Master of ceremonies

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Sunny Chan, seen with local TVB artists, in the UK as guests compère for TVB-Europe's Happy Family Gala promo-event

A master of ceremonies (also used in its abbreviated forms MC or emcee[1]) or compère [commère being the female form] is the official host of a staged event or similar performance.


The term is also used to refer to television game show hosts and/or hostesses.

In hip hop and electronic dance music, an MC, also referred to as a rapper, is a music artist and/or performer who usually creates and performs vocals for his/her own original material. An emcee focuses on skills, lyrical ability, and subject matter.



The office of the Master of Ceremonies itself is very old. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the most ancient ceremonials and rituals of the Catholic Church are the Ordines Romani.[2] Names of Masters of Ceremonies are known since the late Middle Ages (15th century) and the Renaissance (16th century). However, copies of books prescribing the forms of rituals, rites and customs of pontifical ceremonies are known to have been given to Charles Martel in the 8th century. The rules and rituals themselves are known to have been compiled or written by the pontifical masters of ceremonies whose contents date back to the time of Pope Gelasius I (492–496) with modifications and additions made by Pope Gregory the Great (590–604). It is reasonable to assume that the ceremonials themselves pre-date Gelasius I and the origins of the Master of Ceremonies may have developed from the time Emperor Constantine the Great gave the Lateran Palace to the popes (324) or from the time Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire (380), and was influenced no doubt by imperial practices, customs and norms. However, documentary evidence from the late Roman period are scarce or lost. The ceremonies and practices of the Byzantine emperors are also known to have influenced the papal court. The accumulation of elaboration and complication since the Renaissance and Baroque eras were carried well into the 20th century until some of the ceremonies (i.e. the court, the rituals and norms) were simplified or completely eliminated by Pope Paul VI in the 1970s after Vatican II; much of the Renaissance pomp and ceremony has been completely abandoned by the popes of the modern era.



The current papal Master of Ceremonies is Monsignor Guido Marini who succeeded Archbishop Piero Marini (to whom he is not related).

Masters of Ceremony at weddings and private events also ensure the coordination of their event, including liaison with catering staff.


Historically certain European royal courts maintained senior offices known as Masters of Ceremonies (or some variants thereof), responsible for conducting stately ceremonies such as coronations and receptions of foreign ambassadors. Examples included:

Comedy clubs




  • skillfully capturing and maintaining the attention of the wedding guests


In hip hop culture

In the late 1970s, the term Emcee, MC or M.C.[5] became an alternative title for a rapper and for their role within hip hop music and culture. The term is often used as a term of distinction, referring to an artist with good performance skills.[6]


  1. Harper, Douglas. "emcee". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-04-02.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  2. "Catholic Encyclopedia: Ceremonial". 1908-11-01. Retrieved 2010-06-10.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
  3. Imperial Household Agency: Organization and Functions
  4. [1] Wedding Master of Ceremonies. Retrieved 2013-06-03