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Read on for some of the most poignant classic and contemporary songs that provide a fitting tribute. Classic funeral songs. Classic funeral songs have stood the test of time, their melodies and lyrics offering peace and comfort. Here are a few enduring favourites: 1. “Ave Maria” by Franz Schubert
- Nimrod (From Enigma Variations) – Edward Elgar
- The Lark Ascending – Vaughan Williams
- Canon in D – Johann Pachelbel
- Adagietto (From Symphony No. 5) – Gustav Mahler
- Lacrimosa (From Requiem) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Adagio For Strings – Samuel Barber
- Adagio Lamentoso (From Symphony No. 6) – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten – ARVO Pärt
- Ave Maria – Franz Schubert
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor – Sergei Rachmaninoff
Enigma Variations are 14 musical compositions in honour of Elgar’s dearest friends and family. Variation IX, also known as Nimrod, is dedicated to Augustus J. Jaeger, who helped the composer through his darkest periods of self-doubt and depression. Nimrod is a favourite piece for funeral music and is always played at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sun...
Featuring one of classical music’s most beautiful violin parts, The Lark Ascending was inspired by the George Meredith poem of the same name. Expressing the rise and fall of a bird’s flight, it consistently ranks at the top of Classic FM’s Hall of Fame polls, as well as the BBC’s ranking of the nation’s favourite Desert Island Discs. Listen to The ...
Canon in D was composed sometime between 1680 and 1706 by German composer Pachelbel. After its initial success, Canon in D went out of fashion and was only really rediscovered in the 1960s, after which it won its place as a favourite for weddings and funerals, thanks to its powerful crescendos and beautiful harmonies. Listen to Canon in D by Pachel...
The fourth movement of Mahler’s fifth symphony, known as Adagietto, is thought to be a love song dedicated to his wife, Alma. He also left to his wife a short poem: “How much I love you, you my sun, I cannot tell you that with words. I can only lament to you my longing and my love, my bliss!” Played only by the string section and a solo harp, this ...
Lacrimosa (meaning “weeping”) is a dramatic and mournful choral piece with religious lyrics sung in Latin. Part of Mozart’s astounding unfinished masterpiece Requiem, the legendary composer had only written the first eight bars of Lacrimosa at the time of his death. It was completed by the Austrian composer Franz Xaver Süssmayr. Listen to Lacrimosa...
Arguably one of the most heartbreaking pieces of modern classical music, 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, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Princess Diana. It featured in the 1986 film Platoon, and has been featured in innumerable film...
Tchaikovsky’s final symphony was first performed in St. Petersburg just nine days before his death. It has since been speculated that Tchaikovsky took his own life and that Symphony No. 6 was his last farewell to the world. The final movement of the symphony, Adagio Lamentoso, is as mournful as it is beautiful, whether or not you believe the theori...
This orchestral elegy was written by Pärt, an Estonian composer, in memory of the great Benjamin Britten. It is performed only by the strings section and a solitary chiming bell. Significantly, the piece is written to begin and end with long periods of silence. Pärt’s biographer, Paul Hillier, noted that: “How we live depends on our relationship wi...
One of the most popular pieces of classical music for funerals, Schubert’s version of Ave Maria has been performed by countless artists over the years. The tenor Luigi Vena performed Ave Maria at John F. Kennedy’s funeral and the song remains a popular choice for funerals. Although religious in content, both Christians and non-Christians have a con...
With soaring strings and twinkling piano melodies, this concerto is at once uplifting and heart-rending. Often praised as one of the best piano concertos ever written, this piece marked Rachmaninoff’s recovery from a long period of writer’s block and depression. It has repeatedly claimed Classic FM’s No.1 favourite song in the last 20 years. Listen...
- Barber – Adagio for Strings. The solemn sadness of this music has meant Barber’s Adagio for Strings has been used to mark many important and sombre moments outside of the concert hall.
- Mahler – ‘Adagietto’ (Symphony No. 5) There’s something incredibly calming about the exquisite ‘Adagietto’ movement of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. When the symphony emerged in 1901, Mahler had just been forced to resign as conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic after falling seriously ill.
- Elgar – Nimrod. Thanks to its glorious swelling melody, ‘Nimrod’ has played a frequent part at weddings, sporting and even Royal events – but it’s also become a much-cherished piece at funerals.
- Percy Grainger – Irish Tune from County Derry. It’s impossible to resist the inevitable tear this piece brings to the eye. Its tender opening and glorious high notes echo moments of ‘Danny Boy’ – but it’s the magnificent French horn section in this piece that gives Percy Grainger’s ‘Irish Tune’ its character.
Schubert. A short, quiet and focused piece, usually for a solo female voice. Particularly popular for Catholic funeral Masses, but universally loved even for non-religious funerals. The lyrics are in either Latin or German, and honour the Virgin Mary - you might recognise the prayer "Hail Mary, full of grace".
Sep 14, 2017 · Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor – Sergei Rachmaninoff. While its length would usually require specific segments of the song to be chosen for a funeral service, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is an extremely melancholic composition that’s famous for bringing tears to a listener’s eyes. If you want to remember a loved one with a ...
14 Popular Classical Songs for Funerals. Adagio In G Minor–Albinoni Ave Maria–Giuseppe Verdi Canon in D Major–Pachelbel Clair de Lune–Debussy Funeral March (from Piano Sonata No 2)–Chopin Greensleeves–Many Versions Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring–Bach. Largo (from Xerxes)–Handel Moonlight Sonata–Beethoven Nimrod from Enigma ...
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Jan 25, 2021 · Schubert's tune moves through a calming of troubled emotions and brings them to a place of hope. It has been performed at countless funerals, including the one of President John F. Kennedy. Related Articles. 50+ Country Funeral Songs to Help You Grieve; 100+ Funeral Quotes to Help Say a Final Goodbye
