Canon in D for Cello and Piano | Free Wedding Sheet Music

I keep forgetting to post this, but I arranged it a while ago.  In October, I was hired to play for a wedding at Bluemont Vineyard here in Northern Virginia.  The bride wanted to incorporate her cellist friend into the wedding.  As always, I was accommodating.  I love to play with others!  I figured that the bridal processional, Canon in D (Palchelbel), would be a nice shining moment for the cello to join me.  The bride had chosen one of my pre-set wedding programs, and this was the bridal processional in this particular program.   Not knowing the cellist well, I figured that this popular wedding classic would be a good, safe option (most strings players know it well).  I searched the internet for good duo arrangements for just piano and cello, but everything I could find was for a quartet or quintet.

So I sat down and wrote this arrangement.  It went well.  The cellist really liked it, because it gave him more to do than he was used to.  (He told me the cello part with a string quartet is very monotonous and unchallenging).  There was much more movement in his part than he was used to, and even a counter-melody against the piano!  I enjoyed it too.  I think it does take some preparation on the part of both instruments, but it is well worth it.

At the end of the piece, I decided to improvise.  The pianist should do this up high, in the upper registers, to sound like a music box.  I think there is not enough improv in classical music, and the spontaneous nature of improv lends a fresh presentation, full of sentiment.  Make sure you practice your improvisation at the end, but don't plan it too much!

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Canon in D for Cello and Piano:  www.freethepiano.com/ www.musicbyjennifer.net

Important Notes:

• You may pull out early at any of the double bars I added, to adjust to the timing of the ceremony.  Just add a D major chord right after the double-bar you choose to end on.
• Rehearsal letters have been added to help with rehearsal, or break up the piece into mini-canons.  For example, play the whole piece for the entrance of the bridal party and groomsmen, pulling out at the one of the double-bars as needed.  For a triumphant entrance, we paused the music before the bride and groom entered, and started the bridal processional (just the bride and groom walking down the aisle) at rehearsal letter C.  The flower girls/boys took an unexpectedly long time, so I just vamped from letter D to the end for them (add repeats as needed).  
• Whoever's in charge (me, in this case) should be ready to call out rehearsal letters or repeats softly so that music can be vamped (repeats added) to fill time.