How to Choose Wedding Music: Recommendations and Thoughts
MUSIC FOR THE BRIDE, AND LATER, THE BRIDE AND GROOM: PROCESSIONALS AND RECESSIONALS
Jeremiah Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary" (also known as the "Prince of Denmark March"), is by far the most popular traditional baroque/piccolo trumpet bridal processional piece of all. It also has been traditionally used for this purpose for generations longer than any other musical selection. The other, almost equally popular traditional bridal processional piece is Richard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin (also known as “Here Comes the Bride”.) Since this piece comes from the nineteenth century romantic period, trumpeters who perform this piece at weddings most often play it on a larger trumpet, such as the Bb trumpet or herald trumpet, instruments that get a more robust, Teutonic sound.
There are several other more unusual choices that would also work well as the bridal processional, such as Henry Purcell’s "Trumpet Tune". (This piece is most often used as a recessional, especially when the processional used is Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary". However, I have played at a few weddings where the bride requested the Purcell "Trumpet Tune" as the bridal processional. When I play this piece for the procession of the bride, I usually play it at a slower, more stately and majestic tempo than when I play it as a recessional (in which case a little faster, more jubilant and spirited tempo works better.)
Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a very well-known selection that, like Purcell’s “Trumpet Tune”, is also traditionally used as a wedding recessional piece, although it is occasionally used as a bridal processional as well.
George Frideric Handel’s “Hornpipe” from Water Music has also become a popular selection at weddings, and is often used as recessional music.
Another good alternative choice for a baroque bridal processional (or recessional for that matter) is Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s prelude to Te Deum.
Yet another good alternative choice for either a baroque bridal processional or recessional is Jean Joseph Mouret’s “Rondeau”.
And still another good choice for a baroque bridal processional or recessional is John Stanley’s “Trumpet Voluntary” that begins with the trumpet playing a long note, followed by lots of dotted rhythms.
Another musical selection that is sometimes used as a wedding recessional is Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (also known as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”.) This is also the theme from the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Still another good baroque choice that is also sometimes used as recessional music is the jubilant “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah by George Frideric Handel.
Regardless of what specific music has been selected for these purposes, before her processional, the bride is typically announced by a fanfare. At weddings that use a trumpet soloist (either alone or with organ or piano or other ensemble), the trumpeter plays this fanfare alone, signaling that the bride is about to enter. Far less often, another different fanfare is sometimes used before the recessional music to signal the departure of the newly-married couple. That choice is purely a matter of personal preference and also depends partly upon the recessional music chosen and whether or not an introductory fanfare will work well with it or not.
MUSIC FOR THE ENTRY OF THE ATTENDANTS (BRIDESMAIDS, MOTHERS, ETC.)
The two musical selections that are most often used for the entrance of the wedding party attendants (processional music for bridesmaids, mothers, and/or others who make a recognized entrance as part of the ceremony) are:
Johann Pachelbel’s "Canon (in D)" and
Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (from Cantata #147). These two pieces both work very well for this purpose since it is easy to repeat them as necessary and it is also easy shorten them as necessary to end cleanly and resolutely after the last processing attendant has arrived in place up front.
Another beautiful selection that also similarly works very well as a processional for these members of the wedding party is George Frideric Handel’s "Air" from Water Music.
Some brides like Jeremiah Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” (“Prince of Denmark’s March”) so much that they want to have it played for the entrance of their bridesmaids as well as for their bridal entrance. This means that more of this rather long rondo form piece will be heard at their wedding, since the amount of this music required for the bridal entry alone is always rather short.
When I use Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” as processional for both the bridesmaids and the bride, I perform it in the following manner: First, I play “Trumpet Voluntary” for the entrance of the bridesmaids at a moderate tempo, and not too loud. After the last attendant has arrived, I slow down (ritardando) at the end of a final-sounding phrase and then I stop, pausing a little bit before the bride enters. I then play a trumpet fanfare to announce the entrance of the bride, immediately followed by “Trumpet Voluntary” one final time. But this time, since it is for the bridal entrance, I play “Trumpet Voluntary” a bit more slowly and louder so that it sounds more grand, stately, and majestic. If there is an organist playing with me, the organist will also pull more stops to make the organ sound louder and brighter for the bride’s entrance.
