GUIDELINES
FOR WEDDING MUSIC
Diocese
of San Diego
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations! You stand on the brink of a sacred,
exciting, lifelong adventure together.
We know that this is a very happy and busy time for you and we share
your hope that everything about your wedding day will be beautiful and
joyous. This is the reason that these Guidelines
for Wedding Music were created.
When we think
of weddings we automatically think of the bride and the groom and their love
for one another. But there is much more
involved in your love and your marriage than just the two of you. There are, for instance, your family and
friends who have helped bring you to this point and who will continue to
support and encourage you as you begin your new life together. And there is God who is the source of your
love and whose love for you is reflected in your love for one another. That is why your decision to share your
lives, and to grow together in Christian love calls for a special celebration
in and with the faith-community, the parish.
People in
love make signs of love, not only to express their love but also to deepen
it. Love never expressed dies,
Christians' love for Christ and for each other, Christians' faith in Christ and
in each other, must be expressed in the signs and symbols of celebration or it
will die. Music in Catholic Worship,
#4
Everything about the wedding ceremony should witness to all those
present your understanding that you are entering a sacred and holy union - a
sacrament. Therefore, everything about
the service, including the music, calls for careful planning that will contribute
to this understanding. If it does not,
then it is unsuitable for your wedding celebration because it is unworthy of
the occasion. Everyone present at your
wedding should be led by the dignity and beauty of the liturgy to a deeper
understanding of Christian marriage and, consequently, to a greater commitment
to it. In a sense, your wedding is your
gift to your family and friends. It is
your invitation for them to enter into and share your faith - your love, your
prayer. We know that you are anxious to
make it the best possible gift.
Faith grows when it is well expressed in celebration. Good celebrations foster and nourish
faith. Poor celebrations weaken and
destroy faith. Music in Catholic
Worship, #6
A worship aid/program should include all music that the
congregation is expected to sing to enable their full participation and make
the liturgy truly alive.
Because you
have chosen to invite Christ to make your love a sacrament, the music you
choose for your wedding must express this unique and distinct encounter. Just as you would not expect to pronounce
your wedding vows in street language, so you would not expect to hear
"everyday" love songs within a ceremony celebrating Christian married
love. Certainly "your song"
will have a place later in the day's festivities; but during the wedding
liturgy itself the emphasis should be God's love for you, your love for God,
the love of the community for you, your love for them and how these support and
confirm your love for each other.
Music in
Catholic Worship states that to determine the value of a given musical element
in a liturgical celebration a threefold judgment must be made: musical, liturgical and pastoral. (Ibid., #25)
Is the music
technically, aesthetically and expressively good? This judgment is basic and primary and should be made by
competent musicians. Only artistically
sound music will be effective in the long run.
To admit the cheap, the trite, the musical cliché often found in popular
songs on the grounds of instant liturgy is to cheapen the liturgy, to expose it
to ridicule, and to invite failure. (Ibid.
#26)
The Nature of
the liturgy itself will help to determine what kind of music is called for,
what parts are to be preferred for singing and who is to sing them. (Ibid. #30)
The lyrics of
songs chosen for the wedding liturgy should express the Christian concept of
life, rather than one which is purely secular.
The liturgy of marriage celebrates not only the human love between two persons
but also their relation to God who is love.
The texts must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine, indeed
they should be drawn chiefly from Holy Scripture, and from liturgical sources. Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, Vatican
Council II, #121
Perhaps the best criterion is simply the question, Can you pray
the words of the text? Does the music
express and interpret the text correctly and manifest the meaning more
clearly? Is the form of the text
respected? In making these judgments
the general classification of liturgical texts must be kept in mind: proclamations, acclamations, psalms,
antiphons, litanies, hymns, and prayers.
Each has a specific function and form which must be served by the music
chosen for the text.
