If you want to include a musical instrument, such as a violin, in your church wedding ceremony, you may be wondering how much music to have the musician play.

Should the musician play the whole ceremony? Instruments add a wonderful accent to a ceremony and help make it a personal and memorable event, so should you use them for everything? You’ll be paying him or her, so you might as well get all you can, and then you won’t need the church’s organ or piano, right?

Not quite.

In this article you’ll learn how to answer these questions.

To help you figure out what’s best for your wedding ceremony, I have three points for you to think about:

• Strike a balance in your music
• Can the instrument play alone or does it need another?
• Groups of instruments

Striking a balance

Too much of a good thing is too much.

The reason you’re thinking of having instrument wedding music in your ceremony is most likely to make it extra special.

If you have too much of it—if you have the instrument play everything—the effect is diminished. It’ll be special for the first few minutes and then everyone will be used to it.

Instead, if you use the instrument for some, but not all of the music, it will seem more special when it is heard. The trick is to achieve variety by finding the right balance and not using it too much but still enough to make it worthwhile.

How well does the instrument work on its own?

Certain instruments work exceptionally well by themselves and others work best in combination with others.

Flutes and trumpets, for example, are instruments which are better used in combination with another instrument (even though both can effectively an occasional piece completely solo).

Violins, cellos, and harps, on the other hand, are instruments that can be a standalone source of music (to varying degrees). Of course, they also work very well in combination.

If your chosen instrument is one best used in combination, your best option is to do use it in combination with your church’s organ or piano.

If your chosen solo instrument which works well by itself, you have the option to let it be your sole source of music.

However, I still recommend that you still include your church’s organ or piano, because of the need for variety (as I mentioned earlier).

Both the organ and piano work very well with most any solo instrument you’d want to use. Both can also play some of the music by itself (without the solo instrument) for variety and give the other musician a break.

An example of balance: my recommendation

Use your solo instrument in about one-third to one-half of the prelude music pieces. Try mixing it up so that there’s a piece where the solo instrument is completely solo (if it’s an instrument that works well completely solo) and at least one piece in combination with the organ or piano).

Use your instrument on one of the processionals (assuming you one for the bridal party and one for the bride) and then also for your recessional.

The exception: groups of instruments

The exception to all this is if instead of having a single solo musician, you have several musicians, such as a string ensemble. In this case, it can still be a good idea to achieve a balance by using the organ or piano, either in combination or solo for variety.

But you can much more easily use the instruments for all the ceremony’s music in this case.

The main point you should remember is if you’re thinking of including solo instrumental wedding music, you generally shouldn’t plan to use it for all the music in your ceremony.

Where to turn for more

Be sure to browse around the site. I’ve got plenty of articles written with instrumental music ideas you’ll find helpful.

Sign up for my email newsletter for more tips, information and ideas for help with your memorable church wedding ceremony music!

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

The trumpet is a spectacular instrument and makes a great choice for your wedding ceremony.

It’s a little less common than it used to be, but that’s no problem. Less common is a good thing!

Trumpets are a great source of music for weddings

A trumpet can be the source of festive brilliance as well as gentle warmth in your music.

In this article I’ll provide you more ideas for trumpet music for weddings – which you’ll appreciate if you’re planning to include a trumpet in your wedding ceremony music. In addition to the ideas here, check out these from the earlier article, 14 Brilliant Ideas for a Brilliant Instrument: Trumpet Wedding Music.

Trumpet wedding music ideas

So here are some pieces of music for weddings that a trumpet can do very well with, including some that you may not normally associate with the trumpet:

• Campra: Rigaudon
• Boyce: Trumpet Voluntary (can be played with 1 or 2 trumpets!)
• Handel: Many of the dozens of pieces from the Water Music suites
• Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes)
• Mouret: Rondeau
• Purcell: Allegro Moderato from Sonata in D (there’s a wonderful transcription by Charles Callahan that makes this piece more accessible to musicians with only moderate skill levels)

Spice up frequently-used music with an instrument

Some of the pieces, like Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” or Handel’s Largo are already frequently used in weddings. I’d even say the Bach piece is overused. But using a different instrument to perform them can spice them up and make them seem much more distinctive.

This is important to remember as you work on achieving distinctive, exciting and memorable ceremony music!

