Entry and Ceremony
Music can be used to announce the arrival of the participants of the wedding (such as a bride's processional), and in many western cultures, this takes the form of a wedding march. For over 100 years the most popular processional has been the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin (1850), often called "Here Comes The Bride", traditionally played on a church organ.
Some couples may consider the traditional wedding marches clichéd and choose a more modern piece of music or an alternate such as Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel. Since the televised wedding of Lady Diana to Prince Charles, there has been an upsurge in popularity of Jeremiah Clarke's "Prince of Denmark's March" for use as processional music, a piece that was formerly (and incorrectly) attributed to Henry Purcell as "Trumpet Voluntary".
Weddings in other cultures vary to this, for example in Egypt there is a specific rhythm called the zaffa. Traditionally a belly dancer will lead the bride to the Wedding 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.
At Jewish weddings, the entrance of the Groom is accompanied by a tune called baruch haba. Siman Tov ("Good Tidings") is an all-purpose Jewish celebration song.
During the service there may be a few hymns, especially in liturgical settings.
At the end of the service, in Western services, the bride and groom march down the aisle to a lively recessional tune, the most popular tune being Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream (1826). Another popular choice is Widor's Toccata from Symphony for Organ No. 5 (1880).
Read more about this topic: Wedding Music
Famous quotes containing the words entry and/or ceremony:
“All mothers need instruction, nurturing, and an understanding mentor after the birth of a baby, but in this age of fast foods, fast tracks, and fast lanes, it doesn’t always happen. While we live in a society that provides recognition for just about every life event—from baptisms to bar mitzvahs, from wedding vows to funeral rites—the entry into parenting seems to be a solo flight, with nothing and no one to mark formally the new mom’s entry into motherhood.”
—Sally Placksin (20th century)
“Those who marry God can become domesticated too—it’s just as hum-drum a marriage as all the others. The word “Love” means a formal touch of the lips as in the ceremony of the Mass, and “Ave Maria” like “dearest” is a phrase to open a letter.”
—Graham Greene (1904–1991)