{"id":38236,"date":"2024-01-22T12:23:16","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/501edad3-6b7d-44af-99bc-763222fbfdab"},"modified":"2024-01-22T13:39:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T12:39:58","slug":"best-hymns-for-funerals-and-memorial-services-6-choices-for-expressing-grief-and-hope","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/best-hymns-for-funerals-and-memorial-services-6-choices-for-expressing-grief-and-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Best hymns for funerals and memorial services: 6 choices for expressing grief and hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jeremy Pound\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 22 January 2024 at 11:23 AM<\/p>

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For all the overall sadness and solemnity of the situation, singing hymns<\/a> at funerals can provide moments of calm, comfort, togetherness and, even, joy. Here, we recommend six of the very best hymns for funerals and memorial services.<\/strong> Whether you’re Catholic, Protestant or Anglican, there are hymns here to suit every branch of Christianity. <\/strong><\/p>

Best funeral hynmns<\/h2>

Abide With Me<\/h3>

Abide With Me<\/em> <\/a><\/strong>is arguably the most popular hymn sung at funerals. It’s the work of the Anglican minister Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847). Congregations usually sing to \u2018Eventide\u2019, the well known tune by WH Monk (1823-89). And, like many of the best hymns, its words work on several levels. The first line makes a biblical reference to the disciples\u2019 request to Jesus to remain with them after sunset. The \u2018change and decay\u2019 in Verse 2 suggests the turning of the seasons. The later line \u2018Where is death\u2019s sting\u2019 and the closing \u2018In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me\u2019 make it clear what the hymn is really about. <\/p>

It is believed that Lyte wrote his hymn in anticipation of his own impending end and it was sung for the first time at his funeral. Its use as a pre-match hymn at FA Cup Finals dates back to 1927. <\/p>