Midsummer Night's Dream, A: Incidental Music, Op. 61 (Ein Sommernachtstraum); No. 9: Wedding March [transcription] Cover Image

Midsummer Night's Dream, A: Incidental Music, Op. 61 (Ein Sommernachtstraum); No. 9: Wedding March [transcription]: Salon/ Theater Orchestra, Ensemble Works Condensed Score

$5.00 USD

Midsummer Night's Dream, A: Incidental Music, Op. 61 (Ein Sommernachtstraum); No. 9: Wedding March [transcription]: Salon/ Theater Orchestra, Ensemble Works Condensed Score

Name: Midsummer Night's Dream, A: Incidental Music, Op. 61 (Ein Sommernachtstraum); No. 9: Wedding March [transcription]: Salon/ Theater Orchestra, Ensemble Works Condensed Score
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 36-A684999
Price: 5.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Felix Mendelssohn, ed./arr. by Alfred Roth

Item: 36-A684999

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Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) wrote music for William Shakespeare's play A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM on two separate occasions. He first wrote the concert overture in E Major, Op. 21 in 1826 at the age of seventeen for no other reason than the love that he and his siblings had for Shakespeare's stage works. He wrote the incidental music, Op. 61 (likely the best-known incidental music in the repertoire) in 1842 as a commission from King Frederick William IV of Prussia. In creating the complete later version, the composer incorporated the original overture, Op. 21 as the overture for the incidental music and the first of the 14 numbers. Starting with what must be four of the most evocative and memorable chords in music, the work also is the origin of this excerpted Wedding March (No. 9) used in so many ceremonies today, commonly referred to as "Here Comes the Bride." The work was premiered in Potsdam, Germany on October 14, 1843 by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by the composer. This transcription for salon/theater orchestra was completed by Alfred Roth in 1911. Instrumentation: 1.1.2.1: 2.0+2(Crnt).1.0, Perc(2): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set): CS (Pno-Cond) in set. Reprint edition.

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Series: Kalmus Orchestra Library

Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.

ISBN10: 8-89-810607-6

ISBN13: 979-889-810-6072

UPC: 605258874481

SKU: 36-A684999

Instrumentation: 1.1.2.1: 2.0+2(Crnt).1.0, Perc(2): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set): CS (Pno-Cond) in set

More about this title

About the Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn (1809, 1847) possessed a rare gift for matching music to dramatic moment. His early encounters with Shakespeare's work sparked a creative impulse that stayed with him throughout his career; the overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream emerged when he was just seventeen, driven by pure artistic enthusiasm rather than commission. Sixteen years later, when King Frederick William IV of Prussia requested incidental music for a Berlin production, Mendelssohn returned to the play with the maturity of an established master, weaving the original overture into a fourteen-movement suite that would become the most celebrated theatrical accompaniment in the repertoire.

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Why we love this

Mendelssohn's Wedding March has become inseparable from the moment itself, nearly everyone in your audience will recognize those exultant brass fanfares the instant they sound. This Roth transcription opens the piece to smaller ensembles and theater settings that couldn't manage the full orchestration, making it accessible for community theaters, smaller concert halls, and school programs while preserving the grandeur and theatrical flair of the original.

What to expect

Ceremonial brilliance with an irresistible forward momentum. The piece radiates optimism and pageantry, built on the most famous chords in Western music, those opening measures that establish grandeur before the march proper unfolds with infectious energy and joy.

Who it's for

Salon orchestras, semi-professional theater ensembles, and community orchestras seeking a recognized and dignified processional for galas, receptions, or ceremonial occasions. This transcription also suits orchestras with limited instrumentation or smaller venues where the full symphonic version is impractical. Any director programming Mendelssohn's incidental music in concert form will find this accessible, practical middle-ground option valuable.

How to get the most out of it

Balance the cornet parts carefully; they double the trumpet line but can easily overwhelm in salon settings, so adjust dynamics to ensure clarity rather than doubling of weight.
Shape the opening fanfare figures with crisp articulation and unified bow direction in the strings; this ceremonial gesture sets the work's stately character.
Allow the melody to breathe naturally through phrase peaks rather than maintaining strict metronomic evenness; the Wedding March gains its ceremonial warmth through gentle tempo flexibility.
Ensure percussion voices (timpani, bass drum) sit beneath the main harmonic movement and support rather than lead the pulse; restraint here preserves the march's elegance.

How to use it

Program this as the opening or closing number for a gala concert, or pair it with other Mendelssohn overtures and songs for a thematic evening of his theatrical writing. It also serves well as a ceremonial interlude in larger concert programs, providing a moment of formal elegance between contrasting works. Community orchestras can use it as a season-opening or closing signature piece that audiences immediately recognize and enjoy.