How about including a little birthday music to go with your wedding ceremony music? One of the world’s greatest composers, Johann Sebastian Bach, turned 325 this year on March 21.
The music world is celebrating! Why not join in the fun and include at least one piece by Bach in your wedding to help the world celebrate? At the very least, it’ll be a chance for you to show off with a piece of classical music trivia!
If you’re still looking for music for your wedding ceremony, whether it’s a song during the wedding, or a piece for a recessional, processional, postlude or prelude, Bach’s music might just be the perfect choice.
Definitely appropriate for a church
Bach was a composer and musician who worked for and composed music for the church during much of his life. So you can be sure that his music will be appropriate for a church. Over the years, many of his pieces have found their way into weddings. I even know of an all-Bach wedding a few months ago!
Too many ideas to list
Here are some Bach music ideas for you to consider. I listed the well-known pieces first with suggestions for using the pieces in the ceremony. Whether processional, recessional or prelude, Bach wrote lots of good wedding music.
There are many more than I could list here — more are listed in Wedding Music Unveiled’s Guide to Selecting Memorable Church Wedding Music (a few preview links are included here and the guide has links for almost each of hundreds of pieces of music!).
Well-known music of Bach
- “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (prelude, processional, or as a vocal solo during the ceremony)
- Arioso (also known as the Sinfonia (or Adagio) from Cantata BWV 156 and also as the Largo from Harpsichord Concerto in F Minor) (prelude, processional)
- “Ave Maria” (arranged by Charles Gounod) (prelude)
- “Sheep May Safely Graze” (prelude, processional, or as a vocal solo during the ceremony)
- Air on the G String (Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3) (prelude, processional)
- “Bist du bei mir” (from Cantata 508) (processional)
Not quite as well-known pieces by Bach
- “Sanctify Us By Your Goodness” (from Cantata 22) (prelude)
- “Wachet auf” (or “Wake, Awake, For Night is Flying”) (processional)
- “Blessed Jesus We Are Here” (two different versions) (prelude)
- “Now Thank We All Our God” (recessional, postlude)
- “In Thee Is Gladness” (prelude, recessional, postlude)
- Fugue in C Major (“Gigue”) (prelude)
- Prelude & Fugue in G (prelude) (the pieces can be played together or individually)
- Allegro from Organ Concerto in G (recessional, postlude)
- “Little” Prelude in F (postlude)
- Concerto in C (postlude)
What do you think?
Do you have a favorite piece of music by Bach that you’re including in your wedding or have heard played in a wedding?
Leave a comment. I’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts!
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