St. Sebastian Parish at 311 Siebert Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 US - Selecting your Wedding Music
| Selecting your Wedding Music |
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Planning your wedding liturgy is one of the most important events of your future life together. It is important that all couples planning their wedding liturgy at Saint Sebastian meet with the Director of Music and Worship, Tommy Hoffman, to help you plan the music for your wedding liturgy. You may reach him at 412-364-8999. Please call at least six weeks prior to your wedding day to set up an appointment.
There are two types of music at your wedding, instrumental and vocal. The processional and recessional are almost always instrumental pieces. The list provided here is a sampling of the most popular processional and recessional pieces. Some couples preparing for their wedding liturgy like to choose two separate pieces for the processional, one for the attendants entrance and one for the bridal procession. This is not recommended because the wedding liturgy is a celebration of both the bride and groom, their attendants and families, not just the bride. Please consider this when choosing your processional. Also as a sacramental celebration the music chosen should be liturgical in nature. Secular love songs and sentimental tunes should be for the wedding reception.
At your meeting with Tommy you will make the final decisions on the instrumental and vocal music. Below is a liturgical list which highlights the opportunities for instrumental and vocal music in the Nuptial Mass (the Wedding Mass). All these pieces would be played on the pipe organ here at Saint Sebastian’s.
God bless you and thank you for choosing
a sacramental celebration of your marriage at Saint Sebastian.
Music at the Nuptial Mass
Preludes: instrumental or vocal pieces before the liturgy
The Seating of the Parents: (vocal or instrumental)
The Processional: instrumental (trumpet can also be included)
The Psalm Response: after the First Reading, (*cantor sings )
The Gospel Acclamation: This is the Alleluia refrain and verse before the Gospel (cantor sings)
The Unity Candle Lighting: (this is optional) vocal or instrumental
The Song at the Presentation of the Gifts: vocal or instrumental
The Ordinary Mass Parts: Holy Holy, Acclamations, Lamb of God (sung by the cantor and assembly)
The Communion Song: vocal piece, (should refer to Marriage or the Eucharist)
The Presentation to the Blessed Mother: this is optional, sung vocal by the cantor
The Recessional: instrumental
Listen to these brief clips of recommended and popular
instrumentals appropriate for a wedding mass:
Processionals
1. Canon in D, by Pachelbell
2. Prince of Demark March by Clarke
3. Rigaudon by Campra
4. Jesu Joy Chorale by Bach
Recessionals
1. Hornpipe from the Water Music by Handel
2. Wedding March by Mendelssohn
3. Trumpet Voluntary by Stanley
4. Trumpet Tune in D by Purcell