Singers for Funerals

We were talking recently to an organist who had been playing for services at a crematorium for over 20 years, during which time he had seen major changes in funeral customs first-hand. Whereas he used to play the music for all the service, including entrance and exit, he usually now only played hymns, and not at every service either.

So, he was especially delighted to accompany our mezzosoprano at a funeral last month, and we were delighted to perform with such a good musician. We had more comments on the 'wonderful music' than we'd had for quite a time.
However, under the obvious professional pride in his work, he was concerned that with the cuts imposed on local councils, he or the other professional organist might be 'let go'.

Let us say right now, that would be a tremendous shame. A good organist is a joy and a treasure (trust us, we've met the others…), and their playing adds so much to any service. At EVERY crematorium funeral service we sing at, at least two people come up afterwards and say how much they enjoyed hearing live music, and how it made the whole service feel special. And, hand on heart, if we've had a live organist play for us, we feel it's been special too. In our view, nothing beats live music at a funeral to help celebrate a life well lived.

So, if you have the option, use your crematorium organist's skills and experience - we always do if we can. Which is why our mezzosoprano Kirsty is proud to a Fellow of the Society of Crematorium Organists, even though she can't play a note herself!

We've added a new page to the website with a selection of Singers for Funerals clients testimonials, so you can read what past customers think of our service.

The Daily Mail enters the debate over decorating graves, with pics.

"Traditionalists argue that graveyards are places of peace and contemplation and those who visit to lay flowers on Mum’s grave shouldn’t have to negotiate their way past piles of soft toys or be ­disturbed by the cacophony of competing wind-chimes.
But for their part, those who want to heap graves with cuddly toys protest their right to remember their dead in whatever way they choose."

Read more here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353815/Colourful-poundland-graveyard-shrines-British-councils-trying-wipe-out.html#ixzz1D7Spm1lZ

One of the great pleasures of attending so many funerals as a singer is that you get to experience a wide variety of service styles. While we can probably quote the standard crematorium service word for word by now, we are finding more and more that families are personalising the services with readings, poems, eulogies and, of course, their own choice of music, whether sung live or recorded.

As funeral historian Dr Julian Litten noted in a recent report*
"The funeral is our one opportunity to publicly express our individuality. … In today’s multi-cultural and increasingly secular society, new trends are constantly being added to our established customs. This is to be welcomed, for it is in this way that these traditions are allowed to develop."

At Singers for Funerals, we're happy to sing any music that's suitable for a classically trained or theatre-trained voice, sung without microphone. We are just as happy singing "My Way" as "Ave Maria" or "You Raise Me Up", and often we can suggest music that tie in with people's hobbies or interests. We're also quite honest about what we don't do; we always say that if your loved one loved Freddie Mercury or Frank Sinatra, play a cd. If, however, they loved the song "My Way", why not have it sung live, for a special touch.


* "The Ways We Say Goodbye: A study of 21st century funeral customs in the UK" published by Co-operative Funeralcare. http://www.co-operativefuneralcare.co.uk

The Co-operative Funeralcare group have just published a study of funeral customs in the UK, and it echoes what we here at Singers for Funerals have found too, from our own experiences of singing at all types of funerals and cremation services.

In his introduction, the MD of Co-op Funeralcare David Hendry says,
"The 21st-century funeral is undergoing fundamental change – traditionally viewed as a time for mourning, the ceremony is now increasingly a celebration of a person’s life… What many people are celebrating is the uniqueness of the individual: their character, their passions and interests, the things that made them unique. Increasingly they are arranging funerals to capture these aspects of a person’s life."

We couldn't agree more; more and more we are asked to sing music personal to the loved one or with special memories for the family. For example, we've sung the World Cup theme "Nessum Dorma' for football fans, "Danny Boy" for irish families, and even "Frülingsglaube" (Faith in Spring)by Schubert for a gardening-mad German lady!

Religious or scared music still is very popular; we sing either "Ave Maria" or "Abide with Me" at least once a fortnight! However, we are finding that people want to 'mix and match' more, so we might sing hymns or a "Pie Jesu" and "over the Rainbow" in the same service.

Whatever we sing, we find that people really do appreciate hearing live music and, moreover, it makes the service more memorable for them too.

"Thank you so much for your fantastic performance. You made the service memorably beautiful, and your stunning voice was the talk of everyone at the wake. It was very hard not to applaud you, and most importantly, I know my Mum would have loved it."
SC-P, Thames Ditton, Surrey