When Was The Wedding March Written?

Felix Mendelssohn’s Wedding March in C major, written in 1842, is one of the best-known pieces from his suite of incidental music (Op. 61) to Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The piece was first used for wedding music at the nuptials of Princess Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise 150 years ago. Many court composers have written marches for the weddings of royal and aristocratic brides, but British brides have long preferred entry into the church to the strains of the bridal chorus from Wagner’s Lohengrin and exit to the wedding march.

The Wedding March was composed by Mendelssohn for an 1842 production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, while the Bridal Chorus was composed by Richard Wagner for his opera Lohengrin in 1850. While not originally intended for the bride’s entrance, it has become a popular choice for the wedding. The piece was also used in American-Canadian romantic comedy film series The Wedding March, which was broadcast on the Hallmark Channel from 2016 to 2022.

The tradition of the wedding march comes from the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Frederick of Prussia. The piece was written in 1842, making it 182 years old. The original song was composed in 1850 by Richard Wagner for his opera “Lohengrin,” and the song is sung by the women in the wedding.

Mendelssohn died in 1847 at the age of just thirty-eight after a series of works.

Is the wedding march Wagner or Mendelssohn?

Felix Mendelssohns Wedding March in C major, written in 1842, is one of the best known of the pieces from his suite of incidental music (Op. 61) to Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. It is one of the most frequently used wedding marches, generally being played on a church pipe organ.

At weddings in many Western countries, this piece is commonly used as a recessional, though frequently stripped of its episodes in this context. It is frequently teamed with the Bridal Chorus from Richard Wagners opera Lohengrin,1 or with Jeremiah Clarkes Prince of Denmarks March,2 both of which are often played for the entry of the bride.

The first known instance of Mendelssohns Wedding March being used at a wedding was when Dorothy Carew wed Tom Daniel at St Peters Church, Tiverton, England, on 2 June 18473 when it was performed by organist Samuel Reay. However, it did not become popular at weddings until it was selected by Victoria, The Princess Royal for her marriage to Prince Frederick William of Prussia on 25 January 1858.1 The bride was the daughter of Queen Victoria, who loved Mendelssohns music and for whom Mendelssohn often played while on his visits to Britain.

Is the wedding march played at Catholic weddings?

What we werent aware of when it comes to the song is that of the political and religious controversy that comes along with it. There is some belief that Lutheran and Roman Catholic religions refuse to play the song because of Wagners use of pagan stories and themes throughout his operas. Those in the Jewish community also refused to play the song at any of their wedding celebrations due to Wagners thoughts on those of the Jewish faith. According to Washington Jewish Week newspaper in Washington D.C., Wagner is known for writing many anti-Semitic essays, while also allegedly being Adolf Hitlers favorite composer.

A lot less controversial is that of Felix Mendelssohns “Wedding March.” According to an article about the composer by Time magazine, Mendelssohn originally wrote the piece as part of an 1842 production of Shakespeares”A Midsummer Nights Dream.” Mendelssohn ended up dying at the age of 38 in 1847, years before his piece would become popularized for generations to come.

(Kelly here: an additional fun fact about Mendelssohn is that according to classical music historian Robert Greenberg, “Mendelssohn He became the prototype for the modern conductor. He was the first to use a baton on a regular basis. He programmed music back to the 16th century, something new at the time. And he created an infrastructure that made the life for his musicians easier. He got them pensions and dental plans, creating a loyalty within an orchestral core that was used to being treated like cattle.” He seems like he was a little bit of a better person than Wagner.)

Why is the wedding march controversial?

Typically used in wedding recessionals, this piece has sparked controversy due to its literary origins. The Prussian monarch Friedrich Wilhelm IV commissioned Mendelssohn to compose incidental music for many pieces that were based upon Greek mythology and tragedy in order to revive the genre of literature and performance. Among his commissions, in 1843 Mendelssohn composed a setting for William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream; the setting comprises twelve musical numbers and a finale. The plot of Shakespeares play focuses on a pagan god and goddess and is filled with fairies, magic, and fantasy. Due to the pieces pagan, fantastic inspirations, some leaders and musicians — particularly in Roman Catholic churches — have found the piece to be inappropriate for a Christian religious ceremony.

