From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wedding music
Wedding music
Wedding music applies music played at wedding cele- At the end of the service, in Western services, the
brations, including the ceremony and any festivities be- bride and groom march down the aisle to a lively re-
fore or after the event. The music can be performed live cessional tune, the most popular[citation needed] tune being
by musicians and/or vocalists or use pre-recorded songs, Mendelssohn’s Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s
depending on the format of the event, traditions asso- Dream (1826). Another popular choice is Widor’s Toccata
ciated with the prevailing culture and the wishes of the from Symphony for Organ No. 5 (1880).
couple being married.
Post ceremony
Entry and ceremony After the ceremony, there is often a celebratory dance, or
Music can be used to annnounce the arrival of the par- reception, where there may be a live band or DJ to play
ticipants of the wedding (such as a bride’s processional), songs for the couple and guests.
and in many western cultures, this takes the form of a Some culture have specific post-ceremony dance cul-
wedding march For over 100 years[citation needed] the most
march. tures, such as the traditional Scottish ceilidh with tradi-
popular processional has been Wagner’s Bridal Chorus tional music (such as popular song Mairi’s Wedding) and
from Lohengrin (1850), often called "Here Comes The formation dancing.
Bride", traditionally played on a church organ. At traditional Scottish weddings there is often a
Some couples may consider the traditional wedding dance, after the ceremony, called a ceilidh. This ceilidh
marches clichéd and choose a more modern piece of mu- involves traditional Scottish music and has dances such
sic or an alternate such as Canon in D by Johann Pachel- as a "Strip the Willow", "Dashing White Sergeant", and
bel. Since the televised wedding of Lady Diana to Prince "The Gay Gordons". "Mairi’s Wedding" (aka "Marie’s
Charles, there has been an upsurge in popularity of Wedding", the "Lewis Bridal Song", or "Mairi Bhan") is
Jeremiah Clarke’s "Prince of Denmark’s March" for use as popular in weddings with a Scottish theme. It was writ-
processional music, a piece that was formerly (and incor- ten by Johnny Bannerman using a traditional Scots tune
rectly) attributed to Henry Purcell as "Trumpet Volun- in 1934 and translated from Gaelic into English a year lat-
tary".[1][2] er. It has since been recorded by Kenneth McKellar, The
Weddings in other cultures vary to this, for example Clancy Brothers, The Chieftains with Van Morrison, The
in Egypt there is a specific rhythm called the zaffa. Tra- King’s Singers and others, with The Rankin Family taking
ditionally a belly dancer will lead the bride to the Wed- it to number one in Canada.
ding Hall, accompanied by musicians playing the elzaff,
on drums and trumpets, sometimes the flaming torches.
This is of unknown antiquity, and may even be from the
pre-Islamic era.
References
At Jewish weddings, the entrance of the Groom is [1] Dan Fox (2007) World’s Greatest Wedding Music: 50
accompanied by a tune called baruch haba. Siman Tov of the Most Requested Wedding Pieces p.7. Alfred
("Good Tidings") is an all-purpose Jewish celebration Music Publishing, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2011
song. [2] Lefevre, Holly (2010) The Everything Wedding
During the service there may be a few hymns, espe- Checklist Book: All You Need to Remember for a
cially in liturgical settings. Day You’ll Never Forget p.127. Adams Media, 2010
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wedding_music&oldid=450638612"
Categories:
• Sociological genres of music
• Wedding
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