The Processional “here Comes the Bride” and the Recessional “the Wedding March.”
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The processional “Here Comes the Bride” and the recessional “The Wedding March.”
I am writing why the processional “Here Comes the Bride” and the recessional “The Wedding March” are being prohibited in the Catholic Church. As a catholic girl, I have always dreamed of walking down the aisle to “Here Comes the Bride,” and leaving the wedding to “The Wedding March.” This was to be the moment that I could cherish , the moment that would be unforgettable. Now that I am ready to be married, is when I am upset that these two songs are no longer allowed in the Catholic Church.
The catholic churchs approach on the music of a wedding, is that the function of music is to be minsterial, and the music must serve and never dominate. The catholic church states that what is true for Sunday liturgy is true for the wedding liturgy, and Sunday Mass sets the standard for all other liturgies.
These two pieces of music are considered Secular music, which is defined in the Websters Dictinary as “of” or relating to worldly things as distinguished from things relating to church or religion; not sacred or religious.
There are many religions that have restrictions on the type of music that is allowed at a wedding or ceremony. The Protestant religion will most generally allow secular music during the ceremony, however you will still need to consult your officiant regarding guidelines. For a Jewish ceremony, secular music is usually allowed in Reform and Conservative Jewish weddings, however in an Orthodox ceremony, the music is traditionally performed with only one instrument, the violin or the flute. For an Eastern Orthordox ceremony, traditionally the only music allowed is sung by an unaccompanied choir, but organs and instruments are becoming more acceptable. For a Muslim ceremony, there is usually no music performed during the ceremony. For a Hindu ceremony, music is an intergral part of the ceremony that most often includes vocals, drums, string and wind instruments. The Hindu ceremony is dictated by the type of ceremony, so personalization of a selection may be restricted. For a Roman Catholic ceremony only nonsecular music is allowed.
The processional “Here Comes the Bride” is a song by Richard Wagners “Bridal Chorus.” Some people refer to this song as “corny” and recollecting it as songs played in a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. However, supposedly there are religious reasons as to why this song should not be played in a church let alone a catholic church.
The song comes from Act III of Richard Wagners opera Lohengrin, which has been describe in musical standards as being rich and profound. However, the plot of the opera are full of contorted twists and turns. In this opera there is magic, deceit, trickery, superstition , love, and the death of the unhappy lover. In religious standards this song has nothing sacred about it.
Wagner was arguably the greatest musical genius of the 19th century. His musical career was brilliant, considering that he never had a music lesson or was able to play any instrument. His interest in music was aesthetic and philosophical. Wagner has referred to himself as cantankerous, anti-Semitic and misogynous. Wagner saw himself as a God-like spiritual reformer..
Wagner started work on Lohengrin in 1845, getting his inspiration from an anonymous German epic poem. It relates the story of Parsifals son Lohengrin, sent by God in a swan-drawn boat to champion a young maiden accused of killing her brother. Lohengrin clears her name in combat with her accuser and wins her love, betrothing himself to her on the condition that she never ask his name or origin. Elsa, the young maiden, agrees but her mind is soon poisoned by doubts through the scheming of the witch Ortrud (At this point, is where the song becomes associated with weddings because it is used in Lohengrin at the marriage between the title character and Elsa). Ortrud desired Elsas inherited lands for her husband, Telramund. Elsa cannot help yourself and finally asks the fateful question, and Lohengrin tells her that he is a knight of the Round Table and resides on the lonely Montsalvat, guarding the Holy Grail with his knightly brethren. Since Elsa was unable to keep her side of the bargain, Lohengrins faithful swan returns, and he must go with it to resume his vigil, prohibited from staying with a wife who has broken faith with him.
It seems as thought the reason the public has such difficulty in understanding this opera is because the plot revolves around a dubious proposition. This difficulty of the proposition is that Lohengrins condition for Elsa seems unreasonable, while Elsas failure to repress her female curiosity is thought by many as unacceptable misogyny on Wagners part.
It is because of this opera that the catholic church has forbidden the use of “Here Comes the Bride” because they (catholic church) have interpreted it to resemble deceit and to be far from sacred. The church also says that Wagnerss personal life is reason enough not to allow this song. Wagner was said to be extreme anti-semitism, massive ego-mania, wanton gambling and womanising, ruthless, and would exploite anyone in order to achieve his ambitions. He was frequently in debt, in part because of failed attempts to have his early operas performed, but also due to his excessive gambling habit. Wagner also had no less than three wives, with the last relationship proving to be the most stable. This was to Cosima (daughter of Franz Liszt) who was already married, at the time of their meeting. Wagner who was also married at the time of their meeting. Several years later the couple were able to marry, and Cosima devoted her life to supporting and promoting Wagners work. However, his marriage to Cosima did not stop him from having affairs. Of course, this kind of life could definitely taint the song, “Here Comes the Bride,” but the opera wasnt based on Wagners personal life.
In my opinion, Wagners last marriage showed true devotion because Cosima knew that she had finally found the man of her dreams. I feel that Wagner knew what love was and that love was to be sacred. However, Wagner was unable to achieve this because he wasnt able to find that one person to make him want to have a sacred relationship. I feel that Wagners oper Lohengrin was about love and devotion but just because Wagner couldnt find it himself, doesnt give the church the right to interpret it based on his personal life.
My interpretation of this opera Lohengrin found