Commonly used in wedding processionals to announce the bride on what should be a joyous day, this piece plays a less cheerful role in Wagners opera Lohengrin. Wagner came upon the operas inspiration around 1845 when he took interest in the legend of the Holy Grail through the poems of Wolfram von Eschenbach and the anonymous epic of Lohengrin. Composed by 1848, Lohengrin features Bridal Chorus as the prelude to a very short-lived, doomed marriage between Elsa and Lohengrin. The piece is sung by women serenading Elsa to the bridal suite after the wedding in Act III. Its not the happiest of allusions — and many find it distasteful to be reminded of the notoriously anti-Semitic Wagner during a wedding ceremony (or ever).

3. Ennio Morricones Gabriels Oboe from The Mission.

Is the Wedding March still used?

Do Couples Still Use the Wedding March?. Yes, couples still use traditional instrumental wedding tunes, such as the Wedding March song, today. However, its by no means mandatory. In fact, to-be-weds may also opt to have their ceremony musician play something more contemporary for their wedding ceremony entrance.

Considerations for Using the Wedding March. Before jumping ahead and having your wedding ceremony musician play the Mendelson Wedding March, its important to consider the fact that the tune cant be played in all ceremony venues due to religious restrictions. There are also several other factors to take into account, which were outlining below.

Firstly, says Campbell, Some denominations might find the Wedding March thematically inappropriate for a sacred ceremony. In fact, The Catholic Church discouraged its use within mass weddings in 1971, but today can still be used during the processional or recessional under certain circumstances. As such, its safe to say that Churches might prefer music with religious themes and lyrics to maintain the solemnity of the ceremony.

Is the wedding march still used?

Do Couples Still Use the Wedding March?. Yes, couples still use traditional instrumental wedding tunes, such as the Wedding March song, today. However, its by no means mandatory. In fact, to-be-weds may also opt to have their ceremony musician play something more contemporary for their wedding ceremony entrance.

Considerations for Using the Wedding March. Before jumping ahead and having your wedding ceremony musician play the Mendelson Wedding March, its important to consider the fact that the tune cant be played in all ceremony venues due to religious restrictions. There are also several other factors to take into account, which were outlining below.

Firstly, says Campbell, Some denominations might find the Wedding March thematically inappropriate for a sacred ceremony. In fact, The Catholic Church discouraged its use within mass weddings in 1971, but today can still be used during the processional or recessional under certain circumstances. As such, its safe to say that Churches might prefer music with religious themes and lyrics to maintain the solemnity of the ceremony.

Did Wagner write the Wedding March?

If you mean the usual Here comes the bride, all dressed in white song,then, yes, it was written by Wagner. Its from his opera Lohengrin.I dont know if Wagners piece could be considered a march. Perhapsyoure thinking of the piece from Mendelssohns Midsummer Nights Dream,which is called a march, I believe. Its more jubilant than the Wagner,and its often played at the end of weddings.

Dave ========================================================== David Griegel Internet: gri…@quark.umd.edu Nuclear Theory Group Office: 405-6124 Department of Physics Fax: 405-6114 University of Maryland Home: 982-9465 ==========================================================

There are two famous Wedding Marches. The one with Here comes the Brideas an informal title is by Wagner, and was used (in choral form) to provide a recessional to a wedding at the beginning of Act III of Lohengrin. (The wedding is not consummated…)

Why is the wedding march not allowed?

