THEME WEDDINGS: "Shanghai Night" - The Music
by Cindee Yeo

"If music be the food of love, play on, ... "

Twelfth Night
Act I, Scene 1
William Shakespeare

So begins the first line of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, in which love and music is a major theme. Where else is this epitomized than at a wedding dinner or reception; a celebration of love with food and music. Music sets the mood, creates ambiance, accompanies us when we are happy or sad, we dance to it, croak to it, work to it, sleep to it, eat to it, ........, you get the idea.

The theme wedding can centre on the music played during the church ceremony and wedding dinner. At my Shanghai wedding, we had to adhere to the traditional Canon by Pachebel for the processional (Pastor's orders), and Mendelssohn's Wedding March for the recessional. For the special item, I sneaked in a Chinese-sounding song kindly performed by my brother's girlfriend and friend. The soothing and corporeal sound of the flute, accompanied by piano, was a perfect duet of The Innerlight ( Song from Lessons episode from Star Trek:The Next Generation TV series.) Hubby was delighted as I had planned it as a surprise for the die-hard Trekker. [Click] for Real Audio sound file.

Ideally, I wanted to hire a real Chinese orchestra to play but due to lack of funds, I turned to my CDs. My bridesmaid gave me my first Noel Quinlan album, 10 Women of China and I was hooked. I was actually listening to and enjoying those unbearable old Chinese songs my grandfather used to sing. Needless to say, the older folks at my wedding were pleased with my selection.

At dinner, we marched in to, what else, Shanghai Bund, (tung-tuh-tung) and played selections from Quinlan's Middle Kingdom series, 10 Women of China and Katusha albums, throughout the dinner. Quinlan composed, arranged and performed an audio treat, blending the sweet strains of traditional Chinese musical instruments with modern rhythms and beats. Together with Kevin Orphin, Quinlan conceptualized the human combination of power and delicacy of Chinese feminine icons in 10 Women of China. "From out of the mist of time, the names of some extraordinary women still echo though the antiquity of China." Stories of Hua Mu Lan (this year's Walt Disney's animated movie, coming soon to a theatre near you), Zhu Ying Tai, Princess Web Cheng, Diao Chan and Xi Shi are featured on the album.

The Middle Kingdom series is a tribute to Chinese opera, updated to provide accessibility for today's listeners. It doesn't matter if you don't understand the lyrics, like me. Lose yourself in the melodies and feel yourself transported to the Motherland of yore, when men were men and women were women, subjugated by their men into traditional roles. However their greatness rises above their conditions and their stories are immortalized by Quinlan as a tribute to the richness of Chinese women in history.

For the second march in, hubby and I strutted down the red carpet in chi pao and cheongsum to Kung Fu, the first song on Middle Kingdom III. If you can sit through the lengthy introduction, you will be rewarded with the oohs and grunts reminiscent of a class of Tae Kwan Do-ers exerting themselves as they kicked and huh-ed. Hubby stopped near our friends' tables and executed a "Hai yah!" primal scream and pose aka Chan Chen.

Up on stage, we poured champagne to the strains of Spring Morning, from Middle Kingdom II. Visions of a fresh clean start with the promise of a lifetime together weaved its magic around the pouring. The cascading champagne down the triangle of glasses perfectly juxtaposed with the simple melody expressing the simple aria of nature on a beautiful spring morning.

Meanwhile, Uncle Chan Ting at his table commented that the music selection was a blast from the past and older than us! The strains of the urhu and pipa provided a perfect backdrop and I believe greatly contributed to the success of my Shanghai Nite wedding. As mentioned in the earlier article, the theme wedding can be successfully pulled off with the simple attention to details such as music and coordinated subtlety. Luckily for me, I was able to combine what I wanted in perfect coherence with my theme.

Why not stay away from the usual strains of Kitaro or Kenny G (yawn!) and inject a livelier mood with the music you want. A friend who got married in 1995, played the X-Files soundtrack, enlivening an otherwise somber wedding dinner. More recently, another friend played all 80's music: Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Culture Club, and various other one-hit wonders at her wedding dinner. She wanted to have fun and spare her guests the usual elevator muzak selection as provided by the hotel. As we ate and drank, we she-bopped to Cyndi Lauper and boogied to Billy Idol's White Wedding. The Wedding Singer movie definitely brought back memories of a younger time, when we were still young and innocent with nary a care in the world. Ahhh, thanks to Class 95 (a Singapore radio station, targeted at age group 25 to 45, playing middle of the road pop, hit music of the 70's, 80's and today) and the revival of Retro, us aging Generation X-ers can still live in our time warp on Friday and Saturday nights (Class 95 goes Retro every weekend with celebrity deejay, Doctor Mix. They have also compiled a couple of CDs of Retro music to pander to this lucrative demographic.) and act like the old fogeys that we are becoming.

For those who want to maintain some decorum and conduct a dignified wedding affair, nothing is as unique as having a harpist churn out soul -rending tunes on an actual harp whilst you and your guests slurp your sharksfin soup and devour crispy fried chicken. A good wedding consultant can arrange for the harpist who will turn up in full classical gear, replete with a real harp. My apologies for harping on this (no pun intended,...., well okay, some pun intended) but I was just thrilled to bits when I attended a wedding held in a huge garden with the harpist and her harp evoking haunting melodies right there as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It will lend that certain Je ne sais quoi to your wedding. Of course you had better hurry before everyone jumps on the harp bandwagon and having a harpist at your wedding becomes passé.

Another touch of class can be provided by a string quartet or trio. Remember how the string quartet played on as the Titanic was sinking? Ever so noble and heart-rending, the musicians stood their ground whilst everyone was running around and screaming their heads off! In a sea of chaos, they were calm and steadfast. Besides classical pieces, some quartets and trios can belt out decent pop tunes to the delight of your guests more accustomed to contemporary music. Once again, you know who to call if you want to add these different touches to your wedding.

Live bands can also be dispatched to your wedding and not only do they play everybody's favourites that everyone can sing along too, they might even play requests written on napkins. Having a live band would make it more bearable for your guests who wish they were at their favourite pub or drinking haunt instead of stuck at a wedding dinner on a Saturday night. A good band can lull your guests into having a great time and makes it more enjoyable for everyone.

At many Malay weddings, there is a live band belting out Guns N Roses, Scorpions and other such rock tunes. The informal function (colloquial for party used by local teens in the 80’s) atmosphere puts your guests in the right frame of mind to party. Or you can opt for other ethnic themes such as Indian classical or traditional music or even Latin American music which got-got-got-got-the-beat (AKA Gloria Estefan) and will get everyone on their toes. Having a karaoke at your wedding can also make the event less formal and more enjoyable for everyone. Kids, young and old will want to get in on the act and belt out their renditions of such hot karaoke classics as My Heart Will Go On and Stand By Your Man.

A Love Affair has a stable of ideas for helping you put together the music for your big day. Be it traditional wedding music, classical music, contemporary pop/rock or Class 95, music should not be ignored and can make the difference between a good and a great celebration, so let the music play.......