# Music for your wedding/funeral.



## drnlaw (Jan 27, 2016)

Assuming that resources (able musicians, pipe organ, etc., as required) are available, and assuming your bride or groom leaves it to you to choose the music, what do you march down the aisle to, march back up the aisle to, have played at your funeral, etc.?

Here's for my march down the aisle: 




Here's for my return back up the aisle with my bride: 




She takes this a little too fast for my taste, but it's a brighter, better recording than the other available selection on YouTube.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Here is what we actually used for the wedding...

Prelude - Gordon Jacob, William Byrd Suite - The Bells
Processional - Gordon Jacob, William Byrd Suite - The Earle of Oxford's Marche
Recessional - G.F. Handel, Music For the Royal Fireworks -
Menuet II
...followed immediately by...
La réjouissance

The Jacob selections are the actual recordings used, the Handel pieces are not.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

My funeral, Air from Bach's Orchestral Suite no.3

My wedding, Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variation arranged for string trio or quartet


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## Boldertism (May 21, 2015)

When she's coming down the isle and when I'm being lowered into the ground, they may play this.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

There's not much to choose really.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Funeral doom metal....d'oh.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Half of this thread is going on in the community section...

http://www.talkclassical.com/41925-pieces-you-would-like.html


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

We marched down the aisle to the wedding march from Figaro - and I would recommend it to anyone who is tired of the traditional Wagner (or, the more recently traditional Pachelbel Canon).

I suppose at my Funeral Frank Sinatra singing "That's Life" would not be inappropriate.


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## drnlaw (Jan 27, 2016)

Becca said:


> Here is what we actually used for the wedding...
> 
> Prelude - Gordon Jacob, William Byrd Suite - The Bells
> Processional - Gordon Jacob, William Byrd Suite - The Earle of Oxford's Marche
> ...


Ah, very nice. Jacob is not entirely unknown to me, but the only work of his that I'm familiar with is the Trombone Concerto (I'm a trombonist, although not a very good one). But hearing these pieces makes me want to hear some more.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Wedding processional: 
I know I'm uncreative trash for saying this...but Pachelbel's Canon & Gigue in D
or, if I want to be extra-stuffy
The first part of the first movement of Mendelssohn's Organ Sonata no. 3

Funeral processional:
Bach: Chaconne in d minor for violin, OR, Chorale Prelude "Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ", played on piano or organ

EDIT: I found this transcription for cello & piano and without exaggeration, I shivered and was covered in goosebumps at the first few bars


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

For my wedding: Morning: Grieg-Peer Gynt.

For my funeral: Aase's Death: Grieg-Peer Gynt.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

For my own funeral, I don't care because I will not be there to hear it. 
But for a close relative's funeral recently, the planned music went adrift so we had to make do. There was a CD of mixed piano works in my car, so we left the crematorium to the strains of Debussy's Reflets dans l'Eau. And it was really rather a good, if somewhat forced, choice.

Can't remember any music at my wedding - it was (a) Register Office; (b) long, long ago....


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Pat Fairlea said:


> For my own funeral, I don't care because I will not be there to hear it.


Same here. And the same for my wedding day.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

For my first wedding sixteen years ago, Mozart. Don't ask me what by Mozart- something instrumental and pretty. We didn't like the same music so it was easier to leave the choice to someone else- rather an embarrassing admission to make on a serious music forum!

Registrar: What music would you like? It can't be anything religious.
Us: Er, dunno. What do people usually have?
Registrar: Usually I play some Mozart.
Us: OK then.

For my next and final wedding  I have joked about crowdsourcing the music choices via a thread here, and if my intended has no strong preferences that might be a good plan. Most of the music I like isn't really suited to ceremonial occasions, and seems to be regarded as cruel and unusual punishment by most of the likely attendees.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Figleaf said:


> For my first wedding sixteen years ago, Mozart. Don't ask me what by Mozart- something instrumental and pretty. We didn't like the same music so it was easier to leave the choice to someone else- rather an embarrassing admission to make on a serious music forum!
> 
> Registrar: What music would you like? It can't be anything religious.
> Us: Er, dunno. What do people usually have?
> ...


Oh please play some Brian Ferneyhough!


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

For the lighting of candles (signifying the creation of a new family) at my daughter's wedding, I had the organist transpose the following: What appears to be an almost unknown and yet, one of the most beautiful movie themes (IMO, could qualify as modern classical music ): Cora's Theme.


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

Isle of the Dead. Both.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

I don't think it will be appropriate for anything other than one's remains drifting out to sea in a burning Viking longboat on a foggy winter's day, but crikey, the Xenakis: Anemoessa posted upthread by Richard Wrahms should surely be used for something, it is incredible.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

For the funeral...