Some brides have also used Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” only for the processional of the bridesmaids, followed by Wagner’s “Wedding Chorus” for the bridal processional. This is yet another of the many music options that you may wish to consider.
PRE-SERVICE (OR PRELUDE) MUSIC
This is the music that typically begins about twenty minutes before the wedding starts and is heard as the wedding guests arrive and are seated. Usually, this music (or at least almost all of it) is chosen by the musician or musicians performing it, and it generally matches the style of the other music that has been chosen for use in the wedding ceremony (only usually lighter, softer and more subdued.) Basically, this serves as background music for the guests who are seated and waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin.
UNITY CANDLE LIGHTING MUSIC AND OTHER SPECIAL MUSIC FOR USE IN THE ACTUAL SERVICE
For those who want to have a unity candle lighting in the ceremony with special music, there are many good choices for music. Some popular choices include: Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Bist Du Bei Mir” (“If Thou Be Near”), “The Prayer” (as popularized by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church), Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria”, Gunod’s “Ave Maria” and numerous other selections from the vast classical music repertoire. Also, almost any song or piece of music that has special meaning to the bride and groom could be used as well. The lighting of the unity candle has become an increasingly popular wedding tradition, but because it has no specific sacred significance, it is sometimes considered too secular for use in certain houses of worship. It is therefore always best to consult with the presiding minister of the service to see if a unity candle is allowed and also to get approval on all musical selections that will be used in the actual service (pre-service or prelude music doesn’t really matter), just to make sure that all of this will be allowed in the service.
SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND COMMENTS ABOUT WEDDING PROCESSIONAL (ENTRANCE) AND RECESSIONAL (EXIT) SELECTIONS
Each of these selections should have a musical form to them that makes it easy for the musicians to easily and quickly cadence out of and end at just about any point, and these pieces should also be easy to repeat as needed. (This is especially important for processionals.) This way, these pieces can be easily instantly tailored to fit the length needed for the walks down the aisle (or up the aisle), and the endings of the music will sound final, even if the musicians don’t actually end them at the true ends of the pieces. And, to those attending the wedding, it will appear as if music of exactly the right length was chosen and choreographed so that the arrival timing (or exit timing) was perfect. In reality, however, just like soundtrack music for a movie, the music is made to fit the "action", not the opposite.
The bridal processional is usually brighter, louder, grandiose, and a bit slower and more regal sounding than the immediately preceding music that was played as the processional for the other members of the wedding party (mothers, grandmothers, bridesmaids, etc.)
The processional music for these other members of the wedding party is usually light and elegant, softer, moderately slow (but not majestically slow--i.e., not too slow), and perhaps a little darker in timbre (For example, if the trumpet is playing on this music, usually a somewhat larger instrument such as the Bb or C trumpet is used instead of the piccolo trumpet, which is more likely to be saved for the bridal entrance and recessional pieces.) [RELATED NOTE: Some brides are so concerned about wanting to have a big, grand contrast in the music when they enter (or process) that they specifically request that the trumpet soloist at their wedding play ONLY for their processional and recessional music, not for any pre-service music (including no trumpet playing on the processional music for the bridesmaids and other attendants.) The feeling of these brides is: "The trumpet is only for MY music!" (This is an actual quote from a bride whose wedding I performed at recently.) In my own opinion, however, I believe that the musical and emotional contrasts will be plenty big enough and quite striking if the music for the different processionals (both bridal and wedding party) is chosen carefully. This contrast is further enhanced if a different sized trumpet is used for the bridal processional (such as changing from a larger trumpet to the piccolo trumpet for the bridal entrance, or possibly changing to the bigger, darker, robust-sounding herald trumpet for the bridal entrance.)
The recessional music that is played as the bride and groom and wedding party exit (after the newly married couple has been presented) is usually a bit faster, more jubilant, joyous, and celebratory and, like the bridal processional piece, is usually also bright and loud.
SOME FINAL COMMENTS: IT’S YOUR WEDDING!
Keep in mind that the comments and suggestions listed above are simply for your CONSIDERATION, and are generalizations based upon traditions, common practices and my own personal observations of hundreds of weddings. Notice that I use the word "USUALLY" a lot when describing the general characteristics of the various types of wedding music (bridal processional, bridesmaids' processional, recessional, etc.) That's because common practices, traditions, and "rules" can always be ignored or broken (and they often are.) You always have the option of making wedding music choices that are unusual or unique. Think of it as starting your own traditions, if you wish to!
