Organist had to bail

lmeade62

I was so excited, because though our regular church organist can't play Pachelbel's Canon (which I have my heart set on for my processional), I found an organist that everyone spoke extremely highly of. He said he could play the Canon, that he had a fabulous Ave Maria, and he was very experienced at Catholic weddings. But...he had to check with his home church to be sure they didn't already have him scheduled for something else.

Today he called and said that the priests told him there was something else they needed him for that day. He was very apologetic (and said he actually would rather be doing my wedding)...I absolutely understand the dilemma; he has a primary obligation to that church.

He did recommend another organist from another church in the area, so I remain hopeful, but finding an organist who can play this piece has been my biggest challenge!

Just needed to weep a bit...thanks for listening...the wedding isn't until October so I've got some time. If I have to I'll hire someone from St. Louis, at least to just do that Canon!

Linda

doctabroccoli

That sucks

Is your wedding not in St. Louis?

And, for the record (and I'm not trying to sound snarky), why can't your regular organist play Canon in D?  It's like one of the first classical pieces you learn when you take piano/organ lessons.......  I'm really curious, cause it's not hard.  At all.

lmeade62

I don't know...I know she wants to be sure she knows what she's playing really well, and she knows Trumpt Voluntary and some other classic ones, but not the Pachelbel...

<sigh />

No, the wedding is in a small town about 70 miles south of St. Louis...of course, there's still a dozen Catholic churches in the vicinity, so I'm not out of options just yet!

Thanks for the sympathy!

Linda

doctabroccoli

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_organist-bail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:615Discussion:062f3e82-d3d4-4326-8f59-b2dcad8a6bfaPost:cb2d7bd9-4580-4773-b864-bac8ae819791">Re: Organist had to bail</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't know...I know she wants to be sure she knows what she's playing really well, and she knows Trumpt Voluntary and some other classic ones, but not the Pachelbel... <sigh /> No, the wedding is in a small town about 70 miles south of St. Louis...of course, there's still a dozen Catholic churches in the vicinity, so I'm not out of options just yet! Thanks for the sympathy! Linda
Posted by lmeade62[/QUOTE]

That's weird..........  And it's weird that she's not willing to learn it.

You doing a winery wedding in St. Gen or something?  (I'm from St. Louis originally)

ring_pop

lol I have to agree about an organist who doesn't know how to play Canon in D. Even if she hasn't played it before, she really ought to learn it and add it to her repertoire. I don't think anyone who can't play Canon in D should call herself a wedding organist (only half joking here).

Anyway sorry you're stressing but I'm sure you'll find someone who can play the Canon!

ellen73

The music director for my wedding moved across the week before my wedding, and he told me about a month before the wedding. And I was planning from out of town.  His replacement wasn't set yet, but he did find me someone who never returned my e-mails until the week before the wedding.   Planning can be frustrating!!  Of course everything worked out (except he played the organ instead of the piano for half of it, and I really do not like organ music, and every time we spoke and even at the rehearsal that anything was fine as long as it wasn't the organ!)

gwendolynclare

IMO, Pachabel's Canon is so much prettier on strings.  If you can't find an organist to do it, why not look for a quartet?  You can always hire high school students even.

lalaith50

that is so weird that an organist can't play Canon in D. Wow. If so, you should be GLAD that you have to find a new one! :-)

GulfCoaster

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_organist-bail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:615Discussion:062f3e82-d3d4-4326-8f59-b2dcad8a6bfaPost:e912471d-b91e-4482-8a69-85bd5f189911">Re: Organist had to bail</a>:
[QUOTE]IMO, Pachabel's Canon is so much prettier on strings.  If you can't find an organist to do it, why not look for a quartet?  You can always hire high school students even.
Posted by gwendolynclare[/QUOTE]

This.  Of course, I'm biased as I played cello until I graduated college.  Pachelbel is so gorgeous on strings... 

lmeade62

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_organist-bail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:062f3e82-d3d4-4326-8f59-b2dcad8a6bfaPost:a5623456-b1eb-423f-a231-c137d4a8d070">Re: Organist had to bail</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Organist had to bail : That's weird..........  And it's weird that she's not willing to learn it. You doing a winery wedding in St. Gen or something?  (I'm from St. Louis originally)
Posted by doctabroccoli[/QUOTE]

No...we're closer to the Ozarks. St. Gen is lovely though, isn't it??

lmeade62

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_organist-bail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:062f3e82-d3d4-4326-8f59-b2dcad8a6bfaPost:e912471d-b91e-4482-8a69-85bd5f189911">Re: Organist had to bail</a>:
[QUOTE]IMO, Pachabel's Canon is so much prettier on strings.  If you can't find an organist to do it, why not look for a quartet?  You can always hire high school students even.
Posted by gwendolynclare[/QUOTE]

That is a good idea. I haven't heard back from the organist the first guy recommended, but I did email my coordinator with the dilemma and asked her to check out string quartets. There's a Suzuki school in the city, so maybe that will turn out as an option...

Thank you!

lmeade62

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_organist-bail?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:062f3e82-d3d4-4326-8f59-b2dcad8a6bfaPost:fbcf142f-fd2f-4c2f-b96a-a40c76f9bb7d">Re: Organist had to bail</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Organist had to bail : This.  Of course, I'm biased as I played cello until I graduated college.  Pachelbel is so gorgeous on strings... 
Posted by GulfCoaster[/QUOTE]


Wanna come play for my wedding? <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" />

meep2

What part or version of the Canon are you asking him to play? The version I learned for strings was easy (and beautiful). The version I learned for piano was actually pretty difficult, just because the chord structure made the fingering on the fast parts complicated. Of course, unlike a lot of brides, you're being considerate enough to give the musicians notice about the music well in advance (it's amazing how fast people think you can learn music!) I'd be shocked if your regular organist couldn't learn at least one version of it, since it's fairly standard.

BTW, check and see how long it takes you to walk down the aisle. It might just take 30 seconds to a minute in some churches to get the entire wedding party down the aisle, but it can take several minutes before you get to the prettiest part of Pachabel's Canon depending on speed and arrangement. I'd hate to see you walk down the aisle to just eight notes! I do, however, know from experience that it is perfectly possible to create a lovely arrangement of the piece cut down to 30 seconds.