medieval wedding music suggestions

[CelticWench]

Hey guys-
My brother-in-law is getting married in August, and they are planning a medieval/renaissance wedding. My sister-in-law (not the bride, the sister of the groom) is an outstanding singer, who has performed at many many weddings. She wants to do something moderately period-appropriate for this wedding, and asked me for help.

*gulp*

The requirements are that it 1) be somewhat traditional Celtic and/or renaissance in flavor, 2) be performable by 2 soprano voices, and 3) have an accompanying CD or other recording available somewhere.
My first suggestion was "Wild Mountain Thyme" (and I can't believe this, but I offered to accompany them on oboe. Ack!). While I love tunes like "If I Were a Blackbird," it was voted down as "too depressing". And most of the Irish/Scottish ballads I can find are about beer, war, and loss!!

So any musicians/music lovers out there with some suggestions? If you have links to lyrics or sheet music, that would be awesome, too...I've been browsing Cantaria already....

[Just Kara (for now)]

Lily of the Valley (I've also seen it titles Red is the Rose)
-That comes to mind as a sweet song for wedding.

[Nyneve of the Oakes]

What about this (would sould LOVELY as a duet!):

Rose of Allyndale (as sung by Mary Black):

Rose of Allendale
The morn was fair the skies were clear
no breath came o'er the sea
when Mary left her highland home
and wandered forth with me
Though flowers deck'd the mountain side
and fragrance filled the vale
By far the sweetest flower there
was the Rose of Allendale

Chorus:
Was the Rose of Allendale
Rose of Allendale
By far the sweetest flower there
was the Rose of Allendale

Where 'er I wandered, east or west,
tho' fate began to lower
she whispered hopes of happiness
and tales of distant shores
My life would be a wilderness
unblest by fotune's gale
Had fate not linked my lot to hers
the Rose of Allendale

It can be found on this cd: www.mary-black.net/disco/albums/1.htm

[Hawise]

And if non-celtic renaissance works, any of Owain Phyfe's music is SO romantic - Tant Que Vivray and Mon Couer Se Recommende Vous especially come to mind.

[Nyneve of the Oakes]

hawise said:

And if non-celtic renaissance works, any of Owain Phyfe's music is SO romantic - Tant Que Vivray and Mon Couer Se Recommende Vous especially come to mind.

Oh yes, I totally agree! But I also think the unfortunate thing about Owain's music, in this case, is that much of it would have to be sung in a different language!

[CelticWench]

Oh, I'd be all about something of Owain's as well....but Nyneve is right, the languages could cause a problem. Obviously, you don't need to speak a foreign language to sing it -- but it does extra time to learn it, even phonetically. My sister-in-law can sing in Italian and Latin, but I'm not sure about anything else (and the other singer is pretty much English only).

I can't believe I didn't think of the Rose of Allendale!! I even have a recording of that one, on Druidstone's "Vow: An Irish Wedding Celebration." (great CD, BTW) I used an instrumental version of Thomas Moore's poem, "Believe Me (If All These Endearing Young Charms)" off that CD as my own wedding processional....and actually, that song could be pretty if sung, too....hmmmm.....

[Lizzie]

For instrumentals anything by O'Carolan works perfectly. Wylde Mountain Thyme is great for weddings just drop the verse where they leave. Red is the Rose is a good one also just drop the verse where her laddie dies. The Lord's Prayer is another.

[CelticWench]

Well, unless my sister-in-law is going to hum, we need vocals. hehe (I've got LOTS of O'Carolan recordings - harp, oboe, guitar, you name it!) The Lord's Prayer is out, as they requested nothing Christian/religious....