What 5 songs do you want to be played at your funeral?

[marval]

Dvorak, who is he? Just kidding, I love his new world symphony.

Here are two different "Going Home" recordings.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSwg8h5hVCQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XGRrZfOhtk

[Krummhorn]

I see that it ain't gonnna be a sad event

Yup ... either they will be happy for the upbeat music or just plain happy to see me finally go ...

Right, can you tell me why everyone call the second movement Goin' Home? I often hear this theme in different kinds of jazz arrangements and the name is always Goin' Home.

Certainly ... here are my program notes from my last recital on this very piece.

Goin' Home, from the Largo of the New World Symphony by Anton Dvorak (1841-1904) - Lyrics by William Arms Fisher, a pupil of Dvorak.

Fisher's comments about Dvorak and the Largo:
"The Largo, with its haunting English horn solo, is the outporing of Dvorak's own home-longing, with something of the loneliness of far-off prairie horizons, the faintmemory of the red man's bygone days, and a sense of the tragedy of the black man as it sings in his "spirituals." Deeper still, it is a moving expression of that nostalgia of the soul all human beings feel. That the lyric opening theme of the Largo should spontanously suggest the words, "goin' home, hoin' home," is natural enough, and that the lines that follow the melody should take the form of a negro spiritual, accords with the genesis of the symphony." (William Fisher, Boston, July 21, 1922)

The words, by Fisher:

Goin' home, goin' home, I'm a goin' home;
Quiet like, some still day, I'm jes' goin' home.
It's not far, jes' close by, Through an open door;
Work all done, care laid by, gwine to fear no more.

Mother's there 'spectin' me, Father's waitin' too;
Lots o'folk gather'd there, All the friends I knew,
All the friends I knew.

Home, home, I'm goin' home!

Nothin' lost, all's gain, No more fret nor pain,
No more stumblin' on the way, No more longin' for the day,
Gwine to roam no more!

Mornin' star lights the way, Res'less dream all done;
Sahdows gone, break o'day, Real life jes' begun.

Dere's no break, ain't no end, Jes' a livin' on;
Wide awake, with a smile goin' on and on.

Goin' home, goin' home, I'm jest goin' home;
It's not far, jes' close by through and open door.

I'm jes' goin home .... ... ... Goin' home.

[Mat]

Thanks. I learnt something new today.

[Krummhorn]

You're welcome, Mat

I hadn't known all that either until researching info for my program notes.

[greatcyber]

I don't care to have a funeral after I am gone. However, for my mum's funeral, I intend to have Mozart's Requiem as played in Amadeus as well as a few tear jerker operatic songs, Oh Mia Bambina Cara and a few others that I will have to search through my catalogue as I am not familiar with the names, but they are pieces that everyone has heard at one point in their life and they just move me to tears.

We won't be having any open casket, only pictures showing her life and it will be a memorial service rather than a funeral. The former is her request, the latter is mine and I WILL win out as CT64 noted above, "she won't be there" to complain.

It's really more than I can bear to even think about it. Maybe I'll go first and it will never become an issue for me.

Since funerals are for the living anyway, I don't really care what is done when I am gone. Whatever makes people feel good about a life that is gone.

[marval]

I agree Stephen funerals are for the living. They are not just for mourning someone, they are a celebration of their life.


Margaret

[methodistgirl]

Well here's one of the songs I found because I will be singing it
next sunday. Beulah Land, Jesu joy of man's desire, and one of
the new ones I Can Only Imagine. I heard that one for sure at
a funeral. Funerals are done different in the South! You have
the solos, the boo hooers, the service, and the last view before
they close the lid. Not to forget someone's squalling kid who
won't behave that distracts everybody kicking and screaming.
That's what funerals are like here.
judy tooley

[jhnbrbr]

Funerals are done different in the South! You have the solos, the boo hooers, the service, and the last view before
they close the lid. Not to forget someone's squalling kid who won't behave that distracts everybody kicking and screaming.
judy tooley

I like that picture of a Southern funeral, Judy. In the midst of death, we are in life!

[Corno Dolce]

Only one piece - It is written for the first evening Matins of Easter Week in the Russian Orthodox Church Liturgy - Its author is unknown but it is Divinely Inspired:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?...97053578530635

[wljmrbill]

Beautiful piece of music- Heavenly sounding and I love the harmony of the Byzantine rite anyhow.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi wljmrbill,

It actually comes from the 18th Century Kievan Chant, which makes it truly Slavic in origin. When a Church member "reposes" (dies), a "Pannikhida" (service for the departed) is performed, which consists of prayers for the departed, their family, for the life of the Church, and so on.

Humbly,

CD

[dll927]

Five pieces? How long is that funeral going to be?

In my experience,"How Great Thou Art" has become just about a fixture at funerals or memorial services. Usually done by a soloist.

[wljmrbill]

Corno Dolce: Yes I should have said Russian Orthodox perhaps and not left it open as there are 13 orthodox branches I believe.

[Corno Dolce]

Honorable wljmrbill,

No probs, mate... There is quite alot of melodies borrowed from the Greek Orthodox Tradition in the Russian Orthodox Liturgy. You are probably aware that a delegation was sent to Constantinople to learn about what was heard about in re to a Faith System in Byzantium. Two weeks after the delegation had returned to Russia, Russia was baptised as a Christian Nation in 988.

Sorry for getting off-topic. Get this, once I envisioned that a Dixieland Band would play "Oh When The Saints Come Marching In" at my funeral. Yep, I've been that wacky.......

[pengpeng]

Though I, too, wonder how long the actual funeral will be and if there's room enough for five songs, here's my Top5 list. They may look a bit unfitting at first but I see it that way that with all sadness and tragedy a funeral brings with, it should also be sth where the life of the passed away person should be praised and especially the music should bring a light smile to the visitors, thinking of the good moments and days.
I wouldn't like my funeral to be filled with depressing sacral chorals etc.
So, here we go:

1. Gustav Holst "Jupiter, the bringer of Jollity"
2. Marillion "Childhood's End"
3. Manowar "Kingdom Come"
4. Basil Poledouris "Atlantean Sword" (from theConan soundtrack)
5. Devin Townsend "Life"