Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Wedding Prelude Music

So I'm playing a wedding tomorrow, and I've been requested to play contemporary/pop music for the processionals and recessional (Marry Me by Train, A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, and Forever by Chris Brown), plus I found a slow ballad in the book I bought for those songs that sounds like it would work for the signing of the register. I'm wondering what to play for the ~10-minute prelude? Would it really matter too much? Putting in a Bach prelude or two, or maybe some older love songs like "The Rose" that everyone would know or other music from my other wedding piano music collections??? Those wouldn't be too difficult to put together tomorrow morning and I wouldn't have to buy any more music.

I like the idea of Bach Preludes. But if you think schlock would be better....

They Were You (The Fantisticks)
I Don't Know How to Love Him (J.C. Superstar)
You Light Up My Life (maligned but good)

MarkC - I guess I don't own those/that schlock.

Schlock isn't my forte (it isn't even my piano), so I'd go for something like Bach's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' in an easy arrangement - or Myra Hess's if you already know it -, which you can stretch to ten minutes if you play really slowly, or add on the Aria from Goldberg.

I've also got various ancient piano arrangements of sweet Handel arias like 'Silent Worship' and 'Where'er You Walk' which are easy to sight-read for such occasions - sheet music that I used to buy cheaply in bulk from the 'sale box' in my local music shop. You can probably find them these days from IMSLP.

Or how about the Spanish Wedding March from Marriage of Figaro?

I went with a Bach collection - Goldberg aria, prelude 13 and 1 from WTC I, then sheep may safely graze. Despite being assured the wedding would start on time, I quickly had to find more music to finish.

I have to wonder, for the pop songs I played, why the arrangers don't make any Attempt to make the music more pianistic. During the bride's processional I got to a tricky spot and slipped to an obvious error (one of the groomsmen turned around to look at me!). I should have simplified it so that I could safely play it while watching for cues to stop.

So we've got a comedian on board.....







----------------


We can rarely go wrong with that!


Assurances like that aren't worth the paper they're not printed on.


That's part of why someone like you is what's needed for stuff like this!


I'd guess it wasn't all that obvious.

Ever played for singers who turn around at glare at you when they make a mistake?

Yes! Exactly! (I think they are TAUGHT to do that, behind our backs.)

What's really fun is when they don't show for the wedding, and you get to turn the accompaniment version of "The Lord's Prayer" into a solo.

Years ago, everybody wanted Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns"--always nice during the seating of the mothers of the bride and groom.

Not as bad, but funnier: Oboe players removing their reed from the oboe after they screw up and staring at it.

Well, they've got to do *something* to distract people! Flutists blow a sharp breath into the head as if to clear moisture (actually sometimes it really does clear moisture, but it has other uses).

Something that needs to be added to luxury-brand performance pianos: SPIT VALVES