She told me she can’t stand performing Pachelbel’s Canon in D. People rolled their eyes when I mentioned the piece.
I had just performed at a friend’s recent wedding and afterward had several conversations about wedding music. A cellist who also performed told me how she dreads performing the Canon in D because it is so repetitive and overused. Guests, even those who knew little about music, were sick of the Canon in D.
These guests appreciated how exciting and unusual the music choices had been for this particular wedding. None of the “usual” choices had been selected for this wedding. We contrasted the music we played with other pieces such as the Canon in D so often heard at weddings, I received many compliments because of the role music played in making this particular wedding ceremony special.
Needless to say, the bride was very pleased with the results. We had worked carefully to prepare music that matched exactly the moods she wanted to set.
Different is good
In the article “The Secret to Making Your Wedding Uniquely Yours”, I wrote that your goal for your wedding ceremony’s music should be to have music reflecting you and your desired moods for the ceremony. To help achieve this, you’ll want music that isn’t commonly used—so that the wedding music will sound more distinctive.
Using commonly used—or some might say, overused—music, you’ll end up with a ceremony that not only isn’t distinctive but instead sounds too much like many other weddings.
What to avoid
Here are some of the most commonly-used pieces in weddings today. There are others that do get used often, but don’t make my list of the most overused wedding songs, so I won’t recommend against them.
If you want music that is distinctive and memorable, watch out for these:
- Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
- Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Air on the G String by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin (also known as “Wedding March” or “Here Comes the Bride”) by Richard Wagner
- Trumpet Voluntary in D by Jeremiah Clarke
- Wedding March (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream) by Felix Mendelssohn
It’s not that these are bad pieces. And it’s not even that they don’t work well in weddings. They actually work too well. The problem is that they are so commonly used in weddings that if your goal is a unique sound, it will be harder to get that by using these pieces. Hence my recommendation against them.
But there’s good news if you have your heart set on one of these pieces!
If you do want to use one of these pieces, you may be able to still achieve your goal if you are careful and work a little harder at it. For example, use only one of the pieces or use it in some different way.
So if you really have your heart set on Canon in D and believe it is the piece that will perfectly set the mood for your ceremony, then use it. Just be aware of how it will affect the overall impression your music makes.
I’ll show you an example of how to use a piece in a different way in order to breathe some new life into it in this article, using processional music as an example. I’ll discuss easy ways to spice up commonly-used pieces.
What do you think?
Are there other pieces you feel you’ve heard at weddings over and over again? Have you heard one of these pieces played or used in some interesting or unusual way that caught your attention? Share your thoughts—leave a comment. They’re always welcome and appreciated!
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Out of curiosity, when did Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel become popular as a wedding processional? Prior to 1982, when my wife and I included it along with Jesu Joy of My Desiring and Air on a G String, I was unaware that this piece of music being used for a wedding. It now seems that virtually every wedding now uses this as a processional.
It seems to have gained its popularity in the 80s. I remember it being used occasionally in weddings in the early 80s, but certainly not as frequently as it is now nor as a bridal processional.
Thanks for your comment, Dan!
I, too, wondered when Pachelbel’s Canon in D became so popular. My husband and I used it as the bridal processional at our small outdoor wedding in 1979, and I thought we had selected very unique wedding music. The first time I heard it a few months before our wedding, I thought it was one of the most beautiful pieces of music I had ever heard, and I knew that was what I wanted for our wedding. My son had a destination wedding in Mexico last month and the bridal processional was the Canon; I was excited that they used the same music my husband and I had 31 years ago, but my son said the same thing you did in your article – that everyone uses the Canon.
Thanks for the comment!
It is too bad, isn’t it? It is such a beautiful piece and it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. I hate to see something so beautiful become so overused and common that it loses much of its meaning. I’ve encountered everything from rolling of the eyes to outright hatred when the piece is mentioned. But then there are those who passionately love the piece (which is awesome). I wish the people who love it were able to use it knowing that it will have a positive impact on all who hear it. That, after all, is one of the goals of wedding music–to communicate joy!
As of now we don’t know of any earlier use of Pachelbal’s Canon in a wedding prior to ours in 1974. The band had never heard it and we had to buy them a recording so they could learn it. They said it was so lovely and would suggest it for other weddings. Note, they were a major NYC area wedding band. It was not overdone in the ’70s.
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