The music description generalities that I have mentioned are frequently ignored by many brides. For example: I mentioned above that both the bridal processional and the recessional are usually brighter pieces, and are usually played on the piccolo trumpet. BUT, some brides prefer the wedding music from the German (rather than the English) tradition: Wagner’s "Wedding Chorus from Lohengrin"--a.k.a. "Here Comes the Bride" (a bridal processional) and Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night's Dream (recessional).
These selections by Wagner and Mendelssohn are romantic German pieces and should therefore be performed on larger instruments (I usually perform them on either the herald trumpet or the Bb or C trumpets.) So these pieces sound (as they should) rather dark and Teutonic. But, they still sound loud and grand, so they do also work well as bridal processional and recessional selections. And moving to a larger, darker instrument can also be an interesting and striking contrast.
The bottom line is that, if it is YOUR wedding, then YOU are the boss. That means that YOU get to choose the music that YOU want. The only problem is that, with so much good music to consider, it is often difficult to decide on exactly what music you want for your wedding!
To help you with your wedding music decisions, you might wish to visit my website at http://bandsites.org/dunn2music/ and visit the “Listen” page there to hear music audio samples and/or visit the “See & Hear” page of this site to watch and listen to some of my music demo videos. I have samples of most of the selections mentioned above posted on these two pages, and I am currently working on adding even more of these selections to both the audio and video samples pages in order to be of further help with selecting wedding music.
Good luck with your wedding music decisions. I hope that the decision-making process is fun and enjoyable for you, as it should be. If you feel over-whelmed by the music choices and need further help and guidance, contact the musician(s) who will be performing at your wedding (if you have already selected them) and ask them for help. Also, feel free to let me know if you have any questions or if I may be of further help.
Sincerely,
Randy
Randy Dunn
Trumpet soloist, Music Coordinator & Music Contractor
Website: http://www.dunn2music.com/
Music Video Demos: http://www.youtube.com/HoustonTrumpet
dunn2music-randy@earthlink.net
Jeremiah Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary" (also known as the "Prince of Denmark March"), is by far the most popular traditional baroque/piccolo trumpet bridal processional piece of all. It also has been traditionally used for this purpose for generations longer than any other musical selection. The other, almost equally popular traditional bridal processional piece is Richard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin (also known as “Here Comes the Bride”.) Since this piece comes from the nineteenth century romantic period, trumpeters who perform this piece at weddings most often play it on a larger trumpet, such as the Bb trumpet or herald trumpet, instruments that get a more robust, Teutonic sound.
There are several other more unusual choices that would also work well as the bridal processional, such as Henry Purcell’s "Trumpet Tune". (This piece is most often used as a recessional, especially when the processional used is Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary". However, I have played at a few weddings where the bride requested the Purcell "Trumpet Tune" as the bridal processional. When I play this piece for the procession of the bride, I usually play it at a slower, more stately and majestic tempo than when I play it as a recessional (in which case a little faster, more jubilant and spirited tempo works better.)
Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a very well-known selection that, like Purcell’s “Trumpet Tune”, is also traditionally used as a wedding recessional piece, although it is occasionally used as a bridal processional as well.
George Frideric Handel’s “Hornpipe” from Water Music has also become a popular selection at weddings, and is often used as recessional music.
Another good alternative choice for a baroque bridal processional (or recessional for that matter) is Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s prelude to Te Deum.
Yet another good alternative choice for either a baroque bridal processional or recessional is Jean Joseph Mouret’s “Rondeau”.
And still another good choice for a baroque bridal processional or recessional is John Stanley’s “Trumpet Voluntary” that begins with the trumpet playing a long note, followed by lots of dotted rhythms.
Another musical selection that is sometimes used as a wedding recessional is Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (also known as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”.) This is also the theme from the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Still another good baroque choice that is also sometimes used as recessional music is the jubilant “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah by George Frideric Handel.
