Views from the Choir Loft

Three Entrance Antiphons for the Celebration of Marriage

Richard J. Clark · October 6, 2017

EDDINGS ARE a vital part of the sacramental life of the Church. Likewise, the music must reflect the joy of a life with Christ at the center.

The catalyst for this collection of simple Entrance Propers in English was Msgr. Rick Hilgartner. In 2016, I was assisting with music for an FDLC workshop on the Revised Order of Matrimony. During a lengthy discussion on processions, Msgr. Hilgartner suggested singing one of the three antiphons for Marriage in the Roman Missal, all of which he read aloud for emphasis. Another priest turned to me and made a gesture that I should get busy writing. Inspired by my wife, I got to work.

These texts are beautiful, inspiring, and should be sung in their own right. Singing the Entrance Antiphon at a wedding is not simply a liturgically conservative gesture. It is a progressive act—an invocation inviting God to permeate the center of their love. As the couple confers the sacrament upon each other, these texts are a beautiful way to being the Mass. They are a beautiful way to begin life together.

PDF Download:
* * Three Entrance Antiphons for the Celebration of Marriage • for Assembly, Cantor, SATB, Organ, Trumpet
* * Congregation inserts are included at the end.

ABOUT THESE SETTINGS
      • Designed to work for a Liturgical Procession
      • OR sung as a Gathering Song after the more typical procession
      • All are in the key of D to transition easily from any number of common processional pieces.
      • Antiphons are METERED in 4/4
      • The Verses are identical for all three: Psalm 128 — very appropriate for a wedding—and found as the verse for Deus Israel conjugat vos, the Introit from the Graduale Romanum for the Nuptial Mass.
      • While choirs are not the norm for weddings, the option is available.
      • Given the potential for varied instrumentation at weddings, guitar chords are provided. Although composed for organ and trumpet, these can be adapted for piano and other instruments.

Here are more free scores for weddings compiled and arranged by Jeff Ostrowski.

Finally, here are practice videos for the Nuptial Blessing: Nuptial Blessings • Practice Videos • Order of Celebrating Matrimony

Soli Deo gloria

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

Music List • (5th Sund. Ordinary Time)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for this coming Sunday, 8 February 2026, which is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. You will probably notice it isn’t as ‘complete’ or ‘spiffy’ as usual, owing to some difficulties which took place this week.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “Communion” (5th Sunday in Ordin.)

The COMMUNION ANTIPHON for this coming Sunday, 8 February 2026—which is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)—is truly delightful. You can download the musical score completely free of charge. This text will be familiar to altar boys, because it’s PSALM 42. The Feder Missal makes the following claim about that psalm: “A hymn of a temple musician from Jerusalem: he is an exile in a heathen land, and he longs for the holy city and his ministry in the Temple there. The Church makes his words her own.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Funeral Music “Template” • For Families

Many have requested the MUSICAL TEMPLATE for funerals we give to families at our parish. The family of the deceased is usually involved in selecting Number 12 on that sheet. This template was difficult to assemble, because the “Ordo Exsequiarum” has never been translated into English, and the assigned chants and hymns are given in different liturgical books (Lectionary, Gradual, Order of Christian Funerals, and so on). Please notify me if you spot errors or broken links. Readers will be particularly interested in some of the plainsong musical settings, which are truly haunting in their beauty.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of Febr. (2026)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. It couldn’t be easier to subscribe! Just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF Chart • “Plainsong Rhythm”

I will go to my grave without understanding the lack of curiosity so many people have about the rhythmic modifications made by Dom André Mocquereau. For example, how can someone examine this single sheet comparison chart and at a minimum not be curious about the differences? Dom Mocquereau basically creates a LONG-SHORT LONG-SHORT rhythmic pattern—in spite of enormous and overwhelming manuscript evidence to the contrary. That’s why some scholars referred to his method as “Neo-Mensuralist” or “Neo-Mensuralism.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

PDF • “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Simplified)

I admire the harmonization of “Adeste Fideles” by David Willcocks (d. 2015), who served as director of the Royal College of Music (London, England). In 2025, I was challenged to create a simplified arrangement for organists incapable of playing the authentic version at tempo. The result was this simplified keyboard arrangement (PDF download) based on the David Willcocks version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Feel free to play through it and let me know what you think.

—Jeff Ostrowski