I have been asked if I can play my flute at a Christening in November and I am asking for suggestions on what tunes are appropriate for such an event. It is a Prebyterian service.
I have two tunes I think will work, The Fairy Child, and What Child Is This, aka Greensleeves are there any others?
Any suggestions will be helpful.
Thank you.
MarkB
I’d go for something fairly traditional - “Jesus loves me this I know”, “Tallis Ordinal” and “Morning has Broken” spring to mind
Josephine’s Baptism Waltz is one of the loviest in existence. You can find music for it JC’s tunefinder if you’re interested. It does go below the range of the whistle or flute but you might be able to adjust for that. If Josephine’s Waltz or Josephine’s Baptism Waltz doesn’t get it try Josefin’s Dopvals. It’s there. If you want to hear it played by Vasen (the guitar player wrote it) go to the following link, click on the Swedish flag at the top of the page and scroll down to Vasen on the Swedish page and voila! Highly recommended whether you use the tune or not.
http://www.tvfolk.net/video.html
Steve
A song that we often sing at baptisms (because of its association with the Children’s Crusade) is “The Crusader’s Hymn” (aka “Fairest Lord Jesus”). That one translates well to the whistle. Another one that springs to mind is Slane (“Be Thou My Vision/Lord of All Hopefulness”). Oh yes, and The Ash Grove is used for several hymns that would be appropriate for a Christening…“The Master Hath Come” springs immediately to mind.
Redwolf
Both “Simple Gifts” and the hymn “Abide with Me” play well on the flute and seem appropriate for the occasion.
What a neat occasion to play for!! 
I like The Church’s One Foundation (MIDI) for a Baptism. Come Thou Fount is also really nice, and very suited to whistle.
I think I might avoid “Abide with Me,” as it’s actually a song about death (the author wrote it as he was dying of tuberculosis). If enough people in the congregation know the lyrics or the history of the song (and I would suspect that they would, this tune being relatively popular in Presbyterian hymnody), they might find its use at a christening off-putting.
Redwolf
I love “The Church’s One Foundation,” but I can’t hear that tune (Aurelia) without thinking of the “Anglo-Catholic Fight Song” and getting a terrible case of the giggles! Fortunately, Presbyterians would be much less likely to have that reaction 
Redwolf
Ooh, that’s ever so pretty.
Another song All Through The Night. Might be nice for the end. The lyrics below were taken from the Peter, Paul, and Mary Version they recorded. There are several other versions that would be less appropriate. Its and easy tune to play on whistle.
All Through The Night:
Sleep my child and peace attend thee, all through the night.
Guardian angels God will send thee, all through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber steeping
I, my loved one, watch am keeping, all through the night.Angels watching ever ’round thee, all through the night
In thy slumbers close surround thee, all through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber steeping
I, my loved one, watch am keeping, all through the night.
I could see the god parents enjoying singing this to their newly christened god-child.
Hope this helps you with the Christening and help you …
Ditto Redwolf’s thoughts on “Abide with me”. It’s certainly thought of as a funeral hymn this side of the Atlantic.
The scottish tune “Kelvingrove” is also worth considering - the Iona Community have a hymn set to it which begins “Will you come and follow me if I but call your name”. Lovely stuff.
SteveK, Theweslayan, DanD, Redwolf, LeeMarsh, Walden thank you all for the great suggestions. I can’t play the sound files at work but will do so when I get home tonight.
From your suggestions I have three more tunes that I already play, Simple Gifts, Kelvingrove (which I didn’t know was a hymn) and All Through the Night and the Ash Grove. The last two my aunt who is Welsh, use to hum those songs to my cousins and I to get us to sleep in the afternoon when we were very young.
Again a hardy thank you and I will let you know how it went.
MarkB
If you decide to use The Ash Grove, and if you’re curious as to how the tune applies to a christening (or if anyone asks), here are the words to The Master Hath Come. I think the last verse is particularly appropriate:
THE MASTER HATH COME
Tune: The Ash Grove
The Master hath come, and He calls us to follow
The track of the footprints He leaves on our way;
Far over the mountain and through the deep hollow,
The path leads us on to the mansions of day:
The Master hath called us, the children who fear Him,
Who march ’neath Christ’s banner, His own little band;
We love Him and seek Him, we long to be near Him,
And rest in the light of His beautiful land.
