In the US, June has been the traditional month for weddings.
Music is also a traditional part of weddings, and piano piece figure largely.
Here is a sampling, all written by composers whom Tomoko admires.
The traditional standard wedding piece is Mendelssohn’s A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Opus 61: IX. Wedding March. It is often performed in the movies (perhaps
because it is in the public domain). A less known wedding choice composed by
Mendelssohn, but very endearing, is his “On Wings of Song.”
Tomoko’s favorite piano composer, Mozart, wrote “Serenade,
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K 525: II. Romanza-Andante.“ Its stately, measured pace
give the wedding ceremony sweet gravitas. To set a more lively yet majestic
tone, the wedding couple might choose Mozart’s overture to The Marriage of
Figaro. Or if the couple wants to exult, they can always choose Mozart’s “Alleluja”
from Exsultate, Jubilate, K 165.
Planning an elegant and sophisticated wedding? Then Johann
Sebastian Bach’s “Arioso” would set the tone. Tomoko appreciates his timeless
structure and use of chords.
Beethoven’s love letter in music, “Fur Elise,” resonates even
today, and couples can affirm their own requited love. Tomoko knows that this
famous piano piece may serve as a rite of passage for aspiring piano players.
“Claire de lune” from Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque is
another favorite (as is Debussy for Tomoko). Its dreamy soft theme creates a
lovely background for weddings.
Another romantic choice is Saint-Saens’ “The Swan” from his Carnival
of the Animals. Its almost melancholy tone that resolves into a major key
reflects the transition from singlehood to couplehood.
Another favorite composer of Tomoko, Edvard Grieg, is known
for his “Wedding Day at Troldhauen, Opus 65, No. 6.” It bears a surprising
resemblance to The King and I’s “March of the Siamese Children.”
For the bride’s entrance, Strauss’s Radetzky March” Opus 228
makes a bold statement. Strauss’s “Blue Danube” evokes the spirit of Vienna. And
while waltzes are not the usual fare at wedding receptions, imagine how lovely
the bride and groom would look if this were their first dance.
Tomoko also enjoys the dance music of Brahms. His piece “Hungarian
Dance No. 5 in G Minor” strikes a special chord for Tomoko as she married a
Hungarian.