Special
musical concern must be given to the roles of the congregation, the cantor, the
choir and the instrumentalist. Music
in Catholic Worship, #33 Music
chosen should be within the performance ability of all involved. The choices of sung parts, the balance
between them, and the style of musical setting used should reflect the relative
importance of the parts of the Mass (or other service) and the nature of each
part. (Ibid. #31)
The pastoral
judgment governs the use and function of every element of celebration. Ideally this judgment is made by the
planning team or committee. It is the
judgment that must be made in this particular situation, in these concrete
circumstances. Does music in the
celebration enable these people to express their faith, in this place, in this
age, in this culture? (Ibid.
#39)
The music
chosen should be effective for this congregation. It should be suitable for use in a religious, liturgical service
whose primary concern is the worship of God.
Therefore, the role of music in the celebration of the Eucharist and the
sacraments is threefold:
1. Music must fulfill a role of service.
2. Music must invite and involve congregational
participation.
3. Music must be an integral part of the
liturgy.
Because of
the communal aspects of the celebration, the role of the soloist has evolved
into that of cantor or leader of song, thus encouraging the congregation in its
rightful role of active participation rather than observation, while still
providing some solo vocal pieces when that is appropriate and desired.
PLACE OF MUSIC WITHIN THE WEDDING LITURGY
Music
suggestions are merely indicative of the various types of music and texts which
may be used at the Wedding Liturgy. It
is necessary to consult with your parish music director well in advance of the
liturgy to coordinate the planning of this important day.
INTRODUCTORY RITES
The arrival
of your wedding guests may be accompanied by instrumental music, a vocal solo,
or choir. The music selected should be
in keeping with the event to follow, i.e., a period of prayerful
preparation. It is not the time for
performing a 'favorite piece' that is unsuitable within the ceremony itself.
The processional
can be instrumental music (organ, brass quintet, trumpet, etc.) Some of the most popular appropriate
selections include:
Jesu, Joy of
Man's Desiring - J.S. Bach
Canon in D
Major - J. Pachelbel
The Prince of
Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary) - J. Clarke
Rondeau -
J.J. Mouret
Trumpet
Processional - Campra
Trumpet Tune
- Purcell/Clarke
Trumpet Tune
in D - David Johnson
Trumpet
Voluntary - Stanley
In addition
to these, your parish music director may have other suggestions.
The so-called
traditional "wedding marches" by Wagner and Mendelssohn have nothing
to do with the Sacred Liturgy and may not be used. In fact, the origin of these compositions borders on the profane
and the ridiculous. The "Bridal
Chorus" ("Here Comes the Bride") from Wagner's opera, Lohengrin,
accompanies an illicit ceremony, a tragic bedroom fiasco. Mendelssohn's incidental music to Shakespeare's
Midsummer Night's Dream accompanies a farcical wedding. Even though they are frequently used in the
United States in Protestant churches, they are rarely used in Catholic
churches. For the above mentioned
reasons, to use them in connection with a church ceremony is simply inappropriate. (Again your parish organist should be able
to suggest and demonstrate numerous other compositions from which to choose,
thus adding to the dignity and uniqueness of your wedding liturgy.)
The
processional may also be a congregational hymn setting or may be followed by
one. If a hymn is to be sung, either as
a processional or after the processional, it should be one that is familiar in
many denominations since there will probably be non-Catholics at your
wedding. With this in mind the
following are a few excellent choices:
Love Divine,
All Love's Excelling
Joyful, Joyful
We Adore You
May the Grace
of Christ
LITURGY OF THE WORD
1ST READING - Recited
A brief
period of reflective silence follows the first reading. Then the responsorial psalm is SUNG. The congregation sings the antiphon with the
cantor singing the verses.
Psalms 33,
34, 103, 112, 128, 145 and 148 are recommended in the Roman Ritual. Your parish hymnal(s) will have settings of
these from which you can choose.
In the
eucharistic celebration the acclamations which ought to be sung are: Alleluia, Holy, Memorial Acclamation and
Great Amen. These acclamations should
be led by the cantor and sung in familiar musical settings in order to maximize
congregational participation. The Alleluia (or Lenten Gospel Acclamation) must
be sung. If it is not sung, it is
omitted.