After I chose the pieces for this list, I realized they’re all from the Baroque era — which isn’t a big problem. After all, Baroque music is a favorite for weddings and has a natural fit.

But there’s plenty more out there. If you want some trumpet wedding music a little closer to modern times, say, pieces that have been written in the last 100 years or so, check your email Inbox. If your are signed up to receive my free email newsletters, I included 5 modern pieces of trumpet music for wedding ceremonies in the last issue.

Take action

Check out these ideas and see if any of them will work for you for your wedding or check out the other articles with music for instruments. If you know of some other pieces of trumpet music for weddings, please leave a comment. Help out fellow readers with your ideas.

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

Don’t let your lack of musical knowledge hold you back when it comes to choosing the right music for your church wedding ceremony!

Too many couples let someone else choose all their special music only because they’re unsure of themselves when it comes to classical music.

If you want to include an instrument in your church wedding in addition to an organ or piano but just don’t know what pieces will work, keep reading.

I mentioned in an earlier article that many pieces of music work with a variety of different musical instruments.

Here are plenty of examples!

I took a bunch of pieces of music appropriate for church weddings and a handful of musical instruments and created the lists below. The lists are broken down by instrument and should give you all sorts of instrumental wedding music suggestions.

A few preview links are shown here, but my Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music includes preview links for almost all the 200 or so pieces. Check it out!

Whenever previewing pieces, remember that the preview can only give you a rough idea about the piece. The recording doesn’t necessarily feature the suggested instrument and your musicians may have a different style.

Lots of ideas

Violin

• Albinoni: Adagio in G Minor (accompany with organ)
• Bach: Violin Concerto in E, III: Allegro assai
• Pachelbel: Canon in D
• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes)
• Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
• Bach: Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite #3 in D
• Purcell: Ciacona in G Minor (accompany with organ or piano)
• Bach: Arioso
• Bach (arr. Gounod): Ave Maria
• Handel: Air from Water Music Suite #1 in F
• Handel: Arioso (“Thanks Be To Thee”)
• Mozart: Laudate Dominum (from Solemn Vespers)
• Bach: Wachet Auf (“Wake, Awake for Night is Flying”) (accompany with organ or piano)
• Bach: Bist du bei mir (needs another instrument)
• Telemann: Grazioso
• Manz: Jesus, Still Lead On (accompany with organ or piano)

Harp

• Purcell: Trumpet Tune
• Mouret: Rondeau
• Pachelbel: Canon in D
• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes)
• Handel: Air from Water Music Suite #1 in F
• Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
• Bach: Arioso
• Bach (arr. Gounod): Ave Maria
• Handel: Arioso (“Thanks Be To Thee”)
• Bach: Bist du bei mir (needs another instrument)
• Grandjany: Aria in Classic Style (accompany with organ or piano)

Piano

• Pachelbel: Canon in D
• Purcell: Trumpet Tune
• Mouret: Rondeau
• Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary in D
• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes)
• Bach: Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite #3 in D
• Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
• Albinoni: Adagio in G Minor
• Bach: Arioso
• Bach (arr. Gounod): Ave Maria
• Handel: Air from Water Music Suite #1 in F
• Handel: Arioso (“Thanks Be To Thee”)
• Brahms: Lo, How a Rose E’er Bloometh
• Mozart: Laudate Dominum (from Solemn Vespers)
• Bach: Bist du bei mir (needs another instrument)
• Brahms: St. Anthony’s Chorale
• Bach: Sanctify Us By Your Goodness (Chorale from Cantata #22)

Cello

• Albinoni: Adagio in G Minor (accompany with organ)
• Pachelbel: Canon in D
• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes)
• Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Bach: Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite #3 in D
• Bach: Arioso
• Bach (arr. Gounod): Ave Maria
• Handel: Arioso (“Thanks Be To Thee”)
• Mozart: Laudate Dominum (from Solemn Vespers)
• Bach: Wachet Auf (“Wake, Awake for Night is Flying”) (accompany with organ or piano)
• Bach: Bist du bei mir (needs another instrument)
• Manz: Jesus, Still Lead On (accompany with organ or piano)
• Bach: Sanctify Us By Your Goodness (Chorale from Cantata #22)

Guitar (classical)

• Mouret: Rondeau
• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes)
• Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary in D
• Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Bach: Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite #3 in D
• Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
• Bach: Arioso
• Bach (arr. Gounod): Ave Maria
• Handel: Arioso (“Thanks Be To Thee”)

Often these pieces can be played solo, accompanied by another instrument or with another instrument. For example, a Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring could be played by a solo cello. It can also accompanied by an organ or piano (or even another cello if you are so lucky). It could also be played as a duet with a violin.

