Wedding Music

When I was growing up, my family went to Mass every Sunday together. We attended two Catholic churches,  St. Tim's and Resurrection. There was this guy who used to do the lead vocals at the Mass at Resurrection who had the worst voice ever. He would be in the middle of a song and his voice would crack and then he would try to recover and it would crack even worse. I can remember trying not to look at my brothers because I knew if I made eye-contact with them we would all start laughing so hard we wouldn't be able to stop. Seriously this guy was horrible. 

He is not the kind of guy I want to sing at my wedding. 

I guess now is the best time to say that I am musically handicapped. I have absolutely no sense of rhythm, and even less sense about tone. I don't play any instruments, and when I sing in my apartment, Rex leaves the room. Needless to say, trying to decide what music to have at Jason and my Wedding Ceremony has been a huge burden for me. I have been going to mass since I was born, so I recognize certain songs, but how do I know what to play at a wedding? This seemed like an impossible task. 

Enter Lettice.

Lettice, as you should know by now, is one of my bridesmaids. She is in the same PhD program as I am at ASU and pretty much from the moment we met we knew we were kindred spirits. Shortly after asking Lettice to be in the wedding, she offered to sing during the ceremony. I think she thought it was a little strange that I jumped at the opportunity without ever having heard her sing, but I figured if she was musically deficient, she would have never offered. I mean, I certainly wouldn't offer to sing in someone's wedding, so she had to know what she was doing. Plus, I knew her undergrad degree was in theater, so it made sense she could sing.

Today, Lettice sent me a sample of her voice from a performance she did in college. HOLY CRAP. The moment the sound of her voice came out of my speakers I was in tears. She has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard! I can just picture the sound of her voice echoing off the walls of the Old Church. When Jason got home, I played it for him too, and we both got goosebumps. Her voice is simply mesmerizing. Here is the sample she sent us:

Once we heard Lettice's voice, it made the choice of selecting music that required vocals so much easier! Here are the songs we have chosen for the vocal portions of the mass. They are just YouTube videos, so try to ignore the videos and focus on the songs. They are going to be perfect with Lettice's voice! She is going to make these songs absolutely perfect for my wedding. What an amazing gift from an amazing friend!!

Responsorial psalm 

I have loved you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwxdPvzuqsA&feature=related

 

Sign of Peace

An Irish blessing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Jv57P_cyg

 

Communion

Panis Angelicus  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a11YheB2zM&feature=related

 

   Flowers for Mary's Altar

   Scubert's Ave Maria.

   http://youtu.be/2bosouX_d8Y

I mean can't you just hear her voice singing Ave Maria? Squeal!! I am so excited!!

For the instrumental parts of the mass, one of my former students from ASU, Kim Fortuna, is going to be playing the cello. She has a friend who is a pianist, Kristan, who will also be playing. They play a weekly mass at St. Teresa's (a gorgeous church in Phoenix). As soon as we decide on those songs, I will create a new post just for them. :)

I can't believe how well this is all coming together!! Gah! 7 months to go!