Wedding Music By D. Owens

“This selection was compiled to offer the serious non-pedal harp player a group of pieces in a field that has been largely overlooked by composers and arrangers.  Although chosen for wedding suitability, they are diverse enough to be useful for many purposes.  In their uncompromising arrangements, they are an excellent source for teaching material.  The keys chosen are for the harp tuned in C.  Four marches are offered at the beginning.  Traditionally the processional, the Bridal Chorus by Wagner includes the middle modulated section hitherto ignored in other editions.  The recessional Wedding March by Mendelssohn is a fragment of the lengthy original, but it’s enough to get the happy couple out of the church!…One of the oldest religious songs, Deo Gratias was composed to  celebrate the return of Henry V to England after the battle of Agincourt.  The most demanding piece in the group is the Prelude by Bach.  Ordinarily easy to play, the chromatic changes require speed and muffling in moving levers for accidental changes…  Handel…is handsomely represented with four compositions.  His works seem to fit the non-pedal harp admirably… D. Owens