Humanist Service

JoJo9
JoJo9 Forum Participant Posts: 44
edited January 2016 in General Chat #1

I recently attended a funeral which had a Humanist service. No funeral is a happy event but it was a very moving occasion with laughter and tears. I decided a long time ago that I  would have a Humanist service and  was thinking about which three pieces
of music I would want. Any ideas?

Comments

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #2

    J9, I've recently been to one, it was about the persons life & celebration of it. Yes it was quite uplifting. I was lucky to have known the person closely & added to His life story. His Wife chose His music, I'd heard Him whistle & sing the tunes. It was
    a sad/happy time.

  • triky auto
    triky auto Forum Participant Posts: 8,690
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #3

    Cool , My Wife and I chose the music for her 'humanist' cremation.VERY sad times ,but as has been said over the past posts on the subject,nicer for freinds and family.IMO.Christmas was hard ,but i chose to go away and spend our memories together/alone.After 43 Christmases together ,it WAS hard ,but with a new year and new options ,i'm sure ,as everybody say's ,"it gets easier" Solo's helped in the early days too.

              " Colleen ,thank you for being you "

                         XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

  • Nuggy
    Nuggy Forum Participant Posts: 512
    edited January 2016 #4

    One piece of music I definitely want playing at my funeral is "The show must go on"  by Queen. The music and lyrics are fabulous and people can sit, listen and contemplate. I have just played it on YouTube, superb, and my eyes are wet.

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited January 2016 #5

    I want no fuss, would rather noone attend.

    Once I'm dead, thats it, all done - gone!

    Put me in a big cardboard box, wheel me out from the back of a couriers transit van on a pallet truck - no expense - jobs a guden!

  • Westiegirl1
    Westiegirl1 Forum Participant Posts: 108
    edited January 2016 #6

    Mine will be "The Final Countdown* by Europe for the same reasons as mentioned by Nuggy

    Music to be played at the end of the service Laughing

     

  • ivorwetwun
    ivorwetwun Forum Participant Posts: 59
    edited January 2016 #7

    I want no fuss, would rather noone attend.

    Once I'm dead, thats it, all done - gone!

    Put me in a big cardboard box, wheel me out from the back of a couriers transit van on a pallet truck - no expense - jobs a guden!

    Write your comments here...Totally agree. But if anyone does attend I want "whiter shade of pale" by Joe Cocker, and Albatross by Fleetwood Mac.

  • taffyY
    taffyY Forum Participant Posts: 326
    edited January 2016 #8

    Ooooo!  I want a big 'bash' when I go!  Laughing  Welsh choir, Welsh hymns and Queen singing me out!  My husband says that I will have to have a 5 hour time slot in the Crem. to fit in all the music I want!  Laughing  And definitely no flowers in the shape of 'Mum' or 'Gran' I hate those!  Laughing  AND... a Welsh minister just in case there is a God!  Smile

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #9

    Ooooo!  I want a big 'bash' when I go!  Laughing  Welsh choir, Welsh hymns and Queen singing me out!  My husband says that I will have
    to have a 5 hour time slot in the Crem. to fit in all the music I want!  Laughing  And definitely no flowers in the shape of 'Mum' or 'Gran'
    I hate those!  Laughing  AND... a Welsh minister just in case there is a God!  Smile

    Taffy, you agnostics are all the sameHappyHer Maj will be well gone before you GirlLaughingLaughing

  • taffyY
    taffyY Forum Participant Posts: 326
    edited January 2016 #10

    Ooooo!  I want a big 'bash' when I go!  Laughing  Welsh choir, Welsh hymns and Queen singing me out!  My husband says that I will have
    to have a 5 hour time slot in the Crem. to fit in all the music I want!  Laughing  And definitely no flowers in the shape of 'Mum' or 'Gran'
    I hate those!  Laughing  AND... a Welsh minister just in case there is a God!  Smile

    Taffy, you agnostics are all the sameHappyHer Maj will be well gone before you GirlLaughingLaughing

    I am a Welsh chapel girl Rocky!  AND I still say my prayers but I wouldn't argue with the non-believers as none of us REALLY  know do we?  Smile

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #11

    Ooooo!  I want a big 'bash' when I go!  Laughing  Welsh choir, Welsh hymns and Queen singing me out!  My husband says that I will have
    to have a 5 hour time slot in the Crem. to fit in all the music I want!  Laughing  And definitely no flowers in the shape of 'Mum' or 'Gran'
    I hate those!  Laughing  AND... a Welsh minister just in case there is a God!  Smile

    Taffy, you agnostics are all the sameHappyHer Maj will be well gone before you GirlLaughingLaughing

    I am a Welsh chapel girl Rocky!  AND I still say my prayers but I wouldn't argue with the non-believers as none of us REALLY  know do we?  Smile

    I do, for £220 I'll let you know tooLaughingLaughing

  • taffyY
    taffyY Forum Participant Posts: 326
    edited January 2016 #12

    Laughing

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #13

    All  in  favour  of  whichever  service,  nonservice,  celebration  the  people  wanted  --  as  long  as  it  is agreed  beforehand !

    As  for  the  final  music,  well  for  Brian  it's  just  got  to  be  the  "Countdown  Clock"  by  Alan Hawkshaw  ==>  tick  tick  tick  tick  TOCK  and  POOOF !

