comfort tunes

March 19, 2008 12:04 PM

I'm looking for music for a funeral. Something to play quietly in the background. Preferably classical or instrumental.

This is for my wife's grandfather. Though the music is really a request of my mother-in-law. She's asked me to put together a CD of music they can play before and after the service and viewing. There are likely to be quite a few people there if that matters.

Thanks.

posted by Toekneesan to human relations (19 comments total)

Misere mei, Deus by Allegri would probably work. Quiet and very poignant.
posted by detune at 12:10 PM on March 19, 2008

'Nimrod' from Elgar's Enigma Variations. YT.
posted by essexjan at 12:13 PM on March 19, 2008

(Sorry. "Miserere," not "misere.") Here's a link.
posted by detune at 12:14 PM on March 19, 2008

I always loved Ave Verum - it's quite soft and gentle.
posted by ukdanae at 12:17 PM on March 19, 2008

Brian Eno, "An Ending (Ascent)" from "Apollo, Atmospheres & Soundtracks"
posted by rhizome at 12:21 PM on March 19, 2008

Bach's Air on the G string
posted by exphysicist345 at 12:29 PM on March 19, 2008

Adagio in G Minor
posted by Class Goat at 12:42 PM on March 19, 2008

Also Vivaldi, Stabat Mater, although it might be just a little too fast.
posted by detune at 12:44 PM on March 19, 2008

One of the loveliest pieces I have ever heard is The Lark Ascending by English composer Ralph Vaughn Williams. There are a number of arrangements of it which set off different aspects of the work, you may want to find one that is more violin centric than orchestra-centric.

I think it would be a nice piece for illustrating the path of one's life.
posted by tittergrrl at 12:46 PM on March 19, 2008

This is what I want them to play at my funeral. It is beautiful and sad and the more you hear it, the more you want to hear it. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=186473
posted by mamaraks at 12:48 PM on March 19, 2008

I can't get the "link" thingy to work. The link I pasted in is for Bach's Violoncello Piccolo.
posted by mamaraks at 12:49 PM on March 19, 2008

Die Liebe (Love) by Telemann
posted by plinth at 12:49 PM on March 19, 2008

maybe some of the hymns on this cd by Beth Nielsen Chapman
posted by eightball at 1:14 PM on March 19, 2008

Samuel Barber's Adagio.
posted by bassjump at 2:35 PM on March 19, 2008

Vivaldi's Concerto #4 in F minor, also known as "Winter" from the Four Seasons.
posted by amfea at 3:32 PM on March 19, 2008

Bach's Cello Suites, particularly the second cello suite (Yo Yo Ma does a very nice version).
posted by liketitanic at 6:46 PM on March 19, 2008

No Mozart Requiem? Just the Lacrimosa would do if you want quiet and sweet.
posted by Kensational at 7:26 PM on March 19, 2008

Together We Will Live Forever, by Clint Mansell. Not only is it a simple and beautiful song, but it's the centerpiece of a score for a movie (The Fountain) that all about dealing with the nature of death.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:50 PM on March 19, 2008

Thanks for all your help, folks.

Here's the list I went with:

Nimrod, Edward Elgar, Classics on a Summer's Day (Disc 1)
Miserere mei, Deus, Allegri
The Four Seasons "Winter": Largo Capella Istropolitana, The Very Best of Vivaldi
Trois Gymnopedies, No.1, Lent Et Douloureux, Satie, Anne Queffelec, The Classics - Satie: Works for Piano Solo and Piano Duet
Adagio For Strings, Philip Aaberg, Adagio A Windham Hill Collection
Ave verum Corpus, motet for chorus, strings, & organ, K. 618, Mozart Wedding Classics: The Ideal Soundtrack for a Great Wedding Celebration Disc 1
Largo From Concerto In D, Tim Story, Adagio A Windham Hill Collection
Canon, James Galway & John Georgiadis, Pachelbel Canon & Other Baroque Favorites
The Lark Ascending, Barry Wordsworth, Janine Jansen & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Janine Jansen
Pavane for a Dead Princess, Branford Marsalis, Eugene Ormandy, Michael Tilson Thomas & Pierre Boulez, Greatest Hits of Ravel
An Ending (Ascent), Brian Eno, Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks
Prelude In C Sharp Mi, Mike Marshall And Edgar Meyer, Adagio A Windham Hill Collection

Special thanks to tittergrrl and rhizome for introducing me to two beautiful pieces I've never heard before and have now fallen in love with.

Here's the obit for Charlie Quinn, whose funeral you've all made a bit more memorable.

Thank you.
posted by Toekneesan at 11:55 AM on March 20, 2008