Musicians of many kinds are available and ready to help you as you plan music for your wedding. The first step and the one that all couples booking a wedding must do is to contact the director of music Mr David Hall. (blessedsacramentdhall@rogers.com) By phone he is available through the church office most mornings Tuesday through Friday (519 742-5061) and messages may be left at his home number as well 519 741-0067.
Even if you do not want any music at all, or have an outside musician who will look after everything, you need to phone and tell him that. Your wedding is now on our church schedule and everybody who works here can see that it is there. By booking your wedding you incur an expense in the form of a fee payable to the music director. Even in cases where you are using outside musicians and will not be needing to consult with David about the planning of the music he still is involved in the background. Providing this booklet is one such involvement, for example. And outside musicians need to know about operating the church sound system, keys for organ and piano, how to reserve practice time and when they can access the building. David is the person who will be responsible for such facets of welcoming these guests to our church. Many times David’s involvement in the background has lead to the music being more secure than it otherwise would have been and you may regard this professional approach as one of the hallmarks of a wedding at our parish. When you talk to David to tell him you are using outside musicians he will ask that they be given his phone number and asked to contact him. His $50 fee for services in accommodating such needs may be paid to David through the priest celebrating your wedding at the rehearsal.
If you do want David to take an active role in the music at your wedding you need to call to arrange a consulting appointment that will cost $50. This is where he will be able to demonstrate and play for you from the examples of possible music for you to decide on your choices. He can advise on how to fit in any pieces you might wish to include, where to find the music and how to approach other singers and instrumentalists. Appointments for this consultation are flexible. In addition to the morning office hours, the director of music is available evenings and Saturdays (dependent on his schedule of lessons and choir practices and assuming that the church is not being used for some other activity).
Any musical friends or relatives who will be involved in the music at your wedding should also come to this consultation so you might perhaps check as to their availability at one of the above times before phoning David. It is in talking together at this meeting that we decide how we will work together, what the pieces will be, what musical accompaniments are needed and what practices are needed. If you have no such people at hand in your family circle we can talk about the availability of church singers or instrumentalists. The fee for any single person who is retained through the agency of the church director of music is $100, including David himself. Fees for groups are set by the groups themselves. If you know before hand that you would like to use some of the church musicians we will invite them to this consultation so that you may hear the music and decide on your selections at this time. If you are a little unsure what you would like or can afford we shall do the consultation with just David and not involve any others until later, if at all.
Attending the Sunday masses will give you an idea of what the music could be like at your wedding but since you are remunerating everybody you may also think of having professional musicians. David can put you in touch with such people as string quartets or trained singers. If you do not have any firm idea of whom to ask, he will ascertain what sort of style you are choosing and suggest those people who fit best with that style.
Different styles include
· Blessed Sacrament Sunday mass with Catholic Book of Worship hymns and service music for congregational participation. This requires a cantor with Catholic experience.
· Just organ, with the sort of music that our organ does well. Being small makes it less flexible but it does have a beautiful sound.
· Piano may be used on its own or mixed with organ
· Keyboard instruments may be supplemented with solo singers, flute and violin.
· More popular style music singers with guitar accompaniment. We can suggest contacts or work with people you might know.
The actual requirements of the service are for
· music before hand,
· Processional music for the procession which begins with the servers and the celebrant, continues with the men and bridesmaids and includes the bride all in the one procession with one piece of music.
· Cantor for psalm after first reading and Alleluia before Gospel reading. If you will not be hiring a cantor the psalm may be read and the alleluia omitted. Father is providing you with a list of the suggested psalms. If you can decide beforehand which psalm you want to have David can play different musical settings for you to determine your preferred one.
· Music while couple and witnesses sign register
· Recessional music to leave
If there is Eucharist there are responses that may be sung (recited if not sung) and a need for music during the communion time.
There is a form at the back of the booklet of readings Father has given you where we will fill in the choices as you make them. Please bring the booklet to this consultation.
There is a need to think about procuring the printed music that you will use. Normally you choose your music from selections that the musicians have learnt previously from copies they own. If you have a selection that you have heard elsewhere and are looking for somebody who knows it or is able to learn it so that it may be performed at your wedding things can get more complicated. The church owns a selection of music that we can look through at the consultation, there are wedding pieces in the Catholic Book of Worship (which is a collection of congregational type music) and there are music stores with wide selections close at hand. As long as you realize that it takes more time to do it this way you should be able to have what you want.
Sometimes the question arises of playing a recorded CD over the church sound system. We can do this but only in monaural sound which renders the result one dimensional and less attractive. Bear in mind that although the church service has music it is not the only place where music will be heard during your wedding day and you might be better able to accommodate the playing of a recorded performance of a song by a name artist at the reception. Ask yourself also whether any songs you might be thinking of are possibly too frank for church use. Not all ways of talking about love are suitable in the church context and only the more elevated styles are dependably suitable. From the human and emotional point of view the most effective music for use at the church will be that sung by live people who are involved in your lives and/or the life of this parish.
Practicing with the various musicians is included in the professional fee that you are paying and will be scheduled according to mutual convenience. Singers who are not Roman Catholics may need to learn the parts of the mass. Others might need help learning solos. This practicing can not be expected to take place at the time of the “Wedding Rehearsal” when Father is busy explaining to you the flow of the service. The musicians will not be at that rehearsal. If there is a need to hear the music in a final state before the actual wedding day it will be scheduled separately with the musicians. The wedding rehearsal is the best time to pay the appropriate fees which may be done by cheque or cash in envelopes which you may give to Father to pass on.
The Director of Music participates in as many weddings as he can and tries to plan his summer holidays for the least busy times. Nonetheless some weddings will take place that he can not participate in. We always have a fully qualified substitute organist retained to play at our Sunday masses and would normally have that person available to play for weddings too. You do not need to worry about having to find an organist on your own. The consultation, at any rate, is always with the director, and is designed to give you all the help possible as you plan your Big Day. We wish you the best at this exciting time and pray for God’s blessing on your marriage.
Following is a list of Blessed Sacrament Church singers and instrumentalists who are willing to help with your wedding music. You are not restricted to these people and they might only occasionally be available but have done it in the past. I have indicated which mass each attends to guide any couples who have heard somebody but have no way of knowing their name.
7:00pm Saturday
Jo-Anne Chin, soprano
8:30
Jennifer Capa, soprano
Calvin Shaver, classical guitar,
10:00
Joann Koehler, flute,
Bruce Skelton, violin and member of Leith String Quartet
11:30
Jo Ann Dallaire
Other Soloists who are still available in the area
Sue Zach violinists
Andrew Rethazi, baritone
Organ and Piano
David Hall, Carolyn Snyder Milke, Alison Clark