music for funerals/memorials

[Affeltranger@att.net]

Will welcome ideas for suitable pieces to play as background music while participants are arriving and leaving at funerals, etc.

[stan-guy]

HI, Sharon —

[sherry-lenox]

I love these! I’m doing the second one for prelude music to a wedding. Very nice.

[barbara-brundage]

Also, Rhett Barnwell’s Serenade for the Soul is very nice for religious funerals. Some pieces work for any sort.

However, you need to be aware that people want all sorts of weird things for funerals these days–don’t assume, ask. One of the last funerals I did they wanted all cowboy music.

[jessica-wolff]

Amazing Grace? Angel Band? You haven’t specified religion, if any.

[jennifer-buehler]

Ask the family!

[dawn-penland]

Handel’s “I know that my Redeemer Liveth”

[Karen Johns]

I think a combination of easy listening non-specific music works well, and I always make sure I have some of these in my repertoire for fill-in. Pamela Bruner’s Midsummer Meadow has some nice pieces (‘Gathering Dusk’ especially), as well as Frank Voltz (Summer Rain). And songs like Amazing Grace, Be Thou My Vision, etc. Anything meditative and soothing. For my father’s funeral I paired the Scottish highland song ‘Farewell’ with ‘My Heart Will Go On’. ‘Into The West’ from the Lord Of The Rings is also a nice memorial piece.

If you know the nationality of the family a homeland song is always a nice touch. If the family has an Irish or Scottish background, there are several slow airs that would do nicely, like ‘Land O’ the Leal’, ‘Ae Fond Kiss’, ‘Inis Oirr’, and ‘The Wild Geese’. These songs are nice for any memorial, in my opinion.

Karen

[barbara-brundage]

> One Memorial preferred fairly upbeat music.

Yes, they almost always say this now, in my experience. So it’s always wise to check with both the facility and the family, and to let the funeral home or church know what they’ve requested.

I had a friend who got in a lot of trouble for playing ‘Crazy’ during a service, although it was requested by the family and cleared by the clergyman, but the funeral home had no idea and they thought the harpist was just unfit for the gig.

[Affeltranger@att.net]

Thank you everyone.

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