Music for Funeral

The Co-Cathedral music staff extends its condolences to you in this difficult time. Planning and executing a funeral liturgy is but one of many realities that accompany the death of a loved one. We pledge to support you, drawing on extensive experience and offering emotional neutrality.  

As parish staff, the Co-Cathedral music department serves the liturgical life of this church and bears responsibility for good outcomes. As a cathedral we hold a vast variety of liturgies throughout the year, both serving parishioners and guests, alike. Regardless of your parish affiliation and other factors (including presiders, guest readers, memorial speakers and so forth), this funeral/memorial liturgy will be prayed in the broader context of this parish’s liturgical life. Therefore, we will work to merge your ideas with our parish practices in a suitable, sympathetic manner. A successful service is one that accounts for liturgical norms, respects local context, and demonstrates pastoral sensitivity. In essence, this liturgy—like all liturgies—is at once both personally meaningful and effectively public.

Much of our liturgical and musical policy draws on the inherited wisdom and official guidelines of the Church. However, several local, contextual factors consistently prove to be crucial for successful liturgies specifically at the Co-Cathedral. Even if you regularly worship here, we believe that it is valuable to explicitly share these factors due to their significance, namely:

1)      Acoustic. The Co-Cathedral is unique amongst North American worship spaces. Its 5-plus second reverberation time has more in common with monumental European churches than it does with most American churches. This environment greatly underscores the normativity of the sung liturgy. Our excellent sound system likewise allows one to clearly hear the spoken word throughout the nave. When handled appropriately, the cathedral space lends a remarkable sense of transcendence to the Sacred Liturgy. However, when approached without awareness, preparation, and experience, the acoustical reality will inhibit a good experience. Most typical parish practices are intimately bound up with vastly different acoustical environments. For example, music that includes much syncopation or percussive instruments might work well in a “dry” room but easily becomes lost in this space. Hence, the organ—a wind instrument—is our normative accompanying instrument at the Co-Cathedral. Similarly, whereas many spaces provide for proximity between cantor and accompanist, thereby easily facilitating the crucial communication dynamic between them, the Co-Cathedral’s layout separates these individuals by an entire city block. This distance creates a significant sound delay that requires a comfort-level achieved only by those with extensive practice together—a fact that precludes guest cantors for the liturgical and ritual portions of liturgies here. Even with the amplified spoken word, a familiar or comfortable speech cadence that works well in most other rooms may prove unintelligible here.         

2)      Example. The Co-Cathedral functions not only as one parish among many in this Archdiocese but also as a mother church. Magisterial documents throughout the last century and earlier consistently lay a special charge at the feet of those responsible for music at cathedrals [1]. Even as many variables, both pastoral and practical, effect a great diversity of liturgical musical practices throughout the Catholic Church, it remains the particular obligation of cathedral churches to foster choirs, the normative sung liturgy, preservation of chant and choral music, etc. Due to this responsibility as a cathedral per se, our liturgies will probably look and sound somewhat different than those to which most people are accustomed. This is intentional and, indeed, necessary. For example, we regularly chant proper antiphons from the Mass. The degree to which you may see this in other parishes varies widely. Nevertheless, we as a cathedral are especially accountable to the Church for faithful implementation of liturgical ideals and regulations. Scrutiny rises and the threshold lowers with respect to acceptable or advisable musical selections. In planning this funeral liturgy, we must bear this in mind.

3)      Fairness. As briefly noted above, we accommodate a high volume of non-Sunday liturgies annually at the Co-Cathedral. No two liturgies are alike. Nor, in some sense can they be—for indeed, we always pray in a specific time and place. Nevertheless, we recognize that deliberate contextualization stands in tension with the obligation to model a consistent liturgical practice at the Co-Cathedral. The paradox of personalizing liturgy is that, at some point, liturgy ceases to be itself (i.e. formal public prayer). Firstly, this respect for and fairness to the discipline and objectivity of the sacred liturgy, suggests how we can, secondly, pursue respect and fairness to each other---that is, how to reasonably accommodate the unique realities of every individual, family, and group that comes to celebrate a special liturgy at the Co-Cathedral. We have discerned moments in and around funeral liturgies that allow families and loved ones the opportunity to leave a personal touch while leaving liturgical structure to speak on its own terms. For example, guest musicians can add much to this experience with a prelude or post-communion piece. As a general rule, we hold all requests for musical selections and music personnel to the same standards. By keeping this process objective we understand that we may not end up able to accommodate all requests. However, with funerals we also appreciate that the natural emotional duress of this time could obscure sight of this bigger picture and become an occasion of additional pain. Thus, we wish to assure you that our planning is borne of concern for the Sacred Liturgy and you. We kindly ask for your understanding in this regard.

Based on these factors, as well as professional standards within the music community (NPM/AGO codes of ethics), these are the Co-Cathedral funeral music policies:

1. All planning for music at funerals/memorial Masses held at the Co-Cathedral must proceed with the direct or delegated oversight of Cathedral Organist and Director of Music.

2. A parish staff organist will be the principal liturgical musician leading this funeral/memorial liturgy. In the case that a parish organist is not available, the Co-Cathedral music staff will appoint a deputy.

3. Clear, written notice will be given in the case that a parish staff organist or deputy will not be playing the funeral. If Co-Cathedral staff exercises this right of first refusal, then and only then may family representatives seek a third party organist. Third party organists are subject to approval by the Director of Music.

4. A parish staff cantor will be the primary leader of liturgical song at this funeral/memorial liturgy.

5. The parish cantor will sing the Gregorian Introit (Requiem aeternum/Eternal Rest…), Communio (Lux aeterna/Eternal light…), and In paradisum/”May the Angels lead you…” at the rite of final commendation. Likewise, the cantor will lead all hymns, the psalm, liturgical acclamations, and song of farewell (Saints of God).

6. The participation of all other instrumentalists and vocalists is contingent upon the explicit, prior approval of Co-Cathedral music staff.

7. When/if approval is granted for outside musicians, it is the responsibility of the guest musician to contact the parish staff to arrange for rehearsal time, and provide all necessary sheet music. The guest musician is responsible for securing payment of whatever fees they may incur.

8. Guest musicians may provide music at the prelude, the Preparation of the Gifts, or after communion. All repertoire is subject to approval. Pieces containing secular texts will not be considered.  

[1] Sacrosanctum Concilium, 114. Musicam Sacram, 19, 20. Tra le sollecitudini 4, 29. Sing to the Lord, 16.