There’s plenty of music out there for instruments. I’ll plan to give you even more ideas in a future article.

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

Couples love including instrumentalists in their wedding ceremonies but are often at a complete loss for what music to play. Does this sound familiar?

When your church wedding music plans are to just have the usual organ or piano providing the music, it’s not too difficult to figure out what your music choices are (especially if you’re searching this site or our church wedding music guide).

What music is good for an instrument to play?

But if you also have an instrumentalist (a recent survey I did showed that over two thirds of you will have at least one instrumentalist!), how do you know what music to play?

Many times a piece of music can be played by different instruments and many times not. How do you know?

The old way of figuring this out was simply to ask the musician to pick some music for you. I’ve seen weddings where the couple told the organist what pieces they wanted the organ to play, but for the instrumental music, they simply asked the instrumentalist to pick something out.

There’s something to be said for relying on the expertise of others, but this is giving up too easily!

Why give someone else control over something so personal?

The DIY way of planning your wedding music—which gives you the control and allows the music to best reflect you and your expression of joy—is for you to pick the music.

So how to make this work without requiring you to become a music expert?

There’s plenty of music out there that can be played by a variety of different instruments. Not all of it, but a lot of it can be.

How do you know when a piece will work for a certain instrument? Aside from Wedding Music Unveiled, where else can you turn?

• You certainly can still ask your instrumentalist for ideas.
• You can ask your primary musician (e.g., organist, pianist), especially if he or she will be accompanying the instrument.
• Sometimes you can do research in an online music source such as the iTunes or Amazon music stores.
• The adventurous might even search sheet music collections or search at music publishers’ web sites.

But to follow a DIY approach to your wedding music planning and without spending way too much your time doing research or meeting with musicians, you’ll need a solid supply of instrumental music ideas. I can help you: wedding music for flute, wedding music for trumpet, instrumental wedding music suggestions and the music for instruments articles category.

What are your plans?

What instruments are you planning for in your wedding ceremony? Please leave a comment, which are always appreciated!

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

Since you’re planning a church wedding, organ is an instrument you should learn. Okay, maybe not learn. But definitely learn a little about.

The organ has been called the “King of Instruments”. It’s a well-deserved title.

You many not know very much about this instrument. The pipe organ is a very common instrument in churches, so it will help you to know a little about it for planning your wedding ceremony music. Just a little.

A common instrument for a wedding: organ

If you’re getting married in a church, chances are that you’ll be having an organ involved in your wedding music. Of course, you don’t have to. You can choose a piano or bring in other instruments. But the organ is what most couples choose, partly because it’s an extremely convenient choice.

This is why so many of my music suggestions here at Wedding Music Unveiled are organ pieces (I do try to include music for other instruments when I can–here’s an article devoted just to instrumental music).

How it works

The pipe organ was essentially the world’s first synthesizer. This is because it can make a wide variety of sounds, thanks to its stops. These stops control air going to different sets of pipes (each set makes a different sound). “Pulling out a stop” means more pipes will play when a key is pressed.

Some churches have electronic organs rather than pipe organs. The sound can be but is not always similar. The concept is still the same. For you, thinking about a wedding, organs are organs. There’s no real difference to be concerned about.

The organ can play many different styles of music because of these stops and the variety of sounds they play. Being able to play multiple keyboards and pedals at the same time only increases this capability.

But it’s not for all music

But some music isn’t at all suited for the organ. Just like a harp can technically play notes from any piece of music doesn’t mean it’s going to sound good. A harp playing something written for an electric guitar is not going to be pretty.

Such is also true for the organ. Some music just won’t work.

I once heard a story from an organist friend in Germany. A bride gave him a CD of yoga music that featured chirping birds and even a zither and asked him to play this for her processional. He said he’d do his best. He spent many hours trying to simulate various sounds he heard from the CD on the organ and made a valiant attempt.

But it turned out the bride was expecting it to sound exactly like the CD and she was terribly disappointed. The sounds she wanted just weren’t possible on the organ.

