Singing at a Funeral
Choosing music for a funeral is not something anyone has practised. It usually has to be done quickly, in the middle of everything else that must be arranged, and for most people it is the first time. I try to make that part simple. You tell me what you would like to hear — or what the person you have lost was fond of — and I arrange the rest.
Most often it is Ave Maria, in Schubert’s setting or Bach–Gounod’s, Panis angelicus, Härlig är jorden, Blott en dag, Så skimrande var aldrig havet — and hymns from the Swedish hymnal. But there is no list that has to be followed. Was there a folk song, an old popular song, something with no connection to a church at all? Say so. It can nearly always be arranged, and it is usually the thing that matters.
As a rule the church’s own kantor plays, so you do not need to find a pianist or book anything additional. I contact the kantor and we agree on key, tempo, and where in the service the music falls. For a civil ceremony, or a room with no instrument, it can still be arranged — just say so in advance.
Linköping and Östergötland first of all, and Stockholm. Vreta Kloster, Ljungsbro and Berg are the district I live in. If the funeral is further away, ask anyway — it can often be arranged.
Repertoire and pricing on request. Write a few lines about when and where it will take place, and whether there is a piece you already have in mind, and I will reply as soon as I can. If it is urgent, say so in the subject line.