Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary in D (iTunes link) is his best-known work, used in countless weddings because of its stately, majestic, ceremonial, melodic, pleasing character.
I think he would be surprised by this since it certainly didn’t start out this way!
In fact, when the piece rose to fame, it was attributed to another composer. Even today, some people refer to it as Henry Purcell’s Trumpet Voluntary in D (more confusing because Purcell wrote a Trumpet Tune in D Major, also used in weddings)!
A little bit of history
Clarke lived in the years 1674 – 1707. Little is known about him as a child, except that he may have been a choir singer in the Chapel Royal at the time of the coronation of King James II. He was schooled in music by the organist of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. He was an English composer during the Baroque era, an era that gave us some of today’s most well-known music, including much used in weddings today. In 1707, suffering from depression, he shot himself after a failed romance.
Clarke wrote music not only for church or sacred use, but also attractive and popular theater music, including a plethora of harpsichord music in Baroque times.
He didn’t write what we now know
The “Trumpet Voluntary in D” started off as “The Prince of Denmark’s March” which is a product of this Baroque era. But the Trumpet Voluntary in D is not!
The Prince of Denmark’s March was written as either a wind ensemble piece, or more likely, as part of a compilation of harpsichord music (though some musicologists differ in opinion). The piece we know today came later.
So did its popularity. It turned up years later in the semi-opera, “The Island Princess,” which was a joint musical production of Clarke and Daniel Purcell (Henry Purcell’s younger brother). Some time later it was adapted for organ and became the Trumpet Voluntary in D.
We didn’t even know he wrote it
This work became widely known as the “Trumpet Voluntary” and was attributed to Purcell. The piece was published as “Trumpet Voluntary by Henry Purcell” in William Sparkes’ “Short Pieces for the Organ,” Book VII, which further cemented the misconception that the original piece was by Purcell. Two orchestral transcriptions were made by Sir Henry J. Wood.
So, from around 1878 until the 1940s, it was frequently – but wrongly – attributed to Henry Purcell, one of the few names of posterity from the Baroque era.
A very versatile piece of music
The addition of organ, brass, timpani and other instrumentation is a modern adaptation, though a welcome one! Virtually every instrument can and has played this piece, from a flute ensemble to violin to alto saxophone.
Remember this! A commonly used piece can still be used quite effectively by merely spicing it up with an alternate arrangement. For more on this thought, check out this Wedding Music Unveiled article.
A very popular piece of music
Though it most commonly is used as a wedding processional, it can also be used as a recessional. It seems a natural fit as a processional for “princess storybook weddings”. Perhaps this is because it was used as the bridal processional for Princess Diana’s wedding back in 1981. Although already popular before that, its popularity since skyrocketed.
Only Wagner’s Bridal Chorus and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ have been used more frequently than Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary. All three works are extremely popular and still heavily used in weddings throughout the English-speaking world.
It seems odd that so relatively little is known of the man whose music has been played at so many weddings. But despite that, the legacy of his Prince of Denmark’s March lives on.
That’s it…for now
I thought you might find this little diversion from the normal wedding music tips to be interesting. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!
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Interesting history on this piece. What started out as a ‘pop’ or entertainment piece has become a classic traditional work. If this piece, along with Wagner and Mendelssohn’s classic works, are used most frequently in the English-speaking world, do you suppose popular works from outside the English world might make good processionals?
Thanks for sharing..I really like weddings..I just love them..see ya !
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