From Mr Colin Baldy
Sir, - I blushed when I read the Revd Julian Hollywell's fulsome
praise for my talents (
Letters, 16 May), though I feel that I cannot take
responsibility for the liturgical excellence of St Mary's, Maldon,
which is due entirely to the efforts of the Rector, the Revd Louis
Darrant.
I fear, however, that Fr Hollywell has slightly missed the point
of my article. I do not doubt that "Mr Cow, how do you say to the
Lord, I love you" sung by children and adults alike at a wedding at
which he officiated was entirely dignified and appropriate. Nor do
I doubt that he has conducted similarly dignified and celebratory
weddings either with no music or with modern, secular music. I know
him to be a charismatic and inspiring priest.
I suspect that he may have jumped to conclusions as a result of
the headline of the piece. My original title was "The
Disneyfication of Weddings". An earlier version was "Love
Actually Weddings". My point was that, since so many brides
now have no experience of church, for very many their entire
experience is what they have seen at the cinema. Indeed, just a
couple of weeks ago, I met a couple who had never been to a church
wedding and thought that it was exactly as in films.
Having spent most of my working life in opera, I would, you
might think, approve of the theatrical. On the whole I do, but not
when it becomes the central focus. This is what I was trying to get
across.
Fr Hollywell will, I hope, be pleased to know that I only ever
advise and will always agree to play whatever the bride desires. It
is, after all, her day. Last year, we sang Westlife at one wedding,
and, at another, despite my trying my best to dissuade the bride, I
played the Toccata and Fugue in D minor for her to enter by. She
entered just as I got to the long, spread diminished chord on C#
over the pedal D. As I feared, it did appear that she was being led
to her doom, but, hey ho! she loved it.
COLIN BALDY
Director of Music, St Mary's, Maldon
15 Wantz Road, Maldon
Essex CM9 5DB