Wedding March (Mendelssohn)

This is a famous song for weddings.

A man named Mendelssohn wrote it. He wrote it for a play. People often play it on a big organ. It is used when a bride and groom leave.

A princess helped make it popular. She played it at her wedding. Many people love this happy music. It is a special part of a wedding day.

Do you hear a loud, happy song at a wedding?

That might be the Wedding March. Felix Mendelssohn wrote this piece in 1842. He wrote it for a play by Shakespeare.

People often play it on a church pipe organ. It is a common song for a recessional. A recessional is when the bride and groom walk out.

One of the first weddings to use it was in 1847. It took place at a church in England. Later, a princess helped make the song very popular. Victoria, the Princess Royal, chose it for her wedding in 1858. She was the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria. The Queen loved the music of Mendelssohn.

Other musicians have worked with this song too. Franz Liszt wrote a hard version for the piano. Later, Vladimir Horowitz used that version as an encore. An encore is a short extra song at a concert. This music brings joy to many special days.

Do you hear a loud and happy song at a wedding?

This piece is called the Wedding March. It was written by Felix Mendelssohn in 1842. He wrote it for a play by Shakespeare. The play is called A Midsummer Night's Dream. This music is part of a larger set of songs. People often play it on a church pipe organ. It is used as a recessional. A recessional is when the bride and groom walk out of the ceremony.

Many people use this music in special ways. Sometimes musicians leave out certain parts of the song. This happens when it is used for a recessional. The Wedding March is often paired with other famous songs. One is the Bridal Chorus by Richard Wagner. Another is the Prince of Denmark's March by Jeremiah Clarke. These other songs are often played when the bride enters. It is a way to make the wedding feel very grand.

We can look back to find when this music first became a wedding song. The first known use was in 1847. Dorothy Carew married Tom Daniel on June 2, 1847. They were at St Peter's Church in Tiverton, England. An organist named Samuel Reay played the music there. Later, the song became very popular for many weddings. This happened in 1858 when a princess chose it. Victoria, the Princess Royal, used it for her own wedding.

Princess Victoria was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. The Queen really loved the music of Mendelssohn. He often played his music when he visited Britain. The Princess married Prince Frederick William of Prussia in January 1858. This royal wedding helped the song spread to many people. You can even find an organ in St Ann's Church in Tottenham. Mendelssohn once gave musical recitals on that very organ. It is a piece of history you can still hear today.

Other great musicians have also loved this famous march. Franz Liszt wrote a very difficult version in 1849. He called it the Wedding March and Dance of the Elves. This version was meant for a virtuoso to play. A virtuoso is a person with great skill. Later, Vladimir Horowitz made his own version for the piano. He used it as an encore at his concerts. An encore is a short extra song played at the end. It shows how much people enjoy the music.

The Wedding March is a famous piece of music written by Felix Mendelssohn. It was composed in 1842 for a specific purpose. Mendelssohn wrote it as part of a suite of incidental music. Incidental music is music written to accompany a play or a performance. This specific suite was for William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Today, the piece is one of the most recognizable melodies in the world. It is often used during wedding ceremonies in many Western countries.

In a wedding, the music often serves a specific role called a recessional. A recessional happens when the wedding party walks out of the ceremony. Musicians often play the Wedding March during this moment. When using it as a recessional, musicians frequently strip the piece of its episodes. An episode is a distinct section or part of a musical work. By removing these parts, the music maintains a steady, driving rhythm. This helps the march feel grand as people exit.

While the Wedding March is used for the exit, other songs often handle the entrance. Many weddings pair Mendelssohn's work with different pieces for the bride's arrival. One common choice is the "Bridal Chorus" from the opera Lohengrin by Richard Wagner. Another popular choice is the "Prince of Denmark's March" by Jeremiah Clarke. These pairings create a complete musical structure for the ceremony. The entrance music sets a mood, while the Wedding March signals the celebration of the conclusion.

History shows us exactly how this music became a tradition. The first known instance of the Wedding March being used at a wedding was in 1847. On June 2, 1847, Dorothy Carew married Tom Daniel. The ceremony took place at St Peter's Church in Tiverton, England. An organist named Samuel Reay performed the piece for them. This was the first recorded time the music served this specific social function.

The music gained massive popularity through royal influence in 1858. Victoria, the Princess Royal, selected the march for her own wedding. She married Prince Frederick William of Prussia on January 25, 1858. Princess Victoria was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. The Queen had a great love for the music of Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn often played his compositions during his visits to Britain. This royal connection helped spread the use of the march to many other people.

Beyond weddings, the music has a rich history in concert halls. Great musicians have created difficult versions of the piece to show off their skill. In 1849–50, Franz Liszt wrote a virtuoso transcription. He titled this work "Wedding March and Dance of the Elves" (S. 410). A transcription is a version of a piece rewritten for a different instrument. Liszt's version was meant for a virtuoso, which is a performer with exceptional technical ability. This version transformed the orchestral piece into a complex piano work.

Another famous pianist, Vladimir Horowitz, also worked with this music. He transcribed the Wedding March into a virtuoso showpiece for the piano. Horowitz used this version as an encore during his concerts. An encore is an extra performance requested by the audience at the end of a show. This shows how the music moved from the church to the professional stage. It remains a key part of the orchestral and piano repertoire today.

The Wedding March connects several different worlds of music and culture. It began as incidental music for a theatrical play in the German Confederation. It moved into the religious setting of the church pipe organ. It then entered the secular world of royal weddings and grand celebrations. Finally, it became a challenge for the world's most skilled piano players. Whether in a small church or a large concert hall, the music carries a sense of history.