Typically used in wedding recessionals, this piece has sparked controversy due to its literary origins. The Prussian monarch Friedrich Wilhelm IV commissioned Mendelssohn to compose incidental music for many pieces that were based upon Greek mythology and tragedy in order to revive the genre of literature and performance. Among his commissions, in 1843 Mendelssohn composed a setting for William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream; the setting comprises twelve musical numbers and a finale. The plot of Shakespeares play focuses on a pagan god and goddess and is filled with fairies, magic, and fantasy. Due to the pieces pagan, fantastic inspirations, some leaders and musicians — particularly in Roman Catholic churches — have found the piece to be inappropriate for a Christian religious ceremony.

Commonly used in wedding processionals to announce the bride on what should be a joyous day, this piece plays a less cheerful role in Wagners opera Lohengrin. Wagner came upon the operas inspiration around 1845 when he took interest in the legend of the Holy Grail through the poems of Wolfram von Eschenbach and the anonymous epic of Lohengrin. Composed by 1848, Lohengrin features Bridal Chorus as the prelude to a very short-lived, doomed marriage between Elsa and Lohengrin. The piece is sung by women serenading Elsa to the bridal suite after the wedding in Act III. Its not the happiest of allusions — and many find it distasteful to be reminded of the notoriously anti-Semitic Wagner during a wedding ceremony (or ever).

3. Ennio Morricones Gabriels Oboe from The Mission.

Does the Catholic Church allow the Wedding March?

Wedding March was composed for A Midsummer Nights Dream, a play that focusses on a Pagan god and goddess with its fair share of fairies and magic. Some religious leaders, particularly in the Roman Catholic churches, found the piece to be inappropriate for Christian ceremonies because of this.

Bridal Chorus, or Here Comes the Bride as many of us know it, has a much less cheerful role in the opera it originated from than it does in wedding ceremonies. In Lohengrin, Bridal Chorus is played after the doomed marriage of Elsa and Lohengrin as Elsa walks to the bridal suite. Not exactly a deal breaker if youre set on the song, but still worth knowing!

Do I Have to Walk Down the Aisle to the Wedding March?. No! Its totally up to you. If you like the traditional stuff then go for it (we think its especially cool if youre both theatre or opera lovers!), but if you fancy something more modern or an alternative classical piece then go for it.

Does the Catholic Church allow the wedding march?

Wedding March was composed for A Midsummer Nights Dream, a play that focusses on a Pagan god and goddess with its fair share of fairies and magic. Some religious leaders, particularly in the Roman Catholic churches, found the piece to be inappropriate for Christian ceremonies because of this.

Bridal Chorus, or Here Comes the Bride as many of us know it, has a much less cheerful role in the opera it originated from than it does in wedding ceremonies. In Lohengrin, Bridal Chorus is played after the doomed marriage of Elsa and Lohengrin as Elsa walks to the bridal suite. Not exactly a deal breaker if youre set on the song, but still worth knowing!

Do I Have to Walk Down the Aisle to the Wedding March?. No! Its totally up to you. If you like the traditional stuff then go for it (we think its especially cool if youre both theatre or opera lovers!), but if you fancy something more modern or an alternative classical piece then go for it.

When did the Wedding March originate?

But neither song was actually composed to be performed at a wedding. Rather, German composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote the “Wedding March” for an 1842 production of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, and “Here Comes the Bride” was the Bridal Chorus from Richard Wagners 1850 opera Lohengrin.

It was the 1858 royal wedding that is thought to have started the practice of a “full choral processional from the church entrance to the altar” and playing music as the bride walked up the aisle, “a change from the usual practice of having music only at the reception,” according to Elizabeth Hafkin Plecks Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and Family Rituals. “A patron of opera who loved Mendelssohn and Wagner, the princess chose the music for her ceremony.”

As still happens at many weddings today — though many couples now choose to branch out, for reasons both personal and political — the Wagner chorus was played as the Princess processed to the altar, and the Mendelssohn march was played as the newlywed couple recessed back up the aisle. Once the royal couple used that music in their ceremony, it caught on more widely.