A guide to . . .
Selecting Funeral Music
Comfort and Support
We’re sorry for the loss of your loved one, It’s a difficult time, and you find yourself faced with arrangements to make, including the selection of music for the funeral mass. Thankfully, music has the capacity to help address feelings of loss. Perhaps even the task of considering music for the funeral mass and making final selections will cause you to read and listen to texts that will lend consolation and express hope. This guide provides suggestions for every point at which music can be used at a funeral mass, and includes a link for listening to each option. A form at the end provides the opportunity to submit your music list directly to the organist and cantor at St. Joseph’s Parish in Needham.
MUSIC FOR FUNERALS: Ideally, music at a funeral mass should console and express hope in entering into the risen life of Jesus Christ, as well as uplift those gathered in faith and love. Look beyond the deceased’s favorite songs and the music that has become standard “Catholic funeral anthems” in order to achieve this goal. In the celebration of the funeral rite, the Church recalls and participates in the redemption won for humanity by the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The music should create a spirit of hope in Christ’s victory over death and our share in that victory.
APPROPRIATE TEXTS: All music used for the funeral rite must have sacred texts. You can explore the use of secular music at the wake or graveside.
MUSICIANS: Daryl Bichel, parish organist, and Debbie Geary, parish cantor, provide music for all funerals. If you have an interest in adding additional musicians, such as an instrumentalist, please email the organist as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to hire someone. While the fees for the organist and cantor are paid directly to the parish, a separate check is required for contracted musicians, and the cost for each typically ranges from $300-$400. If you want to invite a guest musician to play or sing a piece, please make arrangements with the organist.
SUBMISSION OF CHOICES: The form at the bottom of this page can be used to directly submit your choices to the parish organist and cantor. Another method is to ask the funeral director to submit the information to us. If you don’t wish to select some or all of the music, the organist and cantor can plan the music for you.
For a funeral mass,
the music to be selected is:
An entrance hymn.
A responsorial psalm.
A hymn or vocal solo at the offertory.
Music during communion, usually a vocal solo and a hymn.
A song of farewell at the commendation.
A closing hymn or vocal solo.
What if I want the
usual Catholic funeral music?
Some examples are Be Not Afraid, On Eagle’s Wings, Prayer of St. Francis, How Great Thou Art, and Here I Am, Lord. Note that these are not required for Catholic funerals.
Anything in Breaking Bread is possible, and we will honor your preferences - even if they are not listed below in the suggestions for music.
We encourage you though to consider including some “unconventional” choices that may be more relevant and uplifting.
FUNERAL LEAFLET TEMPLATE: If you will have a leaflet for the funeral liturgy, click here to view/print a template of what to include. Unless you are a musician, you will not know how to properly list musical selections. A title for a hymn is usually sufficient, and often it is the first line of the first verse. No composer needs to be acknowledged because hymnbooks offer that information for each hymn. For a solo though, you should list both the title and the composer’s name. A mistake often made in funeral leaflets is referring to a solo as a hymn. That is definitely incorrect and should be avoided.
TO SCHEDULE A TELEPHONE CONSULTATION: Email darylbichel@aol.com.
Daryl Bichel can offer a telephone consultation to assist with your selections. Please email him, providing your name, number, and a few good times to call. He can also review how you plan to list the music in a program. In most cases, music is listed incorrectly in funeral leaflets. For example, vocal solos are often referred to as hymns, which they are not. Names of composers are usually not included, and that is incorrect. You can email a draft of your program to Daryl Bichel for review and comment.
Entrance Hymn
Hymns are intended for corporate use, but many who attend funerals seem unaccustomed to singing in church. Despite the fact that a hymn may end up only being sung by the cantor, it is the appropriate choice. The words will still have the effect of offering sentiments of comfort, hope, and faith.
ENTRANCE HYMNS
Responsorial Psalm
The psalm that you select will be sung by the cantor, with a response sung by the assembly. The organist and cantor will provide an appropriate musical setting, so there is no need for you to make a decision about that. But, they need to know which psalm you have chosen..
Psalm 23
Response: My shepherd is the Lord; nothing indeed shall I want..
Psalm 25
Response: To You, O Lord, I lift my soul..
Psalm 27
Response: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?.
Psalm 63
Response: My soul is thirsting for You, O Lord my God..
Psalm 103
Response: . The Lord is kind and merciful...
Preparation Rite (Offertory)
As the gifts are brought forward to the altar to be consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ and the altar is prepared with sacred linens and vessels, a hymn or a solo may be sung.
Music During Communion
Usually two pieces of music can be used during the distribution of communion and while the priest conducts purification at the altar following communion. If the funeral will be quite small, only one piece may be needed. Both hymns and vocal solos are options. As it is difficult for individuals to sing a hymn while receiving communion, a solo followed by a hymn is recommended.
HYMNS
Adore Te Devote/Godhead Here in Hiding | Listen
Bread of Angels | Listen
Gift of Finest Wheat | Listen
I Received the Living God | Listen
Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All | Listen
Let Us Break Bread Together | Listen
O Sacrament Most Holy | Listen
Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless | Listen
Spirit and Grace | Listen
Commendation (Song of Farewell)
The commendation at a Catholic funeral is the community’s final prayer of farewell, entrusting the deceased to God’s mercy in the sure and certain hope of resurrection. This occurs at the end of the funeral Mass, where the priest incenses the coffin or cremains as a final blessing. It is a brief but poignant moment in the liturgy, and only a short amount of music is needed. The commendation concludes with a procession to the place of burial or interment, signifying a final act of care for the departed.
SONGS OF FAREWELL
Closing Music
Possibilities for closing music are a hymn, a vocal solo, or organ. Most people select a hymn, which doesn’t make sense as people are actually leaving the church at this point. If you select a hymn, know that you will not be able to sing it, nor will most of the others in attendance. A vocal solo can be very effective at this point. There are some beautiful choices that will bring the service to a perfect close.
Submission Form
You can use this form to record and submit your music choices directly to the organist and cantor.