Bridesmaid entry song?

April 6, 2006 8:47 AM

What is a good classical bridesmaids entry song?

My friend, the bride, needs my help in finding a song for when the bridesmaids enter the sanctuary. Instrumentation will be simple (piano, flute, violin).

A classical piece with a religious (christian) theme is most appropriate in this case (e.g. bach's ave maria).

Any suggestions?

posted by jadanzzy to media & arts (16 comments total)

Ode to Joy
posted by Pollomacho at 9:09 AM on April 6, 2006

How about this? [MIDI]
posted by The Bellman at 9:18 AM on April 6, 2006

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.

At least, that's what I used.
posted by ferociouskitty at 9:20 AM on April 6, 2006

Bach Arioso
Pachelbel Canon
Bach Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bach Air on the G String
Bach Sheep May Safely Graze
Franck Panis Angelicus
posted by free pie at 9:52 AM on April 6, 2006

It's been deleted now, so whatever, but I certainly didn't intend any offense to Ferociouskitty -- just a bad memory from my childhood. Nothing at all to do with Ferocious or her taste, choice of song, or anything like that. Anyway, my sincere apologies to Ferocious for any offense I may have caused.

With that out of the way, I don't think the comment deserved deletion. A little levity is now verboten in the green?
posted by The Bellman at 9:58 AM on April 6, 2006

A little levity is now verboten in the green?

Yes. (Not that I like it. And not that this answer will stick around long enough for you to see it.)
posted by jdroth at 10:21 AM on April 6, 2006

Grace, one of Telemann's heroic marches (Heldenmusik). It's gentle, peaceful, fairly easy to play, sounds good on a variety on instruments and off the beaten path from standard repertoire.
posted by plinth at 10:25 AM on April 6, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Something from the Pastoral (Beethoven's 6th)? It has some nice passages that I believe are usually done with flute anyway. The first movement is meant to evoke summer conditions, no extremes, and the second is linked to a relaxing water journey.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 10:31 AM on April 6, 2006

I have no hard recs for you, but I do have some general feedback on processional music from experience as a wedding musician.

The best thing about Pachelbel and Jesu is that they can be extended/shortened with little notice and still sound ok. The Bach arioso can be cut in half, but once you go into the second part you're committed.

The last wedding I played, the ushers sort of, um, lost the mother of the bride for a bit, so we had to loop Pachelbel's canon many times. Once she got to her spot and was seated, we cut off at the first convenient spot and went into the next piece.

How many bridesmaids do you have, and how far do they have to walk? How, er, efficient do you want the processional to be? Do you want each group to go right after the other, or do you not mind long pauses while a piece finishes?

Generally, you want to grab music that matches up with the time you want to spend. Can you ask your musicians if they have any standards they would suggest? There are lots of baroque pieces for flute or violin that have short, easily modified movements that would fit and won't be the regular old chestnuts.

It's also important to know how familiar your musicians are playing with each other. If the group has some amateurs, it might be best to just find a piece that won't be too short and let them play the whole thing, rather than worry where to loop or stop playing.
posted by Sangre Azul at 10:44 AM on April 6, 2006

A little levity is now verboten in the green?

I think it's the levity for levity's sake that was the problem. Try this on for size:
ferociouskitty's suggestion of Jesu brings back crazy childhood memories of Davey and Goliath. You might want your friend to be aware of that. What about Song X by Composer Z?

I'm sure that would have stayed.

By the way - apology (albeit unnecessary - takes a lot more than that to offend me!) accepted.
posted by ferociouskitty at 11:00 AM on April 6, 2006

Thanks FK, I'm glad we're cool.
posted by The Bellman at 11:22 AM on April 6, 2006

We used Sweelinck, Balletto del Granduca. Listen here.
posted by KRS at 12:04 PM on April 6, 2006

boards of canada - peacock tail

listen here
posted by mildred-pitt at 1:17 PM on April 6, 2006

We used Rachmaninoff. There were string instruments. It was very pretty.
posted by Medieval Maven at 1:22 PM on April 6, 2006

My bridesmaids came in to "Sleeper's Wake" by Bach, and then a friend of mine did the same thing a couple of years later (idea-stealer!).

No, but seriously, it was lovely. Light, airy, easily stoppable, and serious but not too serious.
posted by mckenney at 1:58 PM on April 6, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Brahms First Symphony, fourth movement.
posted by Wet Spot at 5:21 PM on April 6, 2006