Saying I Do to Wagner's Bridal Chorus
The Best Moments

I start the Bridal Chorus with those four steady notes that everyone on earth now recognizes as the universal signal to stand up and look at the back of a church. Instead of a lone organ, I actually wrote this opening in B-flat major for a full orchestra and a chorus of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses who escort the newlyweds, Elsa and Lohengrin, into their bridal chamber after the wedding is already over.

I let the music soften in the middle section into a gentler, more flowing melody, giving the wedding guests a moment to catch their breath after all that proud marching. The voices weave together in a warm, dreamy blessing for the couple, which is rather ironic when you know that in my opera their marriage falls apart completely just a few minutes later.

I bring back that famous opening tune near the end so the guests can march right back out of the room with the same cheerful dignity they had when they came in. The music gradually fades away as the procession leaves the room, like polite relatives who finally take the hint that the wedding is over and it is time to go home.