Wedding Ceremony & Reception Music Discussions

Cello music for ceremony

So I'm looking to get a cello player to play for our ceremony, and I'd like to be a little overprepared... and put together a list of songs I'd like them to play, if only for a starting point.

I really like classical music, especially Bach... so, here are the three I've got so far: "Le Cygne" (the Swan) by Camille Saint-Saens, Bach's Prelude from Cello Suite #1, and Bach's Air on a G string.  I'm trying to avoid Canon in D, as well as "

Does anyone here know of good classical cello songs that might be good?


M.

Re: Cello music for ceremony

  • ceyringceyring member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Hi, I'm a cellist myself.  Try looking through some of the arrangements in these collections

    I'm having the cellist in our quartet play the Swan for our unity candle song, which should be really pretty!  It's funny, I was just working on that one with a student tonight.

    There are plenty of movements of the Bach Suites that would be well suited for wedding pre-ceremony music.

    Are you looking for processional and recessional songs too?  Is Air for your bridesmaids?  A lot of people use it that way.

    If you're Jewish,  there are a few short pieces by Bloch that would be beautiful.

    Hmmm.  There's a Song Without Words by Mendelssohn that cellists like to play, and similarly a Vocalise by Rachmaninov.  Those might be nice if you want to throw some Romantic style pieces in.  Usually when I'm picking pre-ceremony music I tend to choose mostly Baroque music with some Romantic stuff for variety.  

    The Largo from Handel's Xerxes (a transcription of Ombra mai fu") is also really pretty on cello.

    Many movements of the Vivaldi sonatas work well unaccompanied, if you want to mostly stick with Baroque music.


  • edited December 2011

    Thank you so much for the help!

    We're planning to use The Swan for our "making it official" song, and some random Bach suites for before the ceremony.

    The suggestion about Handel's great - I hadn't heard any of it on the cello, so couldn't picture how it would sound.  Tentatively, this would be good for parents, etc. sitting down.

    I've been leaning towards Vivaldi as the "backup plan" in case our cellist didn't know any good recessional songs, as I've found  it's a little intense for the non-classical out there. ;-)

    Still haven't decided what to do about my entrance song yet, but I'll have a look through the link you sent!  Thanks so much for that!!

    We're not Jewish, but I'll still consider Bloch --- as it's a tiny wedding, we've got space for short songs.

    Wow, a quartet!  That'll be lovely!  If we were having more than just 22 people, I'd have gone with a quartet instead of a soloist!

    M.

  • ceyringceyring member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    If you were looking for something lighter for the recessional, Beatles songs generally sound good on strings.  "When I'm 64" is a favorite of mine for cocktail hours and such.
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