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CanticaNOVA Publications

Music Suggestions
Funeral Mass –- Outside the Easter Season

Liturgical Music

Official texts

Other liturgical music

Hymns

  • All Creatures of Our God and King (WIII #520, HPSC #103, CBW #620, PMB #120, HH #186, AH #600, CH #555, CHB #198, SMH #198, VII #206)
  • Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life (WIII #569, CD #899, CH #532, SMH #270)
  • For All the Saints (WIII #705, ICEL #189, HPSC #157, AH #590, HH #287, CBW #617, PMB #187, CH #336, CHB #166, SMH #297, EH #126, VII #263)
  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives (WIII #445, ICEL #160, PMB #744, CBW #56, CH #293, SMH #356, VII #355)
  • Lead, Kindly Light (ICEL #212, AH #578, CH #455, CHB #234, SMH #392, EH #430, VII #298)
  • My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (WIII #606, ICEL #163, CH #458, SMH #420)
  • O God, Our Help in Ages Past (HPSC #241, WIII #579, ICEL #237, CBW #640, CH #457, PMB #128, HH #169, AH #624, CHB #249, SMH #446, EH #289, VII #203)
  • O Lord, You Died That All Might Live (HH #315B)
  • Song of Farewell (tune- Old Hundredth)
  • The King of Love My Shepherd Is (WIII #609, ICEL #165, HPSC #324, AH #580, CH #460, CHB #265, SMH #563/4, EH #345, VII #269)
  • The Living God My Shepherd Is (WIII #612, CD #831, CBW #690)
  • What Wondrous Love Is This? (CD #822, WIII #600, HH #95, PMB #157, ICEL #164, CH #530, HH #95, SMH #607)
AH = The Adoremus Hymnal, Ignatius Press
CBW = Catholic Book of Worship II / Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
CD = Cantate Domino / Hymnal Supplement, GIA Publications, Inc.
CH = The Collegeville Hymnal, The Liturgical Press
CHB = The Catholic Hymn Book [London Oratory], Gracewing Publishers
EH = The Hymnal 1940 (Episcopal), used by many Anglican Use Roman Catholic parishes
HH = Hymnal of the Hours, GIA Publications, Inc.
HPSC = Hymns, Psalms & Spiritual Canticles, out of print but excellent
ICEL = ICEL Resource Collection, GIA Publications, Inc.
PMB = People's Mass Book, World Library Publications, Inc.
SMH = The Saint Michael Hymnal – 3rd Edition 2003, Saint Boniface Church, Lafayette IN
VII = Vatican II Hymnal, Corpus Christi Watershed
WIII = Worship, 3rd Edition, GIA Publications, Inc.

Vocal & Choral Music

  • As the Hart Longs (Felix Mendelssohn)
  • Audivi media nocte (Thomas Tallis)
  • Bless the Lord, O My Soul (M. Ippolitoff-Ivanoff)
  • Blest Are They Whose Spirits Long (Handel / Hopson)
  • Bone pastor, panis vere (Jonathan Kregor)
  • But the Lord Is Mindful of His Own (Felix Mendelssohn)
  • Come, Thou Faithful Servant (Claudio Monteverdi)
  • De profundis (W.A. Mozart, Orlando di Lasso, Josquin des Pres)
  • Ego sum panis vivus (William Byrd, G.P. Palestrina)
  • Exaudi Deus (Giovanni Croce)
  • God Is My Shepherd (Antonin Dvorak)
  • God So Loved the World (John Stainer)
  • Hope Thou in God (Felix Mendelssohn)
  • How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings Fair (Colin Brumby)
  • I Heard A Voice from Heaven (William Billings, Thomas Tomkins)
  • I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (J.M. Bach, G.F. Handel, Thomas Morley, Flor Peeters)
  • If God Be for Us (Melchior Franck, Heinrich Schütz)
  • In paradisum (Gregorian chant) [Worship III Hymnal #178, Adoremus Hymnal #572, Collegeville Hymnal #411, Catholic Book of Worship II #599, Liber usualis p.1768]
  • In paradisum (Michael Cox)
  • Iustorum animæ (Colin Brumby)
  • Justorum animæ (William Byrd, Orlando di Lasso, C.V. Stanford)
  • Like As A Father (Luigi Cherubini)
  • My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (arr. Virgil Thomson)
  • O God, Thou Art My God (Henry Purcell)
  • Out of the Deep (Adrian Batten, G.F. Handel, Virgil Thomson, Thomas Tomkins)
  • Psalm 122 (J.P. Sweelinck)
  • Psalm 130 (Paul Manz)
  • Requiem æternam (Martini / Penkala)
  • See What Love the Father from Saint Paul (Felix Mendelssohn)
  • Sicut cervus (Palestrina / Angelini)
  • Tantum ergo Sacramentum (Christopher Bord)
  • The Call (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
  • The Gate of Heaven (Randall Thompson)
  • The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation (Eugene Englert) [GIA Publications]
  • The Lord Is My Shepherd (Puccini/Decesare)
  • The Lord's My Shepherd (Colin Brumby)
  • The Sorrows of My Heart (William Boyce)
  • The Souls of the Righteous (T. Tertius Noble, Ralph Vaughan Williams)
  • The Sufferings of the Present (Melchior Franck)
  • The Twenty-third Psalm (Franz Schubert, Ralph Vaughan Williams)

Organ Music

The Ceremonial of Bishops, the most recent complete liturgical document from the Holy See addressing the issue, instructs that the organ remain silent during Funeral Masses, except to accompany singing.

There should be no flowers on the altar, and the music of the organ or other instruments is permitted only to assist the singing. [#824]

Hence organ preludes and postludes should not be played.

Liturgical Hints & Ideas

Liturgical music at funeral Masses is always difficult to program. So much of the congregation may be non-Catholic or from other Catholic parishes. Choose simple, familiar music if the congregation is expected to sing responses and hymns. Never force people to sing; this is a difficult time for the family. They may be able to pray better through listening than through active (and perhaps awkward) participation. A cantor/soloist or a funeral choir can be very helpful in providing inspiring music, but should at all cost avoid sentimental selections designed to do no more than elicit tears.

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