Marcy Prochaska

We just got back from Steve and Kati’s wedding. Steve is the worship team leader at our church, and Kati often runs the computer (which projects lyrics, sermon texts, and occasional video clips on the screen up front).

I arrived a few minutes later than I’d planned; a few folks were already seated. My stand was already set up, so it was just a matter of getting the dulcimer out of the case and picking up the hammers.

Steve and Kati left all the musical decisions up to me, which was especially nice for my first wedding after having daughter — I got to choose familiar or easy things.

It was a pretty wedding, in a smallish Brethren church with wooden pews and arched windows. I got to be off to the side on the platform so I could clearly see the processional, which helps so much with timing.

The bride wore a white mermaid gown with a red sash, matching the bridesmaid’s dresses. The flower girl scattered silk petals as she walked with the ring bearer, and both managed to stay up front for the ceremony, though by the end they were sitting on a step.

Daughter called out “Mama” a few times during the prelude, but was otherwise pretty quiet sitting with daddy in the pews.

A few folks came up to see and chat, including a fellow who just recently bought a 15/14, inspired by Rich Mullins. I haven’t done any work on Mullins, so I couldn’t do much to specifically address that interest, but he still seemed interested in the fact that I teach, and perhaps some of what I could teach him would be applicable.

Another person commented, as I was packing up to leave, that he could tell from the sound that it was a dulcimer, but was surprised, when he walked in, to see that I was playing with mallets. I know a lot of folks think the mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer must be related because they share the dulcimer name, but I hadn’t before heard anyone say they think the two sound alike. Huh. I wonder how common that perception is?

For prelude music I played:

“Come Before Winter” by Jim Taylor
“Easter Thursday” English country dance tune
“Praeludium I” and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach
“Winter East and Kensington” original
“Timberline Wander” by Tim Seaman
“Josefin’s Waltz” by Roger Tallroth

For the processional:

“Canon in D” by Pachelbel

For the unity candle:

“Menuet” by J. J. Quantz

For recessional / postlude:

“Third Street Market” original

“Calliope House” by Dave Richardson / “Merrily Kiss the Quaker” traditional / “Morrison’s Jig” traditional (except I completely blanked on the B part and had to fudge and found my way into…) / “Swallowtail Jig”

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” w/m by Robinson / Nettleton

Local musicians and music teachers Liza and Mark Woolever got a jam started at Opie’s Deli in Plymouth.

Opie’s reminds me of Ithaca. The guy behind the counter has his grey hair in a ponytail. They emphasize wholesome, natural, least-processed foods. Their bread comes from a local bakery run by nuns. (The bakery is part of a farm that also raises beef and produce.)

We play in the back room. There are a bunch of fiddles, a couple guitars, banjos, and mandolins, a fancy washtub bass, a bodhran, a whistle, a flute, a group of listeners, and me. Everyone is either a student and / or a friend of the Woolevers’. One of the listeners has a hammered dulcimer and takes my card, saying she’ll get in touch about maybe starting lessons.

Mostly we play fairly slowly; mostly we play songs with three chords and keep them that way. For two jigs we also take time to play them a few times at dance tempos, which is fun. People sing when there are words.

It was refreshing to get out and play.

And the French onion soup was fabulous.