Funeral Songs
Songs have always been part of funerals, and a considered choice of songs for funerals helps both celebrate and remember the passing of a loved one.
Whether a traditional sacred piece such as “Ave Maria” or “The Old Rugged Cross”, or a song that has special memories for you and your family, having that piece sung live at a funeral adds an extra level of care and personalisation to the service.
At Singers for Funerals, we can sing your choice of songs for a funeral service from classical to classic, either with organ accompaniment (if suitable) or using our own professionally recorded accompaniments (backing tracks) played through our discreet wireless system. This gives us great flexibility to perform the music you want, and still be in keeping with the respectful nature of a funeral service. We also perform without microphones.
Here are the most popular funeral songs we have sung for services in Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, West Sussex, west and central London, and other locations by special arrangement.
Songs & musicalsClimb ev'ry mountain (Sound of Music)
Danny boy Do not stand at my grave and weep Hallelujah I'll walk with God (The Student Prince) Over the rainbow (Wizard of Oz) Senza catene (Unchained Melody) Time to say goodbye (Con te partiro) Walking in the air We'll meet again When Irish eyes are smiling Wishing you were somehow here again (Phantom) You are my sunshine You are my heart's delight You raise me up |
OperaAddio, del passato (la Traviata)
Barcarolle (Tales of Hoffman) Chi il bel sogno (La Rondine) Flower duet (Lakmè) (BA advert) Lascia ch'io pianga (Rinaldo) (Harrod's Advert) Nessun dorma (Turandot) (World Cup theme) O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi) Ombrai mai fu (Xerses) (Handel's Largo) Prayer (Hansel & Gretel) Si mi chiamano Mimi (La Bohème) Un bel di (Madam Butterfly) Verdi prati (Alcina) Vissi d’arte (Tosca) When I am laid in earth (Dido and Aeneas) Where ‘ere you walk (Semele) |
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Favourite songs for funerals
We have many more songs in our repertoire, and can learn new songs by special request, if suitable for our voices. (See below for more details.)
So, contact us if you are looking for funeral songs for Dad or Mum, or to discuss your ideas - 01252 511 762.
What songs can I have at a funeral?
The songs you’d like at a funeral are very much your own choice. There are no legal restrictions on what songs you can have, but if it is a church or religious funeral, your minister will usually ask to check that your choices are appropriate to the service and not out of keeping in any way. For more details of how music fits into the various types of funeral service, see our What Funeral page.
How many songs can I have?
Again, in theory you can have as many as you like. Most church services allow a generous 45 minutes – 1 hour for a service, so you can include lots of different elements into the service to complement the religious content required, including songs, hymns, eulogies (speeches), and funeral poems.
For crematorium services, you may be limited to a 30 minute service, which in practice actually means a 20 minute service with five minutes each for entry and exit. However, don’t worry that this is a short time; you can pack a lot of meaningful content into 20 minutes including two or three songs, or if you wish, you can book a double time slot to give you more flexibility.
Which are better - recorded pop songs or a live singer?
Actually, most people have both! A funeral service can contain your favourite pop songs, if your minister is happy with the choice, and the songs lyrics won’t offend anyone.
Our rule of thumb is that if you love a song and the person who sings it (such as Frank Sinatra singing “My Way” or Bette Midler singing “Wind beneath my wings”) play the CD track. If you love a song, and enjoy listening to different versions (such as the Judy Garland and Eva Cassidy versions of “Somewhere over the rainbow”), ask us if we’ll sing it. We’ll bring our own vocal style to create a performance that’s unique and special to the funeral service, as no two live performances are ever the same.
Cross-over classics
Many families really enjoy hearing us sing the ‘cross-over’ classics, as they sound so good sung live. These are songs with an operatic feel that usually have Italian words and a pop feel, such as “Time to say goodbye” or “Nella fantasia”, and sung by artists such as Katherine Jenkins, Il Divo or Russell Watson. Two of our current favourites are “Senza Cantene”, a lovely version of “Unchained melody” and “Do not stand at my grave and weep”, by Geoffrey Stephens, who wrote hits for Herman and the Hermits and Elvis Presley, amongst others.
Since we are classically trained singers, we can’t sing every modern chart songs or gospel, as they are in a particular pop style and we just don’t sound good singing them!
Call us for more details or to discuss your funeral songs ideas on 01252 511 762.
We have many more songs in our repertoire, and can learn new songs by special request, if suitable for our voices. (See below for more details.)
So, contact us if you are looking for funeral songs for Dad or Mum, or to discuss your ideas - 01252 511 762.
What songs can I have at a funeral?
The songs you’d like at a funeral are very much your own choice. There are no legal restrictions on what songs you can have, but if it is a church or religious funeral, your minister will usually ask to check that your choices are appropriate to the service and not out of keeping in any way. For more details of how music fits into the various types of funeral service, see our What Funeral page.
How many songs can I have?
Again, in theory you can have as many as you like. Most church services allow a generous 45 minutes – 1 hour for a service, so you can include lots of different elements into the service to complement the religious content required, including songs, hymns, eulogies (speeches), and funeral poems.
For crematorium services, you may be limited to a 30 minute service, which in practice actually means a 20 minute service with five minutes each for entry and exit. However, don’t worry that this is a short time; you can pack a lot of meaningful content into 20 minutes including two or three songs, or if you wish, you can book a double time slot to give you more flexibility.
Which are better - recorded pop songs or a live singer?
Actually, most people have both! A funeral service can contain your favourite pop songs, if your minister is happy with the choice, and the songs lyrics won’t offend anyone.
Our rule of thumb is that if you love a song and the person who sings it (such as Frank Sinatra singing “My Way” or Bette Midler singing “Wind beneath my wings”) play the CD track. If you love a song, and enjoy listening to different versions (such as the Judy Garland and Eva Cassidy versions of “Somewhere over the rainbow”), ask us if we’ll sing it. We’ll bring our own vocal style to create a performance that’s unique and special to the funeral service, as no two live performances are ever the same.
Cross-over classics
Many families really enjoy hearing us sing the ‘cross-over’ classics, as they sound so good sung live. These are songs with an operatic feel that usually have Italian words and a pop feel, such as “Time to say goodbye” or “Nella fantasia”, and sung by artists such as Katherine Jenkins, Il Divo or Russell Watson. Two of our current favourites are “Senza Cantene”, a lovely version of “Unchained melody” and “Do not stand at my grave and weep”, by Geoffrey Stephens, who wrote hits for Herman and the Hermits and Elvis Presley, amongst others.
Since we are classically trained singers, we can’t sing every modern chart songs or gospel, as they are in a particular pop style and we just don’t sound good singing them!
Call us for more details or to discuss your funeral songs ideas on 01252 511 762.
""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. SCP, mother's funeral, Thames Ditton
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