Regardless of what specific music has been selected for these purposes, before her processional, the bride is typically announced by a fanfare. At weddings that use a trumpet soloist (either alone or with organ or piano or other ensemble), the trumpeter plays this fanfare alone, signaling that the bride is about to enter. Far less often, another different fanfare is sometimes used before the recessional music to signal the departure of the newly-married couple. That choice is purely a matter of personal preference and also depends partly upon the recessional music chosen and whether or not an introductory fanfare will work well with it or not.
MUSIC FOR THE ENTRY OF THE ATTENDANTS (BRIDESMAIDS, MOTHERS, ETC.)
The two musical selections that are most often used for the entrance of the wedding party attendants (processional music for bridesmaids, mothers, and/or others who make a recognized entrance as part of the ceremony) are:
Johann Pachelbel’s "Canon (in D)" and
Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (from Cantata #147). These two pieces both work very well for this purpose since it is easy to repeat them as necessary and it is also easy shorten them as necessary to end cleanly and resolutely after the last processing attendant has arrived in place up front.
Another beautiful selection that also similarly works very well as a processional for these members of the wedding party is George Frideric Handel’s "Air" from Water Music.
Some brides like Jeremiah Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” (“Prince of Denmark’s March”) so much that they want to have it played for the entrance of their bridesmaids as well as for their bridal entrance. This means that more of this rather long rondo form piece will be heard at their wedding, since the amount of this music required for the bridal entry alone is always rather short.
When I use Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” as processional for both the bridesmaids and the bride, I perform it in the following manner: First, I play “Trumpet Voluntary” for the entrance of the bridesmaids at a moderate tempo, and not too loud. After the last attendant has arrived, I slow down (ritardando) at the end of a final-sounding phrase and then I stop, pausing a little bit before the bride enters. I then play a trumpet fanfare to announce the entrance of the bride, immediately followed by “Trumpet Voluntary” one final time. But this time, since it is for the bridal entrance, I play “Trumpet Voluntary” a bit more slowly and louder so that it sounds more grand, stately, and majestic. If there is an organist playing with me, the organist will also pull more stops to make the organ sound louder and brighter for the bride’s entrance.
Some brides have also used Clarke’s “Trumpet Voluntary” only for the processional of the bridesmaids, followed by Wagner’s “Wedding Chorus” for the bridal processional. This is yet another of the many music options that you may wish to consider.
PRE-SERVICE (OR PRELUDE) MUSIC
This is the music that typically begins about twenty minutes before the wedding starts and is heard as the wedding guests arrive and are seated. Usually, this music (or at least almost all of it) is chosen by the musician or musicians performing it, and it generally matches the style of the other music that has been chosen for use in the wedding ceremony (only usually lighter, softer and more subdued.) Basically, this serves as background music for the guests who are seated and waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin.
UNITY CANDLE LIGHTING MUSIC AND OTHER SPECIAL MUSIC FOR USE IN THE ACTUAL SERVICE
For those who want to have a unity candle lighting in the ceremony with special music, there are many good choices for music. Some popular choices include: Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Bist Du Bei Mir” (“If Thou Be Near”), “The Prayer” (as popularized by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church), Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria”, Gunod’s “Ave Maria” and numerous other selections from the vast classical music repertoire. Also, almost any song or piece of music that has special meaning to the bride and groom could be used as well. The lighting of the unity candle has become an increasingly popular wedding tradition, but because it has no specific sacred significance, it is sometimes considered too secular for use in certain houses of worship. It is therefore always best to consult with the presiding minister of the service to see if a unity candle is allowed and also to get approval on all musical selections that will be used in the actual service (pre-service or prelude music doesn’t really matter), just to make sure that all of this will be allowed in the service.
SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND COMMENTS ABOUT WEDDING PROCESSIONAL (ENTRANCE) AND RECESSIONAL (EXIT) SELECTIONS
Each of these selections should have a musical form to them that makes it easy for the musicians to easily and quickly cadence out of and end at just about any point, and these pieces should also be easy to repeat as needed. (This is especially important for processionals.) This way, these pieces can be easily instantly tailored to fit the length needed for the walks down the aisle (or up the aisle), and the endings of the music will sound final, even if the musicians don’t actually end them at the true ends of the pieces. And, to those attending the wedding, it will appear as if music of exactly the right length was chosen and choreographed so that the arrival timing (or exit timing) was perfect. In reality, however, just like soundtrack music for a movie, the music is made to fit the "action", not the opposite.