  • ValDa
    ValDa Forum Participant Posts: 3,004
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #14

    Christian burial/cremation services can be lovely too.  We've attended a lot recently, both Humanist and Church Services.

    We went to one recently, where there were no hymns, only one prayer (the Lords Prayer) and the normal 'statutory bit by the vicar.  There were eulogies by family, including grandchildren, and she chose all the music herself.  Albatross was one piece, whilst
    everyone 'sat quietly and thought about the person',  the second was when we were asked to share our memories with others, and laugh or cry as we felt fit (I can't remember what that piece was, but something funny) and the third was Time to Say Goodbye
    by Kathleen Jenkins.
     The lady concerned was a lovely quiet lady aged 93!

    My Mum-in-law's coffin was just strewn with spring daffodils, randomly over the whole coffin.  Early daffodils were a flower she absolutely loved - and she too hated funeral flowers.  She made us promise no wreaths, or card tributes on the coffin, so we
    just bought about twenty bunches of spring daffodils, and laid them on ourselves!

    Everyone said how lovely it was and 'How Molly would have loved to see it.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #15

    I see Rocky2 is following CC in his pricing amendments.

    As for funeral music, I've arranged it for my BIL for over the past few days

    Entry: Ombra Mai Fu (Xerxes) - Handel

    Quiet meditation: Piano Sonata No 14 (Moonlight) Adagio - Beethoven

    Exit: Canon in D - Pachelbel 

    There is apparently a glitch though as I've had an EMail from the Funeral Directors so it looks as though I'll need to pick another piece for one of them.

  • triky auto
    triky auto Forum Participant Posts: 8,690
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #16

    Cool,Colleens last music was " The Final Countdown" CLASSIC !!

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member Posts: 5,669 ✭✭✭
    1,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited January 2016 #17

    We have lots of different recorded music at funerals here - and some just prefer me to play organ music.  I am sometimes asked to play the main theme from Finlandia.  One recording we are asked for quite often is 'I did it my way...'

    David 

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited January 2016 #18

    Ooooo!  I want a big 'bash' when I go!  Laughing  Welsh choir, Welsh hymns and Queen singing me out!  My husband says that I will have
    to have a 5 hour time slot in the Crem. to fit in all the music I want!  Laughing  And definitely no flowers in the shape of 'Mum' or 'Gran'
    I hate those!  Laughing  AND... a Welsh minister just in case there is a God!  Smile

    Taffy, you agnostics are all the sameHappyHer Maj will be well gone before you GirlLaughingLaughing

    I am a Welsh chapel girl Rocky!  AND I still say my prayers but I wouldn't argue with the non-believers as none of us REALLY  know do we?  Smile

    Yes!Smile

  • redface
    redface Forum Participant Posts: 1,701
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #19

    'Oh didn't he ramble' will do me along with other Jazz/Negro Spirituals. And I apologise to those who think I have uttered a racist word, but it is a genuine genre of music, a la 1960's.

  • mickysf
    mickysf Forum Participant Posts: 6,474 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #20

    Being of a Quaker belief, I would prefer no funeral service as such where my body is present. I would suggest a meeting of folk where they can come together and for them to 'contribute' in anyway they wish. MrsSF knows my beloved music, poetry etc. and maybe she would choose that. It's about how they wish to celebrate, morn, remember, not how I want them to. Any 'funeral arrangements' are a very personal belief and others, I respect, may wish for other forms of remembrance.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #21

    Mickysf,  I  hope  you  and  your  Lady  have  committed  your  wishes  to  paper  and  somebody  else  has  that  paper

    As  much  as  I  hate  to  raise  such  thoughts,  it  is  quite  possible  for  you  both  to  be,  say,  involved  in  a  fatal  accident  etcetera. 

    Still  hoping  you  both  well  out  last  me  !!  And  I  have  a  few ( Very  Few )  quid  in  the  box  under  the  bed  so  I  aint  going  for  a  long  time  .

  • Grumblewagon
    Grumblewagon Forum Participant Posts: 246
    edited January 2016 #22

    A Humanist funeral for me and then 'planted' in a Natural burial plot.  Music...   after some deliberation, I think I'll have Pink Floyd's  "Great gig in the sky".

  • Pippah45
    Pippah45 Forum Participant Posts: 2,452
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #23

    It really is a good idea to have it all in writing!  My mother didn't want a funeral and made me and my sister promise we wouldn't attend as she knew there had to be one - this was really hard to stick to as it meant we didn't have any real closure - so
    my children have been told it's their choice.  My father was quite a pianist and so there was a medley of his favourite music played before the service which ranged from Finlandia - to Donald and Swan - with Gershwin and so on in between - it was lovely to
    listen to.  I have a list written down somewhere..... of wishes for my time. 

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #24

    Had BIL's funeral this morning. Delivering the eulogy before a couple of dozen people was more stressful than preaching a sermon to a congregation of 150.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,303 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited January 2016 #25

    Had BIL's funeral this morning. Delivering the eulogy before a couple of dozen people was more stressful than preaching a sermon to a congregation of 150.

    know what you mean. Spoke at my fathers funeral, really difficult putting thoughts into words. Although did the same for a 100 year old friend, at the request of the family, that strangely was much easier. (Mrs SteveL)