Infant funeral songs: classical music, Disney songs and hymns
Explore 12 simple, beautiful and moving pieces of music that could be played at the funeral of an infant.
If you're reading this because you've lost a baby, we're sorry.
At such a painful time, it can be difficult to make decisions about the funeral. One such decision is the choice of music.
At Akshardham Funeral Directors, we firmly believe there are no right or wrong choices when grieving. If you feel the choice of music is the right choice, it almost certainly is.
Nevertheless, many people at a time of grief want some guidance to help them through funeral arrangements. For this reason, we've put together this list of simple and beautiful songs.
If you still don't know what music to choose, your funeral director can help. It can also be worth asking loved ones for advice.
Christian music for an infant's funeral
1. Natalie Grant: "Held"
This ballad by American singer-songwriter Natalie Grant is about a mother losing her child. It starts gently before building to a dramatic and moving climax:
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
2. George Frideric Handel: "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"
Taken from Handel's oratorio The Messiah, this aria for a soprano singer has a gorgeous, winding melody and words taken from the Bible that speak of Christ's return:
I know that my redeemer liveth
And that he shall stand
At the latter day upon the earth
3. Cat Stevens: "Morning Has Broken"
Cat Stevens' setting of the Christian hymn "Morning Has Broken" is a celebration of innocence:
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
This version is upbeat and hopeful. Other versions are available with a more gentle and sombre tone, including choral versions.
4. "Abide with Me"
This Christian hymn asks God to stay with the singer through the trials of life:
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
There are many recordings of this hymn. The one we have chosen is a beautiful and calming arrangement for four singers.
Classical music for the funeral of an infant
1. Maurice Ravel: "Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte"
This piece for piano flows like water. It was described by the composer as "an evocation of a pavane [a slow, stately dance] that a little princess might, in former times, have danced at the Spanish court".
The performance we've chosen by Seong-Jin Cho is both mournful and sweet. But there are many other versions available, including an orchestral arrangement by the composer.
2. Claude Debussy: "Clair de Lune"
One of the most famous pieces of classical music, Debussy's "Clair de Lune" for solo piano is a beautiful musical painting of moonlight. Indeed, "moonlight" is the English translation of the French phrase "clair de lune".
The piece has soothed and moved many people since its publication in 1905.
3. J.S. Bach: "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
Popular at weddings and religious festivals, this piece by German composer J.S. Bach is also suitable for funerals.
It has been performed in many different ways, both instrumentally and with words in English and German. The version we have chosen is the much-loved piano arrangement by Myra Hess.
4. Erik Satie: "Gymnopédie No. 1"
Satie's classic composition for piano is slow and thoughtful. It doesn't pull at the heartstrings. Instead, it creates a quiet space for people to reflect on their feelings. It's perhaps this quality that makes it such a popular choice at funerals.
Disney songs for an infant's funeral
1. "Baby Mine" from Dumbo
"Baby Mine" is an emotional lullaby that sings of parental love:
Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine
Taken from Dumbo (1941), it has a sweet, nostalgic quality that makes it suitable for funerals.
2. "Remember Me" from Coco
Another lullaby, this time from Coco (2017), "Remember Me" is a short, gentle song about staying together when apart through shared memories. Its simple vocals, backed with just a Spanish guitar, give it a poignant and surprisingly moving quality.
Remember me though I have to travel far
Remember me each time you hear a sad guitar
Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be
Until you're in my arms again, remember me
3. "Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto
This Spanish-language song from Encanto (2021) translates in English as "two little caterpillars". Performed by Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra, it's a soft and moving song in a folk style.
4. "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins
On the surface, "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins (1964) is a song about an old woman selling bird feed on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral. But dig a little deeper, and it's a song about spreading love and kindness:
Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry, their nests are so bare
All it takes is tuppence from you
