether it is traditional, classical or contemporary and get your day off on the right note. Experienced musicians are used to dealing with the anxieties of choosing music, and no matter how many contributors there are to the suggestion box, professional musicians will always ensure that the final programme has been chosen by the couple.
Thanks very much to Barbara for giving us this insight into wedding ceremony music. To find out more about Barbara and to hear her sing (highly recommended!), check out these links:
http://www.barbara-edwards.com/
http://soundcloud.com/barbara-edwards-soprano
www.facebook.com/BarbaraEdwardsSoprano
