Funeral Marches

[iroveashe]

This have always been one of my favorite types of music, I was obsessed with Beethoven's 2nd movement of the Eroica, also the one in his Ab Sonata, and of course the famous one by Chopin. Now, what is probably my most beloved movement is the 3rd from Mahler's 1st Symphony, I was captivated by it before even noticing it actually was a funeral march. A lot of Mahler's works seem surrounded by death without them being necessarily funeral marches. Bach's Komm, Susser Todd! is also about death and another one of my favorites.

Does anyone share this morbid taste for these gloomy pieces? What death-related music am I missing (both orchestral or piano)?

[go12_3]

Which is the famous one by Chopin?  Yes,  Mahler's , I thought it was the 9th, has that feeling about death but of course his life was tragic indeed... Well, if it's the 1st Symphony, I need to refresh myself with it once again, been awhile since I heard it though.   Oh, yes, Bach's Komm!  That has such a stillness and eeriness about it and yet so beautifully done.  This thread will be interesting....

best wishes,

go12_3

[communist]

Does chamber count? anyway:

Schubert string quartet "Death and the Maiden"

Mahler symphony no.1 3rd movement

Chopin funeral march op.72 no.1

Grieg Funeral March in memory of Rikard Nordraak

Alkan "funeral march for the Death of a Parrot" (I think that is the name, I am not sure)

Alkan Symphonie for solo piano 2nd movement

Tchaikovsky funeral march in A-flat minor op.21

Tchaikovsky funeral march in C minor op.40 no.3
 
Liszt Funeral Prelude and Funeral March

Liszt Funeral march from Annes de Pelerinage book 3

Rubinstein Album de Peterhof, Op.75 (I think the 4th piece)

Rachmaninoff moment musical in B minor

Feinberg sonata no.2 2nd movement

Bartok funeral march from Kossuth

Bartok Andante Funebre

Shostakovich symphony no.11

[samjohnson]

The famous one by Chopin is the third movement from his Sonata no. 2 in b flat minor: "marche funebre".  If you really haven't heard it, you would do well to look into immediately--It is, in my opinion, the best "funeral march" ever written.  Indeed, you might to well to look into the entire sonata.  It is rather famous.    

Chopin also wrote another which was published posthumously in op. 72.  

-sj

[samjohnson]

The other Chopin is op. 72 no. 2, not 1.

[communist]

The other Chopin is op. 72 no. 2, not 1.

My bad, thank you.

[pianoplayjl]

I like Liszt's funerailles, if that counts as a funeral march. But Chopin's march is my favourite.

[mcrosbie]

One that comes to my mind is not necessary piano music, but Ravel's Pavanne for a Dead Princess.  I am sure there are piano transcriptions available.  I think it would work well for a memorial service.

[pianoplayjl]

Also I like Beethoven's 7th symphony 2nd movement. Although not piano music I reckon it can be classified as funeral march.

[talgo]

Regarding Bach and funeral music,  I have played Bach's Komm Susser Todd (Come Sweet Death) for most of my life.  My mother used to play it also.  I don't find anything the least morbid about it.  The grief of death and loss are the deep shadows of life that brings out the stark beauty of life when the most beautiful of things can shine.  I find this piece very stirring to the soul.  I play it almost daily in the late evening as a fitting completion of the day as an expression of the beauty that life has to offer.  No one has done it better for me than Bach.  There was a lot of tragedy in his life and no one expresses it more sublimely than he.  I also play Chopin's Funeral March almost daily with a similar enriching effect.  Sometimes the very worst in life has a way of bringing out the very best that life has to offer.  I am thankful for these composers and their legacy of life passed onto us to enjoy with an immortality of its own. Or as Bach would always say: "Solo Deo Gloria"

[49410enrique]

this is perhaps my favorite
Hamelin performs Scriabin Sonata no. 1, Op. 6, IV. Funèbre

[jonhall]

Chopin Prelude, No. 20, Op. 28 in C minor
Not a funeral march, but I can't help but imagine a funeral whenever I play it...

[iansinclair]

Good heavens.  There is a tremendous variety of "morbid" music -- or music regarding death in one way or another.  Several of the above posts have mentioned excellent examples, but you mentioned "other death-related music" -- other, I presume, than piano music.  You did not mention choral music, however; a great omission!

I can think of one odd example which has always affected me, somehow -- the death of Jean Valjean from Les Mis.  A musical, incidentally, which has many of the characteristics of grand opera, and is worth studying from the standpoint of serious music theory and composition.

However, that aside, as a place to start you should look at the huge array of Requiems which various composers have written.  Just for starters, and covering a range of styles: Mozart, Brahms, Berlioz (to my mind quite possibly the single most completely satisfying piece of music ever written by anyone), Faure (totally different, but almost as good), Britten, Rutter, Dvorak, Verdi.

The list of motets which might be put in is staggering.  Ranging from Palestrina to Willan and Rutter and Thompson.  I'm not even going to try to put them down...  but any really competent Minister of Music should be able to haul a dozen or two out of his or her archives for you to look at.

For some reason (I don't know why) I have always associated Bach's towering Prelude and fugue in E flat major, BWV 552 ("St. Anne") as usable funeral music -- and have used it that way, but only for major funerals.  The fugue is a triple fugue, and is simply incredible.

[j_menz]

Another notable omission is the world of opera, where death scenes are very common. Some sublime music to go with them, too.

[drkilroy]

Grieg's The Death of Ase,
from my favourite Impressionistic period: Ravel's Le Gibet (rather scary!  ).

Best regards, Dr

[iratior]

The last piece in Bach's Matthew Passion is very funereal in spirit, though in a triplet rhythm not a march.

[austinarg]

This is the saddest piece of music I've ever heard.

[iansinclair]

I forgot to add the March to the Scaffold from Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique...

[flyinfingers]

This is the saddest piece of music I've ever heard.

That is a very moving video.  I couldn't finish watching it as I was starting to get depressed and reliving the horrific moments and days of depression that followed. 
WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[49410enrique]

i used to be a damn good tuba player back in the day, i remember we did this piece for wind ensemble (not my group here just a really good one i found on yt). essentially a 'funeral' piece for the city and people of Dresden Germany (1945) i remember being incredibly moved by it. more than any other winds group work i had a chance to play in or listened to since.

Symphony No. 1 (In Memoriam Dresden, 1945) - Daniel Bukvich

give it a while to get to the 'somber' (about 5:00) part, intro is boomy, think the actual bombing...about  7:00 you hear the people shouting and screaming as they're bombed, silence and sirens in the distance as you approach 8:00 ... powerful stuff

[spb_jcb]

My favorite is Sonata 2, Opus 35, 3rd movement (Chopin). The chords seems to cry.
Stephen

[stoudemirestat]

My favorite is Sonata 2, Opus 35, 3rd movement (Chopin). The chords seems to cry.
Stephen

As far as piano pieces go, Chopin's is my favourite too. Then, that following movement is stuff of pure genius.

That being said, I have really taken a liking to two of Liszt's lesser known pieces, that have both already been mentioned in this thread. Absolutely brutal music, remarkable pieces for when they were written!