Marching Down the Aisle with Mendelssohn's Wedding March
The Listen Guide
Wedding March in C major, Op. 61, No. 9
I'm Felix Mendelssohn, and this is the listen guide to my Wedding March. Here you'll learn to follow the instruments that carry my march, from the bold trumpets to the steady strings, so a tune you've known for years starts to sound like a conversation. On this site my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our music whenever it begins, so give the Trainer a go whenever you feel like it.
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Listen for the Loud Ones First
Let me tell you how I'd listen to my Wedding March if I were sitting next to you. Start with the trumpets, because they are the easiest voices to find, and then let your ear drift to the strings, which keep the music moving like a steady pair of marching feet. Underneath, you can pick out the timpani, the big drums, giving weight to the strong beats, while the flutes and other woodwinds add some sparkle on top. You don't need to know any names or rules, so just ask yourself at each moment whether the music is announcing something, marching, or strolling.Why It Wears That Name
I called it Wedding March because, in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, it goes with the wedding celebrations at the start of Act V. The title tells you where the piece belongs in the play, since I wrote it for the stage and not for a real wedding. The first real wedding we know of that used it took place on 2 June 1847 in Tiverton, England, and the tune was well on its way to fame from there. It became widely popular after Princess Victoria chose it for her marriage in 1858, and today you'll usually hear it on a church organ as the newly married couple walk out.A Parade With Side Streets
Choosing the form was an adventure, because I wanted something that felt like a march but still had a few surprises. It isn't a sonata, and it isn't a strict textbook rondo either, but it behaves a little like a rondo, because the main tune keeps coming home between lighter stretches. I'll walk you through five sections: the fanfare, the main march, a gentler episode, the return of the march, and the farewell. Stay with me, because each one has its own mood, and together they tell a small story about a celebration.Section 1: A Doorman Clearing His Throat
Everything begins with the fanfare, a few bright calls in C major that seem to say, look up, something is about to happen. The pace is lively and steady, and editions don't quite agree on whether to label it Allegro or Allegro vivace, but your feet will know what I mean either way. The mood is pure expectation, like a curtain rising on a room full of guests. There's no real tune yet, so think of this section as the announcement that comes before the main event.Section 2: The Tune You Already Know
Now the main march steps in, and this is the melody that nearly everyone can hum after hearing it once. It stays in C major, so it feels firm and sure of itself, and the strings and woodwinds share it with a proud, festive swing. The tempo doesn't change from the fanfare, which is part of why the entrance feels so natural, as if the announcement and the arrival belong to the same sentence. I made it plain and rhythmic on purpose, because a march has to be something people can walk to.Section 3: A Short Walk Around the Garden
After all that confidence, I let the music lighten up and wander a little away from the home key. The pace feels the same, but the sound becomes more flowing and the lighter instruments come forward, so the mood turns from ceremony to something closer to a relaxed conversation. This is the episode that organists often leave out today, and you'll hear what they're missing if you listen to the full orchestra version. It's also what makes the return of the main tune feel like a reward and not just a repeat.Section 4: The Tune Comes Back in a Fresh Coat
When the march returns, it feels like walking back through your own front door after a pleasant evening out. We are home again in C major, and the music sounds fuller and more settled than the first time. The tempo stays brisk and steady, but the mood has changed, because now we recognize the tune and can enjoy it without any suspense. This is the point where I'd suggest you stop analyzing and simply sing along in your head.Section 5: Please Mind the Exit
The last section gathers the energy of the march and sends everybody out in good order, with firm, confident chords in C major. That's why it works so well as a recessional, which is the music for the couple's walk back down the aisle, and why it's so often played without the episodes. If you remember the bride's entrance as a different tune, you're right, because that one is usually Wagner's Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, and mine is the one for leaving. When the final chord lands, the story is complete, from announcement to arrival, a little wandering, a happy return and a cheerful goodbye.Now It's Your Turn
Now I invite you to try the Wedding March for yourself: press play and let the music carry you along. As you listen, you might think back to our five sections and see if you can hear the fanfare, the main tune, the garden walk, the homecoming and the exit. If you enjoy it, you may also like the piano version that Liszt made in 1849 and 1850, which Vladimir Horowitz later turned into a showpiece of his own. I hope you find the journey through my Wedding March as thrilling as I did when I wrote it.---
We've come to the end of the guide, and I hope the march sounds a little different to you now. Next time it plays, you may find yourself picking out the trumpets, following the strings underneath, and noticing how the drums give the strong beats their weight. That kind of careful listening stays with you, and it makes familiar music feel new again. Did you enjoy learning about the Wedding March with me? There is still a good deal more to explore in this piece. A church in Tiverton heard it at a wedding in 1847, and a royal wedding in 1858 made it known far beyond that small town. Liszt also turned it into a dazzling piece for solo piano, and it's quite something to hear the same tunes played by two hands instead of a whole orchestra. If you'd like to keep going, please click on the links below and see where they take you. I'd be glad to have you back for another listen.