What you also need to know

It’s also important for you to know that not only are organs very expensive instruments, but the technique for playing one is far different than for other instruments such as pianos and even electronic jazz- or rock-type organs (or keyboards). It’s just completely different.

For both of these reasons, churches tend to keep a close eye on who gets to play their instrument. For weddings, organists will need to be cleared with the church.

Ask the church for permission if you want to use your own musician. Be prepared to be asked whether your musician knows how to play such an organ.

Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter

My email newsletter goes out every two weeks more great tips and music ideas. As soon as you sign up, you can download my 6 page wedding music planning checklist which will help save you time.

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

I’ve got wedding music ideas for you of a most popular type: trumpet wedding music.

The trumpet is one of the oldest musical instruments we know about. Trumpets are often associated with festive, ceremonial occasions—including weddings.

I’m sure this is no surprise to you. The standard wedding repertoire is full of pieces with names like “trumpet voluntary” and “trumpet tune”.

Sometimes these pieces aren’t even written for the trumpet, but are intended to be in the same style as other well-known pieces for trumpet. Most church organs even include one or more stops called “trumpet” for replicating this sound.

The trumpet’s warm, brilliant sound makes it a natural for pieces of a festive, celebratory nature. It’s perfect for weddings as a result.

Ideas…

I included a few preview links below, but which don’t necessarily feature the trumpet; you’ll have to use your imagination! Almost all the hundreds of pieces in the Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music feature preview links.

Here are some exciting choices for trumpet wedding music:

• Henry Purcell: Rondeau (from Abdelazer) (note: listed as “Sinfonia” instead of “Rondeau” in one publication I found)
• Jeremiah Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary in D (Prince of Denmark’s March)
• Michael McCabe: Trumpet Tune
• Georg Frideric Handel: La Rejouissance from Royal Fireworks Music
• Henry Purcell: Trumpet Tune
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Now Thank We All Our God
• Domenico Gabrieli: Festival Fanfare

Despite the trumpet’s reputation for being loud and piercing, the trumpet also has a gentler side. The warm character of its sound allows it to beautifully play some pieces that you would normally associate with a gentle, quieter instrument.

These two sides make the trumpet a versatile instrument to have at your wedding.

…And more ideas

Here are some pieces which will showcase the trumpet’s more gentler side, pieces for which the trumpet would be a pleasant but perhaps unexpected choice:

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Sanctify Us By Thy Goodness (Chorale from Cantata #22)
• Felix Mendelssohn: Aria “If With All Your Hearts” (trumpet part would play same part as you’ll hear the tenor sing)
• Georg Böhm: Rigaudon
• Johann Pachelbel: Canon in D
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
• Georg Frideric Handel: Air from Water Music Suite #1
• Tomaso Albinoni: Adagio in G Minor

What do you think?

Do you know some other great trumpet wedding music? Let’s hear your ideas! As always, your comments are welcome and encouraged.

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

[See post to listen to audio]

A few weeks ago, I posted an article with some instrumental wedding music ideas. Here are even more ideas for you.

As with the previous article, I’ll mainly focus on pieces written for a single solo instrument (I’ll save pieces for multiple instruments for yet another article).

Between these two articles, I hope you have plenty of instrumental wedding music ideas. But don’t forget that there’s plenty more music out there. These two lists only scratch the surface.

The instruments in parentheses are just some of the possible solo instruments you could use with the listed piece of music. In most cases, either a piano or organ can accompany the piece:

• Purcell: Trumpet Tune (trumpet, harp)

• Bach: Violin Concerto in E, III: Allegro assai (BWV 1042) (violin)

• Mouret: Rondeau (aka Theme from PBS’ “Masterpiece Theater”) (trumpet, harp, classical guitar)

• Pachelbel: Canon in D (harp, violin, oboe, cello, flute)

• David Johnson: Trumpet Tune in D (trumpet)

• Handel: Largo (from Xerxes) (violin, flute, cello, oboe, trumpet)

• Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary in D (trumpet, flute)

• Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring (violin, flute, harp, classical guitar, trumpet)

• Bach: Air on the G String from Orchestral Suite #3 in D (violin, flute, cello, classical guitar, oboe)

• Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze (flute, violin, harp, classical guitar, trumpet)

• Grandjany: Aria in Classic Style (organ/piano plus harp)

There’s much more music out there.

