It did my heart good to find that a recent report by the National Marriage Project claims that bigger weddings are linked to better marriages. Especially since today I am playing for a BIG wedding at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.
… Read the rest“The Big Fat Greek Wedding Factor. Americans who had more guests at their nuptials are more likely to report high-quality marriages than those with a small wedding party, even after controlling for their education and income.”
The Bach Air on the G String has nothing to do with either breathing or ladies undergarments.
Here is a performance of J.S. Bach’s original orchestral version played on 18th Century-style instruments. There is not a thong in sight:
J.S.… Read the rest
Here is an orchestrated version of Schubert’s Ave Maria with the solo being sung beautifully by Luciano Pavarotti:
Many settings of the “Ave Maria” have been written over the centuries. The biblical text is from the New Testament:
… Read the rest“This well-known devotion of the Latin Church is based upon the salutations addressed to the Virgin Mary by the angel Gabriel and by Elisabeth the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:28 ; Luke 1:42 ).
Getting married is certainly one of the great events in your life. Having the Ceremony and/or Reception in the Great Outdoors just adds the right amount of romance to make your Wedding a spectacular event. At least that is the theory!
For those of us living in the Midwest with its variable weather, planning outdoor Weddings can be a really tricky affair.… Read the rest
J.S. Bach’s famous Prelude in C is another great choice for use in a Wedding from the Baroque Era.
Here Bach’s Prelude in C played on a harpsichord which is likely the instrument for which Bach intended it:
The English composer Jeremiah Clarke (c. 1674 – 1707) has had the great misfortune to have his two best compositions wrongly attributed to his much more famous contemporary Henry Purcell (1659-1695):
Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Tune and Ayre:
Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary or Prince of Denmark’s March:
You will still, quite often (as in one of the above videos), hear both of these pieces being attributed to the wrong composer: i.e.… Read the rest
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring is an unforgettable choral piece with one of the best know melodies of all time:
Johann Sebastien Bach (1685-1750) was very likely the greatest composer of all time. He wrote an amazing number of works and almost every one of them is a masterpiece of the highest order.… Read the rest
If you want to add a Royal touch to your Wedding day, try using some music from Handel’s Water Music.
Here is a modern performance of this ancient music that tries to present it as it may have sounded in Handel’s day:
The Johann Pachelbel Canon in D is one of my personal favorites. I am always happy to see it requested by a Bride.
Here is this beautiful piece in its original version as composed by Pachelbel in the 17th century.
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1709) lived a long-time ago.… Read the rest
In the repertoire of wedding music there are two traditional bookends: for the Bride’s entrance: Richard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” (covered in a previous post) and for the Couple’s exit: the Felix Mendelssohn “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Here is what the Mendelssohn “Wedding March” sounds like in the original orchestral arrangement:
Felix Bartholdy-Mendelsohn (1809-1847) composed the “Wedding March” to be part of the incidental music that he wrote for a production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.… Read the rest