Wedding music
Music is often played at wedding celebrations, including during the ceremony and at festivities before or after the event. The music can be performed live byinstrumentalistsorvocalistsor may use pre-recorded songs, depending on the format of the event, traditions associated with the prevailing culture and the wishes of the couple being married.
Entry and ceremony
[edit]There are many different styles of music that can be played during the entrance and ceremony. During the service there may be a fewhymns,especially inliturgicalsettings. While some elements of the ceremony may be personalized for a specific couple, the order of service will most of the time follow a similar pattern.
Apreludeoften precedes the wedding. During the prelude, guests arrive to the gathering place while ambiance music is being played. Calm and light music is usually performed at that time, setting the mood for the ceremony while not being too distracting for the guests. Popular prelude music includesAir on the G stringandJesu, Joy of Man's DesiringbyJohann Sebastian Bach.
Music can be used to announce the arrival of the participants of the wedding (such as a bride'sprocessional), and in many western cultures, this takes the form of awedding march.For more than a century, theBridal ChorusfromWagner'sLohengrin(1850), often called "Here Comes The Bride", has been the most popular processional, and is traditionally played on apipe organ.[1]
Some couples may consider traditional wedding marches clichéd and choose a more modern piece of music or an alternative such asCanon in DbyJohann Pachelbel.Since the televisedweddingofCharles, Prince of WalesandLady Diana Spencerin 1981, there has been an upsurge in popularity ofJeremiah Clarke's "Prince of Denmark's March"for use as processional music; the piece was formerly (and incorrectly) attributed toHenry PurcellasTrumpet Voluntary.
At the end of the service, in Western traditions, the bride andgroommarch back up theaisleto a livelyrecessionaltune, a popular one beingFelix Mendelssohn'sWedding MarchfromA Midsummer Night's Dream(1842).[2]The piece achieved popularity after it was played during the wedding ofVictoria, Princess RoyaltoPrince Frederick William of Prussiain 1858.[3]Another popular choice isWidor'sToccatafromSymphony for Organ No. 5(1880).[4]
Weddings in other cultures have different formats. InEgypt,there is a specific rhythm called thezaffa.Traditionally, abelly dancerwill lead the bride to the wedding hall, accompanied by musicians playing theelzaff,ondrumsandtrumpets,sometimes the flaming torches. This is of unknown antiquity, and may even be from the pre-Islamic era.
AtJewish weddings,the entrance of the groom is accompanied by the tuneBaruch Haba.[citation needed]MeanwhileSiman Tov( "Good Tidings" ) is an all-purpose celebratory song.
In traditionalBurmese weddings,a classical song like "Aura of Immeasurable Auspiciousness" (အတိုင်းမသိမင်္ဂလာသြဘာဘွဲ့,Ataing Mathi Mingala Awba Bwe) from theMahāgītacorpus,is played as a processional music.[5]
Interfaith marriageceremonies have benefited by the efforts of several modern composers, many of whom have written processional marches to honor the religious traditions of both the bride and the groom. Included in this group areJohn Serry Sr.(1968).[6]
Post ceremony
[edit]After the ceremony, there is often a celebratory dance, or reception, where there may be musical entertainment such as a wedding singer, live wedding band, orDJto play songs for the couple and guests. (The exiting of the bridal party is also called the wedding recessional.)[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Pleck, Elizabeth Hafkin (2000).Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and Family Rituals.Harvard University Press. p.212.Retrieved31 August2014.
- ^"Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March' at 150".NPR.org.
- ^Emmett, William (1996). The national and religious song reader. New York: Haworth Press. p. 755
- ^"Classical Wedding Music".A-M Classical. 8 December 2010.Retrieved10 June2013.
- ^"မင်္ဂလာပွဲထွက်တဲ့အချိန်မှာ အခါတော်ပေး သီချင်းဖွင့်မယ်ဆိုရင်".Marry(in Burmese). 2 February 2019.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection score "Processional March (1951, Revised for Organ 1968)" Folder 18 p. 10 archived at the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music Sibley Music Library Special collections on esm.rochester.edu
- ^"Wedding Entertainment: Guide".Entertainers Worldwide.Retrieved30 September2021.