I included a few example preview links above. If these are helpful to you, be sure to check out my Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music. The guide contains preview links for almost every piece of music—over 20 pages worth!

What good instrumental wedding music do you know about? Please take a moment to leave a comment and share your knowledge. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

© 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

Want to have an instrument play in your wedding ceremony but need ideas before booking a musician?

Including an instrument in your church wedding ceremony is a wonderful way help set the mood for this joyous occasion. Instrumental wedding songs give your ceremony lots of character and can really “personalize” it.

There’s endless music to choose from. So I have some ideas to get you started if you’re considering having instrumental wedding songs in your ceremony.

For this list of ideas, I’ll mainly focus on pieces written for a single solo instrument, with and without accompaniment (by organ or piano). Because chances are, if you’re going to have an instrument, it will be just one. I’ll save pieces written for multiple instruments (such as for a string quartet) for another article.

Of course, there are many, many more pieces and instruments than I could ever list here. You’re not limited to these suggestions. With creativity and help from your musicians, your instrumental choices can grow and will seem as endless as the music you can choose from.

So use this list only as a starting point rather than a list your choices must be made from!

So here are ideas for instrumental wedding songs to get you started. They’re mostly well-known but I included a few lesser-known pieces (depending on your feedback, I could list a wider variety of lesser-known pieces in a future article).

I included a few example preview links to iTunes Music Store recordings, (though not necessarily for the recommended instruments – you’ll have to use your imagination!). If you find these helpful, you’ll be happy to know that my Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music) includes preview links for almost all suggestions!

• Handel: La Réjouissance from Royal Fireworks Music (trumpet)

• Albinoni: Adagio in G Minor (violin, cello, oboe, flute, trumpet)

• Purcell: Ciacona in G Minor (organ or piano plus violin)

• Bach: Arioso (flute, violin, classical guitar)

• Bach: Ave Maria (flute, harp, classical guitar)

• Andrew Carter: Trumpet Tune (organ + trumpet)

• Handel: Air from Water Music Suite #1 in F (violin, oboe, flute, trumpet)

• Handel: Arioso (“Thanks Be To Thee”) (flute, violin)

• Mozart: Laudate Dominum (from Solemn Vespers) (flute, violin)

• Bach: Wachet Auf (“Wake, Awake for Night is Flying”) (violin, cello, trumpet)

• Bach: Nun danket alle Gott (“Now Thank We All Our God”) (trumpet)

More to come soon!

I have more music ideas coming up in a few weeks. Watch for the article or stay up-to-date with Wedding Music Unveiled by subscribing to our RSS feed by clicking on the orange “feed” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Keep up with us by subscribing to our email newsletter which will get you extra tips that you won’t find on the web site and our comprehensive wedding ceremony music planning checklist to download.

What else?

What other good instrumental wedding songs have you heard? Please leave a comment to share them with us all. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

© 2009 – 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.

Click below to hear interview with Balint Karosi, composer of the featured song. [See post to listen to audio]Do you need a different kind of wedding song? An uncommon piece? A song that doesn’t scream “wedding music”? A piece with sophistication? A piece that just sounds wonderfully different?

I have such a song for you. It is simultaneously old and new. The music was written for a wedding in 2007. The text was written for a wedding in 1398.

The piece is Est Amor by Hungarian composer and musician Bálint Karosi. He wrote the piece for the wedding of his friend.

The lyrics are portions of the Latin poem of the same name by the medieval English poet John Gower. He wrote the poem to his bride for their wedding.

According to the composer, the music follows the themes of Gower’s poem, focusing on beauty, eternal love and faith in God.

The piece is written for voice, organ and clarinet. And unlike many songs used in weddings, the instruments do not simply accompany the voice but have an equal part in the music, making this a treat to listen to.

Est Amor is only 4 minutes long, making it perfect for use during a wedding ceremony. It could also easily be played before the ceremony as the final piece before the processional begins.

You can hear this wedding song in its entirety as well as purchase the sheet music on the composer’s web site: http://karosi.org/scores.php

Tell us what you think. Listen to the piece and leave a comment with your thoughts. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

© 2009 – 2010, Wedding Music Unveiled. All rights reserved.