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Information about Bridal Chorus

The "Bridal Chorus" from the opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is the standard march played for the bride's entrance at most formal weddings in the United States and at many weddings throughout the Western world. In English-speaking countries it is generally known as "Here Comes the Bride" or "Wedding March" (though actually "wedding march" refers to any song accompanying the entrance or exit of the bride, most often Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March"). However, it is seldom played at Jewish weddings, due to Wagner's reputation as an anti-semite and the Nazis' use of his music.[1] It is also not used by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod because of various factors, but most especially due to the perceived pagan connotations of Wagner's plays. [2] The Roman Catholic Church generally does not allow the Bridal Chorus at Catholic weddings due to the fact that it is a secular piece of music.[3]

Its usual placement at the beginning of a wedding ceremony is not entirely in accordance with its placement in the opera. In the opera, the chorus is sung after the ceremony by the women of the wedding party, as they accompany the heroine Elsa to the bridal chamber. In addition, the marriage between Elsa and Lohengrin is an almost immediate failure.

Text

Although at most weddings the chorus is usually played without vocal accompaniment (usually on an organ, if there is any), in Lohengrin the wedding party sings these words at the beginning of Act Three:
Treulich geführt ziehet dahin,
wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr'!
Siegreicher Mut, Minnegewinn
eint euch in Treue zum seligsten Paar.
Streiter der Tugend, schreite voran!
Zierde der Jugend, schreite voran!
Rauschen des Festes seid nun entronnen,
Wonne des Herzens sei euch gewonnen!


Duftender Raum, zur Liebe geschmückt,
nehm' euch nun auf, dem Glanze entrückt.
Treulich geführt ziehet nun ein,
wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr'!
Siegreicher Mut, Minne so rein
eint euch in Treue zum seligsten Paar.
Faithfully guided, draw near
to where the blessing of love shall preserve you!
Triumphant courage, the reward of love,
joins you in faith as the happiest of couples!
Champion of virtue, proceed!
Jewel of youth, proceed!
Flee now the splendour of the wedding feast,
may the delights of the heart be yours!


This sweet-smelling room, decked for love,
now takes you in, away from the splendour.
Faithfully guided, draw now near
to where the blessing of love shall preserve you!
Triumphant courage, love so pure,
joins you in faith as the happiest of couples!


Eight women then sing a blessing to a separate melody. Eventually, the chorus returns with these words, gradually proceeding offstage:

Treulich bewacht bleibet zurück,
wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr'!
Siegreicher Mut, Minne und Glück
eint euch in Treue zum seligsten Paar.
Streiter der Tugend, bleibe daheim!
Zierde der Jugend, bleibe daheim!
Rauschen des Festes seid nun entronnen,
Wonne des Herzens sei euch gewonnen!
Duftender Raum, zur Liebe geschmückt,
nahm euch nun auf, dem Glanze entrückt.


Treulich bewacht bleibet zurück,
wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr'!
Siegreicher Mut, Minne und Glück
eint euch in Treue zum seligsten Paar.
Faithfully guarded, remain behind
where the blessing of love shall preserve you!
Triumphant courage, love and happiness
join you in faith as the happiest of couples.
Champion of youth, remain here!
Jewel of youth, remain here!
Flee now the splendows of the wedding feast,
may the delights of the heart be yours!
This sweet-smelling room, decked for love,
has now taken you, away from the splendour.


Faithfully guarded, remain behind
where the blessing of love shall preserve you!
Triumphant courage, love and happiness
join you in faith as the happiest of couples.

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Opera is a form of musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama.[1] Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition.[2] An opera performance incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and
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Lohengrin is a romantic opera (or music drama) in three acts by Richard Wagner, who also wrote the libretto. The first production was in Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850 under the direction of Franz Liszt, a close friend and early supporter of Wagner.
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Anthem
"Das Lied der Deutschen" (third stanza)
also called "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
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Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or "music dramas" as they were later called).
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Nuptial is the adjective of "wedding". It is used for example in zoology to denote plumage, coloration, behavior, etc related to or occurring in the mating season.

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"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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Western world, the West or the Occident (Latin occidens -sunset, -west, as distinct from the Orient) [1] can have multiple meanings dependent on its context (e.g., the time period, or the social situation).
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A wedding march is a piece of music played during a wedding, usually during the entrance of the bride (processional) or the departure of the married couple at the end (recessional).
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Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) was a German composer and conductor of the early Romantic period.
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Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" is one of the best known of the pieces that he wrote as incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1842. It is one of the most played wedding marches.
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Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of personal existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, is considered incomplete.

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Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed at Jews.
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Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

Corporate seal of the LCMS
Classification Protestant
Orientation Conservative Lutheran
Polity Congregationalist
Founder C. F. W.
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Christianity

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organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. It uses wind moving through metal or wood pipes and/or it uses sampled organ sounds or oscillators to produce sound, which remains constant while a key is depressed.
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Lohengrin is a romantic opera (or music drama) in three acts by Richard Wagner, who also wrote the libretto. The first production was in Weimar, Germany on 28 August 1850 under the direction of Franz Liszt, a close friend and early supporter of Wagner.
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