I haven’t been deliberately collecting a list of music for my funeral, but since this topic came into my mind yesterday, let me write down what I have. I won’t say it’s a fun thing to think about, but technically it is quite simple to find “fun” in a “fun-eral”. :)
What’s the point of playing music in a funeral? I’ve attended two or three funerals of my family members in China, and they all played the same boilerplate mourning music for rendering the grief emotion for the ceremony. The first time that I got to know there are other options was when I watched the movie “Love Actually”, in which a character played “Bye Bye Baby” by Bay City Rollers. I like that idea. If I were going to have a funeral of mine, I don’t want to make it a ceremony merely focusing on reminding people of their loss and drowning them in sadness. Instead, I want them to remember the good moments that we shared together, something they could take with them to enjoy their lives after I left for good.
If I have to pick only one piece, it will be the Variation 30 Quodlibet of BWV 988, a.k.a. Goldberg Variations, played by Glenn Gould (1981 Recording). Actually if possible I’d like to play the entire set of variations. It is the very best finale to summarize everything that could possibly happen in my life, and then give it a fair closure. Again, the best finale from my favorite musical composition to note the period of my life, what could be better?
A more recent option also from my favorite Bach collection is BWV 54, a.k.a. “Stand still against sin”, played by Víkingur Ólafsson (2018 Recording). Believe or not, though it comes with a scary title, this interpretation on piano is actually very comforting, like being gently touched by angel’s wings. I gained a lot of consolation from it, and I think maybe those who attend my funeral need some too. I found Ólafsson a wonderful Bach interpreter. The combination of the right amount of distancing and caring in his performance forms a style sitting in between the ethereal and mundane worlds.
If I want the selection of music to be less self-centric (c’mon, my funeral right?), then my best bet for now will be “For Now” from the musical Avenue Q. It is a lovely sweet kinky song full of life wisdom, just like the show itself, and has a very high chance to put a smile on audience’s faces. It probably will make my friends and family feel kinda weird, that somehow they are getting tickled by this song in a sad occasion. I appreciate their emotion if that’s the case, and I have no doubt that my departure will definitely be a great loss to their lives, but hey, by that time it won’t be my problem anyway. So clean up your tear-messed makeup, and cheer up to this song B**CHES! “Except for death and paying taxes everything in life is for now.” ;)
Other options include some quite wicked songs by Monty Python, but I think I can stay with a list of 3 at the moment. All in all it’s a funeral not a concert. :)