Bridal Chorus (Lohengrin)

R. WagnerWWV 75

Key

B

Time

4/4

Tempo

♩=72

AO focus

AO1

Form

Chorus from Act III of Wagner's opera Lohengrin — 'Treulich geführt'. Sung by the female chorus as Elsa is led to the bridal chamber. The most-performed processional in Western weddings (universally known as 'Here Comes the Bride').

Teaching points

• Triadic fanfare opening — outlines B major chord with characteristic dotted-rhythm ('Here-comes-the-BRIDE')
• Wagnerian harmony in disguise — looks simple but the part-writing is rich. Listen for inner-voice motion under the held melody
• AO1: school choirs sing this from memory — every wedding in the English-speaking world
• AO3: original context vs popular use — Wagner intended foreboding (Lohengrin and Elsa's wedding ends tragically); the world hears celebration