Funerals represent a difficult and emotional time however music can be a great comfort. It is also a wonderful way to honour a person and help towards the grieving process. In classical music, funeral marches were very common as a genre – they are generally in a minor key and have a slow tempo. One such example is the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 12 in A-flat Major, Opus 26. Funeral marches also exist in modern music, with examples by Queen and Duke Ellington.
There are also other works which are specifically written for somebody, often royalty, such as Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, Z. 860. Some composers have also written funeral music which is less sombre, such as Funeral March of a Marionette by Charles Gounod.
In terms of more modern music, there are plenty of moving, emotional pop songs which are used in funerals. These pieces tend to be simple, stripped back and piano or guitar-based. For example, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen or Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi. There are also more upbeat songs such as Let It Be by The Beatles and What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.
Tomplay has a selection of funeral sheet music, including classical works and modern songs. Funeral music from films is also available, such as Hokage’s Funeral from Naruto. These pieces are available for many instruments and levels, with the audio accompaniments.
