Romantic · 1842
Wedding March (Midsummer Night's Dream)
F. MendelssohnOp. 61, No. 9
- Key
- C
- Time
- C
- Tempo
- ♩=120
- AO focus
- AO3
Incipit
Form
Incidental-music march from Mendelssohn's score for Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Used to accompany Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding. ABA form with a brilliant fanfare A and a contrasting lyrical B.
Teaching points
- Triadic C-major fanfare — opening dotted figure outlines tonic chord
- AO1: arguably the most-performed piece of Western music, full stop — every wedding processional
- AO3: incidental music as a genre — discuss how Mendelssohn matches mood to dramatic context
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (Breitkopf Gesamtausgabe + later editions, all public domain).