 _A rare treat for singer Kirsty last week, two funerals in two days with her favourite funeral organist Paul Burgoyne. Two very contrasting services too!
First, a RC mass in London where Kirsty led the hymns and sung various responses, while Paul conquered a rather reluctant piano that had no sustain! A sincere and heartfelt service with lovely family contributions, including readings and a song by the grandchildren.
Then, a quiet but very refined service at the lovely little chapel at the North East Surrey Crematorium. Very peaceful, very elegant, just like the lady herself, I gather. Paul had advised on the purchase of their new chapel organ, and it was a delight - a lovely sound and so right for the space, much enhanced by Paul's sensitive and expressive playing.
"Kirsty, you & Paul (organist) were absolutely amazing, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Everyone was talking about you, full of praise. My dad was so pleased, and he kept saying "Beautiful, beautiful" which it was - you were both so magical!"
CA, on her mother's funeral mass in Camberwell, London
"Thank you for singing - it made the service so special and so suitable for my opera-loving mother."
SG, funeral service at North East Surrey Crematorium, Lower Morden
_A recent cremation service highlighted an interesting question: should you have religious music at a non-religious funeral service?
For weddings, it's clear-cut; a civil service should not include music that refers to God or faith. However, for funerals, there are no such rules.
Which we actually consider a Rather Good Thing. A wedding is about the couple's future, and if that lies along a non-religious route, so be it. A funeral is a celebration of a life departed by and for those who knew and loved them, a group of people that usually encompasses a wide range of beliefs.
The ceremony I sang at was officiated by a celebrant, and opened with the Barber Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings). My solo was the Lloyd Webber "Pie Jesu", and the service included the Lord's Prayer.
And it worked perfectly, blending the deceased's love of music with the less formal words of a celebrant-led service, and still containing the crucial element of a dignified celebration of a life well lived.
So, the recent discussion of whether a Bath crematorium should remove the cross from their window is, to our mind, missing the point entirely. We are an inclusive society and a Christian country, and if we were to remove a symbol of the latter, we wouldn't truly be the former. Inclusivity is not achieved by excluding.
_At a funeral service last week, we were reminded of the generation gaps between those brought up singing traditional hymns at school or in church, and those who probably didn't sing them at all. The choices seemed very 'safe' - All Things Bright and Beautiful, and Onwards Christian Soldiers, yet the latter caused the chapel to go a little quiet....
As our soloist Kirsty sang through the verses, the problem became apparent - it's a very LOW hymn for ladies (and some gents), gravelling around on bottom Cs at the start of the repeated chorus. As a mezzo with a good bottom (if you pardon the expression), Kirsty had no problem, but it reminded us that sometimes a higher key might suit a congregation of mixed ages, where those who don't know it need to be able to grasp the tune quickly, and then sing it.
However, it wasn't the hymns that finally let the mourners find their voices, it was the inspired choice of a medley of the deceased's favourite songs at the end of the service, starting with the music hall classic "Enery the Eight I Am".
It was a fantastic moment when the entire chapel burst into song, word perfect, and smiles and tears of remembered happinesses breaking out all round. It was definitely one of the best moments in a funeral we've seen, and a classic example of how the right choice of music can send a congregation home with a smile.
And the family were pleased too:
"Just a short note to say a very, very big thank you. The service that you provided was excellent, and all the family were so happy with the singing, and your professionalism."
_"Hauntingly beautiful, truly wonderful, we felt so blessed to have had you present at (our mother's) funeral. From the moment we accessed your comprehensive website to the last notes you sang it was absolutely amazing, so professional. We both want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making the service so happily memorable."
A&J S, service held at Kingston Crematorium
We were also very fortunate to have Paul Burgoyne playing the chapel organ for us, one of the best organists we've had accompany us over the years. So, here's a 'thank you' plug for him - www.paulburgoyne.co.uk.
We wish all our clients and associates in the funeral industry a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012.
Due to prior committments, our lady soloists are not available from Monday 21 Nov - Tuesday 13 Dec 2011 inclusive. If you require a male soloist during this period, please contact our Birmingham funeral singer.
We've sung at two crematorium funerals in the last week, both of which showed the very best in creating a moving celebration of a life well lived.
The first was a humanist funeral entirely conducted by friends and family of the deceased, who stood up to pay tributes that were heart-felt and often unscripted. We sang three favourite items including the traditional Molly Malone, and afterwards we felt that the cockles of our hearts had been warmed too by this moving service!
The second was a CofE service; plain, simple and all the more sincere for it. A lovely vicar, and one of our favourite crematorium organists playing, who understands that hymns need to keep moving but singers also need to breathe! Whilst many of the family members clearly didn't much feel like singing, they raised their voices with us and we all walked out into the late summer sunshine feeling a little better for a rousing version of Abide with Me.
Although we never ask our clients for a 'review', their feedback and comments are always gratefully received. In case you haven't found it yet, we've put these together on a new Client Testimonials page. These are all as sent to us, edited only to remove names and to shorten from longer and often very moivng emails and letters.
 Singers for Funerals will be appearing at the National Funeral Exhibition this Saturday, performing opera and popular songs to entertain visitors, at the bar area in hall 2. Soprano Toni Nunn, mezzo Kirsty Young and tenor Richard Owen will be singing 3 different sets between 2pm and 4pm, so if you want to know what we sound like, stop by and have a listen. We will also be touring the exhibition in between sets, so if you spot us wandering around with leaflets, do say hello! The National Funeral Exhibition is on at the Stoneleigh Exhibition Centre near Warwick from Friday 10 June until Sunday 12 June 2011. For full details, see http://www.nationalfuneralexhibition.co.uk.
In their recent report, the Cooperative Funeralcare reported that:
"If dress and decoration is the most visible sign of change, then choice of music is the most audible. Our study reveals that religious music is on the decline. Many people now express a preference for personal favourites or contemporary songs. Often the music chosen by the family – or specified by the person to be played at their funeral – is light-hearted."
However, the report also says that 67% of its funeral are still traditional, led by a minister. And, within the 21% classified as contemporary, hymns still often feature in the order of service. So, that's still a lot of funerals where hymns play an important part, and increasingly we're being asked to lead the hymn singing at services.
This is probably for two reasons; mainly that not everyone feels like singing at a funeral, and also, they may not know the tune. At Singers for Funerals, we make sure we learn any new hymns before the service, so when we lead the hymn singing, we can sing the tune with confidence, and others can follow. We admit, we've had to learn a few new hymns, and we've also discovered new words to old favourites.
So, we've set up www.songsforfunerals.co.uk, where anyone can hear hymns sung or played, and find hymn lyrics for service sheets as required. And every time we sing a hymn new to us, we put it on the site too!
http://www.songsforfunerals.co.uk
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