The bridal processional is usually brighter, louder, grandiose, and a bit slower and more regal sounding than the immediately preceding music that was played as the processional for the other members of the wedding party (mothers, grandmothers, bridesmaids, etc.)
The processional music for these other members of the wedding party is usually light and elegant, softer, moderately slow (but not majestically slow--i.e., not too slow), and perhaps a little darker in timbre (For example, if the trumpet is playing on this music, usually a somewhat larger instrument such as the Bb or C trumpet is used instead of the piccolo trumpet, which is more likely to be saved for the bridal entrance and recessional pieces.) [RELATED NOTE: Some brides are so concerned about wanting to have a big, grand contrast in the music when they enter (or process) that they specifically request that the trumpet soloist at their wedding play ONLY for their processional and recessional music, not for any pre-service music (including no trumpet playing on the processional music for the bridesmaids and other attendants.) The feeling of these brides is: "The trumpet is only for MY music!" (This is an actual quote from a bride whose wedding I performed at recently.) In my own opinion, however, I believe that the musical and emotional contrasts will be plenty big enough and quite striking if the music for the different processionals (both bridal and wedding party) is chosen carefully. This contrast is further enhanced if a different sized trumpet is used for the bridal processional (such as changing from a larger trumpet to the piccolo trumpet for the bridal entrance, or possibly changing to the bigger, darker, robust-sounding herald trumpet for the bridal entrance.)
The recessional music that is played as the bride and groom and wedding party exit (after the newly married couple has been presented) is usually a bit faster, more jubilant, joyous, and celebratory and, like the bridal processional piece, is usually also bright and loud.
SOME FINAL COMMENTS: IT’S YOUR WEDDING!
Keep in mind that the comments and suggestions listed above are simply for your CONSIDERATION, and are generalizations based upon traditions, common practices and my own personal observations of hundreds of weddings. Notice that I use the word "USUALLY" a lot when describing the general characteristics of the various types of wedding music (bridal processional, bridesmaids' processional, recessional, etc.) That's because common practices, traditions, and "rules" can always be ignored or broken (and they often are.) You always have the option of making wedding music choices that are unusual or unique. Think of it as starting your own traditions, if you wish to!
The music description generalities that I have mentioned are frequently ignored by many brides. For example: I mentioned above that both the bridal processional and the recessional are usually brighter pieces, and are usually played on the piccolo trumpet. BUT, some brides prefer the wedding music from the German (rather than the English) tradition: Wagner’s "Wedding Chorus from Lohengrin"--a.k.a. "Here Comes the Bride" (a bridal processional) and Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night's Dream (recessional).
These selections by Wagner and Mendelssohn are romantic German pieces and should therefore be performed on larger instruments (I usually perform them on either the herald trumpet or the Bb or C trumpets.) So these pieces sound (as they should) rather dark and Teutonic. But, they still sound loud and grand, so they do also work well as bridal processional and recessional selections. And moving to a larger, darker instrument can also be an interesting and striking contrast.
The bottom line is that, if it is YOUR wedding, then YOU are the boss. That means that YOU get to choose the music that YOU want. The only problem is that, with so much good music to consider, it is often difficult to decide on exactly what music you want for your wedding!
To help you with your wedding music decisions, you might wish to visit my website at http://bandsites.org/dunn2music/ and visit the “Listen” page there to hear music audio samples and/or visit the “See & Hear” page of this site to watch and listen to some of my music demo videos. I have samples of most of the selections mentioned above posted on these two pages, and I am currently working on adding even more of these selections to both the audio and video samples pages in order to be of further help with selecting wedding music.
Good luck with your wedding music decisions. I hope that the decision-making process is fun and enjoyable for you, as it should be. If you feel over-whelmed by the music choices and need further help and guidance, contact the musician(s) who will be performing at your wedding (if you have already selected them) and ask them for help. Also, feel free to let me know if you have any questions or if I may be of further help.
Sincerely,
Randy
Randy Dunn
Trumpet soloist, Music Coordinator & Music Contractor
Website: http://www.dunn2music.com/
Music Video Demos: http://www.youtube.com/HoustonTrumpet
dunn2music-randy@earthlink.net
Labels: processional, recessional, trumpet, Wedding Music
posted by Randy Dunn | 1/08/2008 07:55:00 PM
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