More links to samples of possible numbers to play at funerals and memorial services. Today:
• Albanoni, Tomaso. Albinoni’s Adagio (London Philharmonic; composed as Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ by Remo Giazotto, based on a fragment of a tune by Albinoni found in the ruins of the Dresden State Library, which was destroyed in World War II )
• Bach, Johann Sebastian. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata BWV 147, “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”—performed by Barrymore Chamber Orchestra.
• Bach. Prelude 1 from “The Well Tempered Clavier”
• • Bach. Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (performed by U.S. Marine Band). There are two pieces by this name; ask for it by its Schmeider number, BMV565.
• Bach. G Major Sarabande (Suite No. 1 for Cello in G Major, BMV1007). Performed here, unaccompanied, by Yo-Yo Ma.
• See more Bach organ music under Hymns.
**Barber, Samuel. Adagio for Strings from the String Quartet, Op. 11 (moving)
• Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55, "Eroica," II. Funeral March. Adagio assai. The second movement of this long symphony is a funeral march)
• Berlioz, Hector. Requiem (Grand Messe des morts, Op. 5). John Rigney recommends the fifth of the ten movements, the elegant Quaerens Me--"Seeking Me"--which in the midst of this grand orchestral mass is sung a capella, and is quite moving)
• Brahms, Johannes. German Requiem: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (Robert Shaw Choral Masterpieces). Notes JR: the Brahms German Requiem is NOT a requiem mass like the well-known requiems of Mozart, Fauré, and Verdi. And some readers may know this selection by its English translation, "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place."
• Brahms, Johannes. O Welt, ich muss dich lassen (Oh, World, I Must Leave Thee) , from Op. 122, Brahms' Chorale, performed here by Soren Gleerup Hansen.
• Brahms. Johannes., Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90, Third Movement: Poco Allegretto (Philharmonic Promenade Symphony).
• Brahms, Johannes. Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Third Movement (Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra)
• Chopin, Frédéric. Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4 (Artur Rubinstein)
• Chopin, Frédéric. Prelude in C Minor, Op. 28, No. 20 (performed by Tatiana Shebanova)
• Chopin, Frédéric. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor , 'Funeral March' Op. 35: III. Marche funèbre (Lento, performed by Simon Trpceski)
• Elgar, Edward. Enigma Variations: Nimrod (Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra)
• Fauré, Gabriel. Requiem: In Paradisum (John Rutter and Exultate Festival Choir and Orchestra)
• Fauré, Gabriel. Requiem: Pie Jesu (John Rutter and Exultate Festival Choir and Orchestra, from the album They Shall Have Rest: The Requiems Of Gabriel Fauré And John Rutter
• Gluck, Christophe Willibald. Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Act 2, Orfeo ed Euridice)
• Grieg, Edvard. The Last Spring (Op. 33, No. 2, as sung by Anne Sofie von Otter) and as arranged for a choir (Janne Berglund)
• Handel, George Frideric. Largo from 'Xerxes' (Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra)
• Mahler, Gustav. Das Lied von der Erde, (Song of the Earth) VI. Der Abschied (The Farewell. Written after the death of his four-year-old daughter. Otto Klemperer, Fritz Wunderlich, Christa Ludwig, New Philharmonia Orchestra)
• Mahler, Gustav. Kindertotenlieder (songs on the death of children). A song cycle for voice and orchestra, with poems by Friedrich Rückert (performed by various artists):
—Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n (I. "Now the sun wants to rise as brightly")
—Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen (II. "Now I see well, why with such dark flames")
—Wenn dein Mütterlein (III. "When your mother")
—Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen (IV. "I often think: they have only just gone out")
—In diesem Wetter(V. "In this weather") “In this weather, in this windy storm, I would never have sent the children out.: You can find lyrics on Wikipedia .
• Mahler. Symphony No.2 in C Minor "Resurrection" (I. Allegro maestoso, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Mendelssohn, Felix. String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, for Strings, , Op. 80 II (Aurora String Quartet II) and IV. (New Zealand String Quartet). Written for his sister Fanny, who died months before he did. This was his final composition.
• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Dona Nobis Pacem (“Coronation Mass” Mass in C, K.317) from Mozart’s Requiem, performed here by Anna Tomowa-Sintow)
• Mozart. Missa brevis in C major (K. 259, "Organ solo: Dona nobis pacem, performed by Lothar Stadler)
• Mozart. Requiem: Lacrimosa
• Pachelbel, Johann. Pachelbel Canon in D Major
• Puccini, Giacomo. E lucevan le stelle ("When the stars were brightly shining"), Plácido Domingo singing an aria from Tosca, which is sung beautifully by many tenors, including Jussi Bjorling and Luciano Pavarotti
• Purcell, Henry. When I am laid in earth ("Dido's Lament,” from Dido and Aeneas, Act III), Leopold Stokowski and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Purcell. Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts (The Choir of Christ's College)
• Saint-Saëns, Camille. Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des Animaux (Carnival of the Animals)
• Schubert, Franz. Ave Maria (sung by Mario Lanzo, in the version most of us are familiar with); listen also to Leontyne Price. (Notes from JSR: Schubert never actually set the words of the Ave Maria to music. He wrote a piece called Ellen’s dritter Gesang (Ellen’s third song), to which others adapted the Ave Maria, years later.)
• Schubert. 'Death and the Maiden (String Quartet No.14 in D minor D810, performed here by Borodin Quartet)
• Shostakovich, Dimitri. Prelude & Fugue No.24 in D minor
• Taverner, John, Funeral Ikos and Song for Athene (Christopher Robinson)
• Vaughn Williams, Ralph. The Lark Ascending (Sarah Chang and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). Listen also to Nigel Kennedy.
• Verdi, Giuseppi. Dies irae and Sanctum from (Movements II and IV from Requiem, Robert Shaw & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
• Mild und leise (Liebestod) (Jessye Norman singing Isolde’s heartbreaking farewell to life in Tristan und Isolde)
GO HERE to find All types of music for funerals on one page
Anything you purchase after linking to Amazon.com from this site brings us a small commission, which helps support the cost of maintaining the site.
• Albanoni, Tomaso. Albinoni’s Adagio (London Philharmonic; composed as Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ by Remo Giazotto, based on a fragment of a tune by Albinoni found in the ruins of the Dresden State Library, which was destroyed in World War II )
• Bach, Johann Sebastian. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata BWV 147, “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”—performed by Barrymore Chamber Orchestra.
• Bach. Prelude 1 from “The Well Tempered Clavier”
• • Bach. Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (performed by U.S. Marine Band). There are two pieces by this name; ask for it by its Schmeider number, BMV565.
• Bach. G Major Sarabande (Suite No. 1 for Cello in G Major, BMV1007). Performed here, unaccompanied, by Yo-Yo Ma.
• See more Bach organ music under Hymns.
**Barber, Samuel. Adagio for Strings from the String Quartet, Op. 11 (moving)
• Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55, "Eroica," II. Funeral March. Adagio assai. The second movement of this long symphony is a funeral march)
• Berlioz, Hector. Requiem (Grand Messe des morts, Op. 5). John Rigney recommends the fifth of the ten movements, the elegant Quaerens Me--"Seeking Me"--which in the midst of this grand orchestral mass is sung a capella, and is quite moving)
• Brahms, Johannes. German Requiem: Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (Robert Shaw Choral Masterpieces). Notes JR: the Brahms German Requiem is NOT a requiem mass like the well-known requiems of Mozart, Fauré, and Verdi. And some readers may know this selection by its English translation, "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place."
• Brahms, Johannes. O Welt, ich muss dich lassen (Oh, World, I Must Leave Thee) , from Op. 122, Brahms' Chorale, performed here by Soren Gleerup Hansen.
• Brahms. Johannes., Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90, Third Movement: Poco Allegretto (Philharmonic Promenade Symphony).
