Nowadays we are asked to play all sorts of songs for the Bridal Entrance. Everything from Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’. Christina Perri’s ‘Thousand Years’ is also an extremely popular choice. But there is one piece of music which is literally streets ahead when it comes to the number of times we have been asked to play it.
Canon in D by the Seventeenth Century German composer Johann Pachelbel is by far the most popular choice when it comes to music for the entrance of the Bridal Party.
It dates to the late-17th or early 18th century, and there’s speculation that it was written as a gift for the wedding of Johann Sebastian Bach’s older brother, who studied with Pachelbel.
Whatever the circumstances, what is widely considered the oldest existing manuscript of the piece is a 19th-century copy in Germany at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, or Berlin State Library. And what many scholars can agree on is that from there — long before Pachelbel’s Canon would come to be a wedding sensation — it would fall into obscurity for hundreds more years.
To cut a long story short, Pachelbel’s Canon all but disappeared from mainstream repertoire until a 1960s recording by the French conductor Jean-François Paillard.
Even this however was not the catalyst for this to become such a popular piece at weddings. Some people argue it was the wedding of Prince (now King) Charles and Diana in 1981 which gave an increased recognition to older pieces of music being used. However the music for the Bridal entrance at their wedding was actually the Prince of Denmark’s March by Jeremiah Clarke. So there is only really a tentative link.
Ultimately even though this piece probably appears in every Rom Com produced in the 20th and 21st centuries, it is actually the music itself which defines its popularity. The original score of the piece is for 3 violins and basso continuo. With the repeating bass line there is endless scope to score this for a variety of instruments. Moreover as there are no lyrics, it is all about the music. This is why this music works so well arranged for Cello and Piano. It is also the perfect speed to walk to, although some brides are very keen to get up the aisle as quick as possible!
Bridal Entrance – Mashup – Blend 2 songs together
Something unique to JAM Duo is our ability to blend two songs together. We can ultimately blend any two songs, but even here Canon is a popular choice. One of our most requested ‘mashups’ is Can’t Help Falling in Love blended into Canon.
Above is a few examples of the most popular Mashups we have been asked for. Even here Canon is noticeable for being the most used song even though as said above we can blend anything into anything else!
JAM Duo at Your Wedding
Whatever your song choice for the Bridal Entrance and whether or not you want one or two songs during this time (we have even done a blend of 3 songs before now) JAM Duo would love to be part of your wedding day. To find out more please browse our website where you will find lots of information and when you are ready please do get in touch via our contact page.
