In my experience, baptism, marriage and funerals are rites that, along with all other services, are closely tied to music. They are mostly chanted and have corresponding songs. For the purpose of this blog topic and the desired length, I will focus on weddings as they have an especially rich musical tradition.
In all of the Orthodox weddings that I have attended, instruments are not used, so the music is all choral. This may seem rather foreign to people who are used to Wagner’s bridal chorus, Mendelssohn’s wedding march, Pachelbel’s canon and the like—but the use of ancient hymns and chants make the ceremony even more traditional, in the literal sense. Since the service is almost entirely sung, it allows one to see the extremely sacramental nature of marriage. “Secular” music can be used at the following reception, but the marriage ceremony itself is preserved as a clearly liturgical service.
The marriage service consists of two distinct parts, the Betrothal and the Crowning. The Betrothal service is conducted at the entrance to the church and ends by the exchanging of the wedding rings. The bridal party then moves to the center of the church for the second part, during which lengthy prayers are offered for the couple, the crowns of marriage are placed on their heads, the common cup is shared and the celebrational procession takes place around the table. During the crowning the priest chants “O Lord, crown them with glory and honor," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9v88XpVdWI&feature=related). The specific Epistle and Gospel for weddings are chanted during the service. As the bride and groom are led around the table three times, three significant hymns are sung. The first speaks of the indescribable joy that Isaiah the Prophet experienced when he envisioned the coming of the Messiah upon the earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJKK2OyNtbs). The second is a reminder of the martyrs of the Faith, who received their crowns of glory from God through the sacrifice of their lives. The third is an exaltation to the Holy Trinity. The final blessing and recessional is also sung (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2hLLqmg_Z0&feature=related).
In all of the Orthodox weddings that I have attended, instruments are not used, so the music is all choral. This may seem rather foreign to people who are used to Wagner’s bridal chorus, Mendelssohn’s wedding march, Pachelbel’s canon and the like—but the use of ancient hymns and chants make the ceremony even more traditional, in the literal sense. Since the service is almost entirely sung, it allows one to see the extremely sacramental nature of marriage. “Secular” music can be used at the following reception, but the marriage ceremony itself is preserved as a clearly liturgical service.
The marriage service consists of two distinct parts, the Betrothal and the Crowning. The Betrothal service is conducted at the entrance to the church and ends by the exchanging of the wedding rings. The bridal party then moves to the center of the church for the second part, during which lengthy prayers are offered for the couple, the crowns of marriage are placed on their heads, the common cup is shared and the celebrational procession takes place around the table. During the crowning the priest chants “O Lord, crown them with glory and honor," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9v88XpVdWI&feature=related). The specific Epistle and Gospel for weddings are chanted during the service. As the bride and groom are led around the table three times, three significant hymns are sung. The first speaks of the indescribable joy that Isaiah the Prophet experienced when he envisioned the coming of the Messiah upon the earth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJKK2OyNtbs). The second is a reminder of the martyrs of the Faith, who received their crowns of glory from God through the sacrifice of their lives. The third is an exaltation to the Holy Trinity. The final blessing and recessional is also sung (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2hLLqmg_Z0&feature=related).
As can be seen, music plays a large role in the Orthodox wedding service. It is hard for me to associate one without the other.
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