• Brahms, Johannes. Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Third Movement (Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra)
• Chopin, Frédéric. Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4 (Artur Rubinstein)
• Chopin, Frédéric. Prelude in C Minor, Op. 28, No. 20 (performed by Tatiana Shebanova)
• Chopin, Frédéric. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor , 'Funeral March' Op. 35: III. Marche funèbre (Lento, performed by Simon Trpceski)
• Elgar, Edward. Enigma Variations: Nimrod (Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra)
• Fauré, Gabriel. Requiem: In Paradisum (John Rutter and Exultate Festival Choir and Orchestra)
• Fauré, Gabriel. Requiem: Pie Jesu (John Rutter and Exultate Festival Choir and Orchestra, from the album They Shall Have Rest: The Requiems Of Gabriel Fauré And John Rutter
• Gluck, Christophe Willibald. Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Act 2, Orfeo ed Euridice)
• Grieg, Edvard. The Last Spring (Op. 33, No. 2, as sung by Anne Sofie von Otter) and as arranged for a choir (Janne Berglund)
• Handel, George Frideric. Largo from 'Xerxes' (Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra)
• Mahler, Gustav. Das Lied von der Erde, (Song of the Earth) VI. Der Abschied (The Farewell. Written after the death of his four-year-old daughter. Otto Klemperer, Fritz Wunderlich, Christa Ludwig, New Philharmonia Orchestra)
• Mahler, Gustav. Kindertotenlieder (songs on the death of children). A song cycle for voice and orchestra, with poems by Friedrich Rückert (performed by various artists):
—Nun will die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n (I. "Now the sun wants to rise as brightly")
—Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen (II. "Now I see well, why with such dark flames")
—Wenn dein Mütterlein (III. "When your mother")
—Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen (IV. "I often think: they have only just gone out")
—In diesem Wetter(V. "In this weather") “In this weather, in this windy storm, I would never have sent the children out.: You can find lyrics on Wikipedia .
• Mahler. Symphony No.2 in C Minor "Resurrection" (I. Allegro maestoso, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Mendelssohn, Felix. String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, for Strings, , Op. 80 II (Aurora String Quartet II) and IV. (New Zealand String Quartet). Written for his sister Fanny, who died months before he did. This was his final composition.
• Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Dona Nobis Pacem (“Coronation Mass” Mass in C, K.317) from Mozart’s Requiem, performed here by Anna Tomowa-Sintow)
• Mozart. Missa brevis in C major (K. 259, "Organ solo: Dona nobis pacem, performed by Lothar Stadler)
• Mozart. Requiem: Lacrimosa
• Pachelbel, Johann. Pachelbel Canon in D Major
• Puccini, Giacomo. E lucevan le stelle ("When the stars were brightly shining"), Plácido Domingo singing an aria from Tosca, which is sung beautifully by many tenors, including Jussi Bjorling and Luciano Pavarotti
• Purcell, Henry. When I am laid in earth ("Dido's Lament,” from Dido and Aeneas, Act III), Leopold Stokowski and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Purcell. Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts (The Choir of Christ's College)
• Saint-Saëns, Camille. Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des Animaux (Carnival of the Animals)
• Schubert, Franz. Ave Maria (sung by Mario Lanzo, in the version most of us are familiar with); listen also to Leontyne Price. (Notes from JSR: Schubert never actually set the words of the Ave Maria to music. He wrote a piece called Ellen’s dritter Gesang (Ellen’s third song), to which others adapted the Ave Maria, years later.)
• Schubert. 'Death and the Maiden (String Quartet No.14 in D minor D810, performed here by Borodin Quartet)
• Shostakovich, Dimitri. Prelude & Fugue No.24 in D minor
• Taverner, John, Funeral Ikos and Song for Athene (Christopher Robinson)
• Vaughn Williams, Ralph. The Lark Ascending (Sarah Chang and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). Listen also to Nigel Kennedy.
• Verdi, Giuseppi. Dies irae and Sanctum from (Movements II and IV from Requiem, Robert Shaw & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
• Mild und leise (Liebestod) (Jessye Norman singing Isolde’s heartbreaking farewell to life in Tristan und Isolde)
GO HERE to find All types of music for funerals on one page
Anything you purchase after linking to Amazon.com from this site brings us a small commission, which helps support the cost of maintaining the site.