Sibelius - _Lemminkainen in Tuonela_ ... to be immediately followed by _Lemminkainen's Return_


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Figleaf said:


> For my first wedding sixteen years ago, Mozart. Don't ask me what by Mozart- something instrumental and pretty. We didn't like the same music so it was easier to leave the choice to someone else- rather an embarrassing admission to make on a serious music forum!
> 
> Registrar: What music would you like? It can't be anything religious.
> Us: Er, dunno. What do people usually have?
> ...


We should have music by Agustarello Affre, after all, he will be part of this marriage.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Wedding: open chorus of the Christmas Oratorio. Need I say by whom?
Funeral: Palestrina's _sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes_. I find the text most appropriate and the tenor line is overwhelmingly joyful.


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## jdec (Mar 23, 2013)

Funeral: "Lux Aeterna" from Rutter's requiem. From minute 2:15 onwards, like a journey of the soul thru the cosmos towards that final destiny:


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

Not sure about marriage, but for funeral music I'll take Purcell's When I Am Laid in Earth and Mahler's Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen.


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## Bluecrab (Jun 24, 2014)

ArtMusic said:


> My wedding, Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variation arranged for string trio or quartet


I used the Glenn Gould solo piano version ('81 recording).

Funeral... _Dear Lord_ by John Coltrane.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I am not married, and never will be, but my sister, for one of her weddings, used the opening prelude and first allegro from Appalachian Spring ("the jumpy bit", she said) as her wedding march. 

As for my own funeral, I want the closing piece from Ma Mere l'Oye ("Le Jardin Feerique") for my funeral. Quiet, simple, solemn, dignified & very moving (at least to me). There's that wonderful fanfare at the end, too: we'll all be exulted one day.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Wood said:


> We should have music by Agustarello Affre, after all, he will be part of this marriage.


Well, when you find a woman who doesn't mind you keeping a Ducati in the sitting room, you can be sure there's a catch! :lol:

Perhaps we should save him for the funeral. It's fitting that one of the earliest of great singers on record, who has outlived generations of listeners, should outlive me as well. That kind of 'immortality' is probably the closest thing to an afterlife that I can believe in.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Figleaf said:


> *Well, when you find a woman who doesn't mind you keeping a Ducati in the sitting room, you can be sure there's a catch! :lol:*
> 
> Perhaps we should save him for the funeral. It's fitting that one of the earliest of great singers on record, who has outlived generations of listeners, should outlive me as well. That kind of 'immortality' is probably the closest thing to an afterlife that I can believe in.


In releasing that bit of information you have just made all of the bikers and ex-bikers on this website extremely jealous of me. :lol: I'm a very lucky man. I suppose it would be asking for too much for me to leave my favourite bicycle in the bedroom? It is very beautiful.

It is incredible to hear voices that are from more than a century ago, when they almost sound like they are in the same room. Immortality indeed.


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

Funeral = Mahler's 9th, 4th mvt


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

AS long I can annoy at least a few people at my funeral there will be Richard Strauss Four Last songs.:tiphat:


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## TumultuousHair (Mar 13, 2016)

For my wedding: Chopin's Funeral March
For my funeral: the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

What I used for my wedding:

Processional: Walton: _Crown Imperial_
Recissional: Rimsky-Korsakov: _Processional of the Nobles_

Funeral: Vincent Persichetti: _Psalm for Band_


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## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

"We've Only Just Begun", Carpenters.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Richard8655 said:


> "We've Only Just Begun", Carpenters.


That's for the funeral of course.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

DaveM said:


> That's for the funeral of course.


I am dying :lol:


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## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

DaveM said:


> That's for the funeral of course.


Actually, it got so abused at every wedding I knew of, it became a kitschy statement. I never understood why people couldn't choose from the huge repertoire of classical music that would sound so much better.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Richard8655 said:


> "We've Only Just Begun", Carpenters.


Love the "Carpenters". Devestated by Karen Carpenter's pre-mature death.


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## motoboy (May 19, 2008)

I had a harp and viola play "Like Someone In Love" at my outdoor wedding. It's a very special song for my wife and I. It was a casual event; noone had to put down their drink for the entire 5 minute ceremony.


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## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

*Hm!*

Wedding: None. Probably get court married. None of the hassles of arrangements - waste of time and money.

Funeral:
1. In My Life - no covers.
2. My Way - Ol' Frankie Blue Eyes _of course!_
3. The Second Part of Tutuguri
4. Schubert's Ninth Symphony's Last Movement
5. Eroica's Second Movement
6. Hammerklavier arranged for orchestra - First movement

Yes, my guests'll be staying for sometime.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Funeral: Ives Concord Sonata.

It would chase everybody away and leave me to rest in eternal peace.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Richard8655 said:


> "We've Only Just Begun", Carpenters.





DaveM said:


> That's for the funeral of course.


Still the best post of the whole thread :lol:


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