Ave Maria

Ave Maria

Which Classical Music To Choose For Your Wedding Ceremony

The use of classical music can turn any wedding ceremony into an act of great beauty.

Classical music can add romance, class, set the tone for each part of your ceremony, and paint a unique sound picture of your special day.

Not only will people remember the visual treat of the the blushing bride, the beautiful wedding dress, the spectacular cake, the gorgeous flowers - they will also remember "the music". It will stick in their minds for years to come.

If you hire a String Quartet or Harpist to provide the music for the ceremony, then they will usually provide some suggestions about the choice of music. However, you have to be careful that they are not just suggesting pieces that they would prefer to play - rather than what you would like.

If you are not familiar with Classical music, then the choice can be quite daunting. However, here is a list of beautiful music, which has been tried and tested by professional String Quartets playing at weddings for many years.

The Bride's Entrance Music - The Processional

• Pachelbel - Canon in D
• Trumpet Voluntary - J.Clark
• The Wedding March - Mendelssohn
• The Bridal Chorus (from Lohengrin) - Wagner
• Water Music - Handel
• Ave Maria - Bach-Gounod
• Ave Maria - Schubert

Signing of the Register or Marriage License

• String Quartets - Mozart
• Divertimenti - Mozart
• Pachelbel - Canon in D
• Air on a G String - Bach
• Flower Duet - Delibes
• Passacaglia - Handel

Exit Music - Recessional

• Arrival of the Queen of Sheba - Handel
• Wedding March - Mendelssohn
• Diverimenti - Mozart
• Water Music (Hornpipe) - Handel
• Alla Danza - Handel
• Jesu, Joy of Mans Desiring.

This list is, of course, not exhaustive. However, it does give you a excellent starting point to work from.

An excellent example programme from the list would be:

• Processional - Pachelbel - Canon in D
• Signing the Register - Air on a G String and the Flower Duet
• Recessional - Arrival of The Queen of Sheba.

Pachebel's Canon is quiet and very beautiful. Air on a G String is contemplative and The Flower Duet is beautiful, joyful, and uplifting. Finally, The Arrival of The Queen of Sheba is grand, fast, and joyful. It is a marvellous piece of music for the Recessional and will have you and your husband skipping back up the aisle.

If you do not know what some of these pieces sound like, then do not worry. All you have to do is type the name of the piece followed by MP3 into Google. You will then find lots of sites where your can listen or download the music for free.

So,  now you can choose the music for your wedding as you surf!

Not even The Beach Boys could do that...

About the Author

Michael Breck is a professional Magician and Entertainment Agent in Scotland.

He has been entertaining at weddings and booking entertainment for weddings for over twenty years.

For more ideas about wedding entertainment go to Entertainment For Weddings and Events or Magical Entertainment For Weddings and Events.

What kind of music is like Ave Maria?

I love Ellens Dritter Gesang, aka, Schubert's Ave Maria. If you haven't heard it, it's simple piano with a gorgeous female vocal melody. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. I love Chopin. But it's hard to find pretty piano playing like that on top of pretty singing. Don't say Vanessa Carlton.

The general category of music that includes your example of Schubert's "Ellens Dritter Gesang" is called "leider" -- literally "songs." These are German art songs composed primarily in the 1800s by Schubert, Wolf, Schumann, Brahms, Loewe, and later by Strauss and Mahler.

If you like the sound of a female voice singing this material, you might like Elizabeth Schwartzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Elly Ameling, or Lucia Popp. If you'd like to hear male voices, try Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Thomas Hampson, or Fritz Wunderlich.

My personal favorite composer for this material is Brahms -- his combination of piano plus voice is unmatched. I started life as a pianist, and switched to voice later on, so I've both played and sung many of his songs.

Here are a few Brahms for you:

And another couple of Schubert you might enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz5TV8LWbro (you might recognize this one )

Have fun exploring this genre -- there's a wealth of excellent music out there.

ave maria nina hagen