The most
commonly used settings of this include the plainsong chant and the Celtic
Alleluia. There are many other
Alleluias and Acclamations that would work, especially if the music is printed
in your worship aid.
The actual
Rite of Marriage does not call for any specific music.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
An
instrumental or vocal selection or a congregational hymn may accompany the
presentation and preparation of the gifts.
The music used here should not prolong this (minor) part of the
liturgy. If a congregational hymn is
chosen, it should follow the same criteria stated for the processional
hymn. If a vocal solo is done it should
reflect God's love for you and his blessing on your marriage. A few ideas are:
The Gift of
Love - Hal Hopson
Wedding Hymn
- G.F. Handel
Wedding Song
- Flor Peeters or Heinrich Schütz
Be Thou With
Them - J.S. Bach
Where Charity
and Love Prevail - Lucien Deiss
A Nuptial
Blessing - Richard Proulx or Michael Joncas
When Love is
Found - Brian Wren
This includes
the Holy, Holy, Memorial Acclamation and Amen.
These acclamations should be led by the cantor and sung in familiar
musical settings in order to maximize congregational participation. Some of the most well-known Eucharistic
Prayer acclamations include:
Mass of
Creation - Haugen
Community
Mass - Proulx
Heritage Mass
- Alstott
People's Mass
- Vermulst
The Lord's
Prayer may be sung if the congregation can participate. Otherwise, it should be spoken. A solo version of the Lord's Prayer is not
appropriate here.
The Lamb of
God is a litany which accompanies the breaking of the bread. It is preferable to do a Lamb of God setting
from the same Mass setting as the Eucharistic Prayer Acclamations when that is
possible.
Congregational
singing is appropriate here because it gives expression to our unity in the
Body of Christ. Preferably a song with
repeated refrain for the congregation should be sung. A suitable vocal or instrumental solo or a choral piece could
also be used here. Some ideas for a
congregational song are:
Gift of
Finest Wheat
I Am the
Bread of Life
Gather Us
Together
Ubi Caritas -
Taize or chant
Eat this
Bread
Taste and See
- Haugen, Kreutz or Moore
A festive instrumental
piece of music is most effective as accompaniment to the recessional.
Where the
custom exists of placing flowers at the shrine of Our Lady, a Marian song by
the cantor or congregation, or an instrumental piece is appropriate. This ceremony should take place either after
the Prayer after Communion and before the Concluding Rite, or after the
Dismissal and before the Recessional.
All resources
are available for use from the Liturgy Library at the Office for Liturgy &
Spirituality, (619) 490-8290.
CATHOLIC WEDDING BOOK, THE Stein & Graham; Paulist
Press
CELEBRATING MARRIAGE Paul Covino, ed.; The Pastoral Press
HANDBOOK OF CHURCH MUSIC FOR WEDDINGS, Mary
A. Simcoe, ed. Liturgy Training Publications
MUSIC FOR WEDDING SERVICES - Novallis
(video), Kenneth Hendrick; Liturgical Press
PARISH WEDDINGS Austin Fleming; Liturgical Training Publ.
TOGETHER FOR LIFE Joseph Champlin; Ave Maria Press
WE WILL CELEBRATE A CHURCH WEDDING
George Szews; Liturgical Press
WHAT YOUR WEDDING CAN BE William J. Peters; Abbey Press
WHEN LOVE IS FOUND Jeanne Cotter & David Haas; GIA
Revised 8/95 - Office for Liturgy & Spirituality
Contents:
5.
Place of Music within the Wedding Liturgy
6.
Introductory Rites
a.
Prelude
b.
Processional
c.
Opening Hymn
7.
Liturgy of the Word
9.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
d.
Lamb of God
10.
Concluding Rite
11.
Recessional
12.
Devotion to Mary