Funerals are not easy for any of us. Death has visited our church family twice in the last two weeks…both very unexpected. I’m just thankful that both men knew the Lord.
I’ll just share some thoughts with you on playing for funerals.
Think about the mood of music needed for this occasion. For me…I want to play hymns that soothe the broken hearts of many people.
Varying the speed of hymns adds a nice touch. I try not to play too many slow hymns in a row… to avoid a sense of despair. In my mind, I’m trying to encourage the family that is so overwhelmed with sorrow. I want to remind them that God cares… and their loved one is in heaven (if that loved one had asked Jesus into their heart).
Here’s a list of hymns I would play before the funeral starts. Maybe this will help those of you who have a hard time deciding what to play for a funeral.
*Click on the red underlined hymns above for a free piano solo arrangement and blue underlined hymns for arrangement from the online church pianist music store.
Ever notice how it’s the old hymns of faith that soothe our hearts during such times of need? I thank the Lord for such a strong heritage of music.
Playing for a funeral is just another way for the church pianist to minister to the hearts of his or her church family.
Is your church in need of an easy Christmas program? I just found one tonight while surfing the web.
Go to the following link to see and hear the music and to view the narration script. The easy two part choir arrangements are beautiful! The instrument part on “O Come O Come Emmanuel” sounds so pretty.
This would be an excellent program for any size church!
Description of the piano accompaniment for page two:
The chorus reveals the result of salvation…the sweet assurance that comes from asking Jesus to be your Saviour.
The beginning of the chorus begins with an upward movement in the right hand on the word “I’ve”…to portray an overwhelming sense of joy as the lost soul accepts Christ as their Saviour.
Then…a full chord in the right hand on the word “anchored” to depict a steadfast, secure sound.
Notice the upward sweep of sixteenth notes in measure___for a vivid picture of the word “sail”.
Part three will start with a troubled tone…”The tempest may sweep o’er the wild stormy deep–In Jesus, I’m safe evermore.”
I can’t wait to share this contrast in part three of “The Haven of Rest”.
It’s fun making the old hymns come to life with descriptive accompaniment.
“The Haven of Rest” is one of my favorite hymns. I usually hear this hymn performed as a vocal solo.
As a pianist, we must learn to make the text come to life by animated accompaniment…making the message even more real and meaningful.
The first verse begins with a troubled scene of a lost soul but ends with the rescue by the Saviour!
So…we begin with a mood of turmoil. I use an up and down pattern in the right hand to depict the boistrous waves of the sea.
Then…the waves suddenly grow calm…when I hear the sweet voice of my Saviour. ( Notice the movement lessens in the accompaniment.)
I just want to keep going and explain the next part of the accompaniment because the mood of happiness increases… creating a cascading wave of crescendo as Jesus floods the ‘saved’ soul with unexplainable peace!
You’ll have to wait…part two will reveal this joyous picture of salvation.
(View of run from the video of “Father’s World” excerpt)
It’s so easy to rush through a busy fill-in passage during a hymn arrangement.
If you’re like me, you think…”That’s alot of notes! I’d better play fast to make them fit in!” So….you rip through the pretty stuff as though it were thrown in all of a sudden and listeners think…”Woah! What was that?”
Fill-ins and runs either enhance the melody (hopefully)…or are used to add movement during a held word.
Runs that intertwine with the melody are meant to move along at a fair pace so as not to break the flow of thought.
Slowing down for a run during a held word is appropriate. Such is the case in today’s excerpt from my arrangement entitled: “This is My Father’s World” published by Soundforth Publications (now under Lorenz Publishing)