The Master hath called us; the road may be dreary
And dangers and sorrows are strewn on the track;
But God’s Holy Spirit shall comfort the weary;
We follow the Savior and cannot turn back;
The Master hath called us, though doubt and temptation
May compass our journey, we cheerfully sing:
“Press onward, look upward,” through much tribulation;
The children of Zion must follow the King.
The Master hath called us, in life’s early morning,
With spirits as fresh as the dew on the sod:
We turn from the world, with its smiles and its scorning,
To cast in our lot with the people of God:
The Master hath called us, His sons and His daughters,
We plead for His blessing and trust in His love;
And through the green pastures, beside the still waters,
He’ll lead us at last to His kingdom above.
Redwolf
Our minister just came into the library for some other reason and I called him over and he read all your postings…he loved them all…But I’m only playing for about a half hour up in the choir loft…solo.
He thinks that; What child is this, Kelvingrove (the way I make it bounce,) Althrough the Night with the verses suggest by LeeMarsh and the way I play the Fairy Chihld.
He thinks that is just a find group people who can help each other like you wonderful people did and with such great suggestions. He gives his thanks.
Redwolf thank you for the Master Hath Come, my minister agrees that it would be most appropriate for a Christening.
Thank you all again
MarkB
Hello Mark –
Another possibility is to ask the couple what particular tunes/hymns
are especially meaningful to them. Although liturgy tends to follow
a set structure (that’s what liturgy is all about there’s a lot of
flexibilty for church events that focus on the individual. This is
all about the parents and their child – if there is a particular hymn
they like, that would make the service all the more meaningful if
you could play it for them.
– Dan M.
Thanks for the suggestion Dan. How I got the job is interesting.
I got to our regular Tuesday night session earlier than usual last week, about forty minutes, so instead of just sitting there I pulled out my flute, whistle and bodhran, tuned them then started playing the flute but quietly at first just to warm up.
The pub was also very quiet so I started playing at full wind and playing tunes such as The Skye boat song, Down by Sally Gardens, Dirty Old Town with out paying to much attention to who was or wasn’t listening—just having a bit of fun. When the bartender came over with two Guinnesses and a shot of Scotch and he pointed the customers who honoured me with such a jester!
The next day the bartender called me and said I had a job if I wanted it from someone who was in the pub Tuesday night and heard me play and was wondering if I play for such occassions as this Christening.
You’re right though I should contact the people who I am playing for and inquire as to what they want. I suspect that it might be Scottish in nature. But for the life of me I don’t know the people who are having the child Christened in our church.
MarkB
Hope this gets through – I’m a newbie in everything, whistle, posting
to this forum, et. al.
I think they would would be very happy to talk with you about choices
for the service. Maybe they have something in mind already that
would make this service important to everyone, on the other hand,
they might be looking to you to suggest something appropriate.
You’re the musician of the hour!
That’s what liturgy is meant for – more than a set ritual to be followed
through on, on a weekly basis, but also a means of bringing together
the parish community for an observation of an important event. You’ll
get to know them, and they’ll remember you for the role you played in
the service.
Hope this is helpful!
– Dan M.
I did meet the young couple who want me to play at their twins Christening and they just wanted me to play, nothing special.
But we continued to talk and I suggested along with our minister that some TRAD tunes he just didn’t want in the church for a Christening. So we picked “What Child Is This,” Althrough the Night (LeeMarsh’s suggestion and version of lyrics [although no one will be singing]), The Fairy Child, Kelvingrove and get this Scotland the Brave. And any other gentle air that I can play to fill the time.
So thanks again for your suggestions.
MarkB
If you can, check out hymns by Ralph Vaughn Williams(there are a LOT in the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal). He based the tunes for his hymns on well known folk tunes of Great Britan. Great tunes!