Music for special moments
We can use music at various points of your service and here are some pieces to consider. The three moments most people choose to use music are:
- on entry, as people arrive for the funeral
- at the moment of committal as the curtains close (if you want them closed)
- on exit, while the guests are leaving the room.
The pieces listed here are only suggestions and are appropriate for any or all three of these moments. You may well have other ideas, and that’s fine.
I have observed that families are increasingly opting to have a piece of music played that was a favourite of the one who has passed away. Most crematoria can provide this so long as playing the song doesn’t contravene copyright or performance rights (this only occurs rarely). The loved one’s favourite song can be just about anything from traditional hymns to orchestral classics or contemporary songs.
You can also have a live organist and we will need to check that he or she is able to play the pieces your choose. (There is normally a charge for this unless it’s a friend of yours who will do it at as a favour!)
Adagio Lamentoso by Tchaikowsky
This is the final movement from Tchaikovsky’s final symphony which was first performed only nine days before his death. Adagio Lamentoso, is both sad and beautiful.
Click here to listen to Adagio Lamentoso by Tchaikovsky
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber
Adagio for Strings was played at the funerals of Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco. It was also broadcast to mark the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Princess Diana. It is slow and haunting and used for moments of quite reflection.
Click here to listen to Adagio for Strings by Barber
Canon in D by John Pachelbel
Canon in D was a piece dating back to the lat 15th century. It had been lost (or at least out of fashion) until the 1960s whe it was rediscovered and is how a favourite for weddings and funerals. It has some powerful crescendos and beautiful harmonies.
Listen to Canon in D by Pachelbel
Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations
Based on a theme which is never stated, the ‘Enigma Variations’ were composed to illustrate individual people. Nimrod is the hunter and this peaceful, but powerful music captures many of the emotions of a funeral celebration.