Bride Composed Wedding Music

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32354, 21 July 1970, Page 2

Bride Composed Wedding Music

A Christchurch organist, Mrs Ellen Hart, composed the bridal and wedding marches for her recent wedding in Christchurch “as a favour for my husband.” Mrs Hart (formerly Ellen Armitage), does not consider herself a particularly promising composer, but her hus- - band Is keen for her to continue. Although she majored in : composing for her master's degree in sacred music, Mrs ' Hart needs a special occasion to provide the stimulus for ; writing. Mr Hart is studying for his - doctorate in music at the University of Cincinatti, in Ohio.

The couple met while studying at the Union Theological Seminary in New York several years ago. Mrs Hart returned to New Zealand in 1968, and theirs had been a courtship of correspondence. Because both had played at so many wedding ceremonies the words of the service had become somewhat meaningless to them. They felt they wanted a more personal service. Some of the traditional expression was also not entirely acceptable to them—-“archaic”—-so they decided to devise their own service. “We did not agree, for instance, with the concept expressed in the prologue, that marriage is primarily for procreation,” said Mrs Hart

. "And the expressions used to , describe the feelings of the . couple seemed not to be very 1 relevant to us, and the sir tuation around us.” I Through an exchange of letl ten they considered the mer- > its of many new services being suggested, chose some passages from theological . books recommended by friends, and finally arrived at an unusual, very penonal ser- ■ vice.

For the processional and recessional Mn Hart wrote Epithalamium I and II (Greek for the wedding song). The processional began quietly, building up to a climax as she reached the altar. The recessional was jubilant “really noisy.”

Since she has been back tn Christchurch Mrs Hart has taken up the organ tutorship at the University of Canter bury, and taught private pupils in organ and piano Teaching is what she likes most.

When she and her husband are settled in America—Mr Hart hopes to finish his doctorate in about 18 months— Mrs Hart may teach. She and her husband have not considered staying in New Zealand, although the United States is now “flooded” with excellent musicians in their field.

“New Zealand is not bigenough for one organ specialist, let alone two,” she said: “The potential is there but it is just being discovered.” The photograph shows Mrs Hart at the piano yesterday.