Minuet from Berenice
When the one whose hand you’re holding by
Suitable for: Signing the Registers | Civil Ceremony | Before the Ceremony
Can anyone make sense of the plot of Handel's Berenice? Not me! But no matter.
Full Title Minuet (from the opera Berenice) by George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1757)
Notes An aimable minuet from the opera, Berenice, regina d'Egitto (Berenice, Queen of Egypt) (HWV 38) by Handel premiered in London in 1737
Duration approx 2 minutes.
Performers required
- Organ alone
- Piano alone
- Melody instrument, such as oboe or trumpet, accompanied by Organ or Piano
- Solo Singer accompanied by Organ or Piano
- Choir accompanied by Organ or Piano
Source of printed music Organ arrangement by Patrick Williams, 1951, in The Oxford Book of Wedding Music, 1991. The version for choir is by me.
Although originally an instrumental piece, this song has been texted (by me, actually) with this anonymous text.
When the one whose hand you’re holding
is the one who holds your heart,
When the one whose eyes you gaze into
gives your hopes and dreams their start,
When the one you think of first and last
is the one who holds you tight,
And the things you plan together
make the world seem just right,
When the one whom you believe in
puts their faith and trust in you,
You’ve found the one and only love
you’ll share your whole life through.
