Memorial service songs and hymns
A memorial service usually comes weeks or months after the funeral, without a coffin, and families plan it with more time. The music can give thanks for a life as well as mourn it. This guide lists the hymns and songs families choose for memorials, the uplifting ones, pieces for a mother or father, and which to sing live.
What are good songs and hymns for a memorial service? In church, families choose hymns of thanks: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Jerusalem, Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and Thine Be the Glory. For music the room listens to, Time to Say Goodbye, You Raise Me Up, and What a Wonderful World come up most, with Fauré’s Pie Jesu and Handel’s He Shall Feed His Flock when a soloist sings live.
We provide soloists, organists, and choirs for funerals and memorial services across London and the rest of the UK.
He Shall Feed His Flock, from Handel’s Messiah, sung by one of our soloists. Hear more recordings.
How memorial music differs from funeral music
A funeral ends with a committal or a farewell, and its hymns lean towards comfort. A memorial has no coffin to see out, so families pick more hymns of praise and thanksgiving, and they often hold it in a larger church, a college chapel, or a livery hall to fit everyone who wants to come. Abide With Me and The Day Thou Gavest still appear, usually as the last hymn.
The extra weeks also give you time to choose music the congregation does not know, because a choir can rehearse it. Our guide to planning a memorial service covers the format, the venue, and a running order; this page covers the music.
Hymns for a memorial service
Most memorials have two or three hymns. The table gives the tune each is sung to and where it usually sits.
| Hymn | Tune | Tone | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love Divine, All Loves Excelling | Blaenwern or Hyfrydol | Thanksgiving | Opening or closing |
| Jerusalem | Jerusalem (Parry) | Bold and English | Opening |
| Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer | Cwm Rhondda | Full voice | Opening or closing |
| Thine Be the Glory | Maccabaeus (Handel) | Easter triumph | Closing |
| The Lord’s My Shepherd | Crimond | Comfort | Any point |
| It Is Well With My Soul | Ville du Havre | Peace after loss | After the tributes |
| Dear Lord and Father of Mankind | Repton | Stillness | Middle |
| I Vow to Thee, My Country | Thaxted (Holst) | Service and duty | After the tributes |
| How Great Thou Art | Swedish folk tune | Full voice | Middle or closing |
| Abide With Me | Eventide | Farewell | Closing |
Thine Be the Glory is an Easter hymn. Edmond Budry wrote the French words, À toi la gloire, in 1884, and Richard Hoyle’s English version followed in 1923. The tune is Handel’s chorus “See, the conqu’ring hero comes” from Judas Maccabaeus, so an organist can give it a grand introduction and the congregation leaves on a major chord.
I Vow to Thee, My Country sets Cecil Spring Rice’s poem to a melody from “Jupiter” in Holst’s The Planets; Holst adapted it as a hymn tune in 1921 and named it Thaxted when he harmonised it for Songs of Praise in 1926. Families choose it for someone who served in the forces or in public life. It was sung at the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and at Diana’s funeral in 1997.
For the hymns families choose at funerals, with notes on each, see our guide to popular funeral hymns.
Sources: Thine Be the Glory and I Vow to Thee, My Country, Wikipedia.
Uplifting memorial songs and hymns
Many families want the memorial to sound like a thanksgiving. You can use these to give the service some lift without making light of the loss.
- Morning Has Broken. Eleanor Farjeon wrote the words in 1931 to the Gaelic tune Bunessan, and Cat Stevens’s recording of 1971 made it known well beyond church. A congregation can sing it, or a soloist can sing it with piano.
- Lord of the Dance. Sydney Carter wrote it in 1963 to the Shaker melody Simple Gifts. Its tune skips along, and it suits someone who loved dancing, or a service with children present.
- Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Thomas Chisholm’s words of 1923, set by William Runyan. Free Church and evangelical congregations know it best, and its refrain gives thanks for each morning.
- What a Wonderful World. Bob Thiele and George David Weiss wrote it for Louis Armstrong in 1967. Most families play Armstrong’s recording; a singer with piano can perform it live.
- Here Comes the Sun. George Harrison’s song from Abbey Road (1969) works as music for people leaving, played or sung.
Morning Has Broken, Lord of the Dance, How Great Thou Art, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness are still in copyright, so we name them here without printing the words. Ask the minister or funeral director whether the venue’s copyright licence covers printing them in the order of service.
Memorial songs for a mum or dad
Families searching for a memorial song for their mother often choose Morning Has Broken, All Things Bright and Beautiful for a gardener, or Schubert’s Ave Maria sung by a soprano. For a father, I Vow to Thee, My Country, Jerusalem, and Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer come up often, along with My Way when the family wants a smile.
Our funeral songs guide has a fuller list of songs for a mum and songs for a dad, with notes on which a singer can perform live.
Choral pieces for a memorial
With a choir of four or more, you can add a piece the congregation listens to, often after the readings or during a moment of reflection.
- John Rutter, The Lord Bless You and Keep You (1981). A short blessing, under three minutes, that suits the end of the service.
- Gabriel Fauré, Pie Jesu and In Paradisum, from his Requiem. The Pie Jesu needs one soprano and an organ; In Paradisum needs a choir and works as the closing music.
- John Tavener, Song for Athene (1993). Sung as the coffin left Westminster Abbey at Diana’s funeral in 1997. It needs a choir, with the basses holding one low note beneath the whole piece.
- Handel, He Shall Feed His Flock, from Messiah. A solo for alto or soprano with organ, about four and a half minutes; you can hear our soloist sing it above.
Singing live or playing a recording
A memorial is often larger than the funeral, and a recording through a church’s speakers can sound thin in a big building. A trained voice fills the room without a microphone. Hymns go better with a singer or choir leading them, because the congregation has a tune to follow.
In Greater London a soloist costs £275 and sings up to three pieces as well as leading the hymns. A soloist with an organist costs £550. A choir of four costs £1,150, or £1,400 with an organist, and a choir of eight £2,000 for a large church. We add travel to the quote for memorials outside London. The pricing page lists every size.
Frequently asked questions
What songs are played at a memorial service?
In church, most memorials have two or three hymns, such as Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, Jerusalem, or The Lord’s My Shepherd, and one or two songs the room listens to, such as Time to Say Goodbye, You Raise Me Up, or What a Wonderful World. A soloist or choir can also sing a choral piece such as Fauré’s Pie Jesu.
What is a good uplifting hymn for a memorial service?
Thine Be the Glory, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, and Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer are the strongest choices for a thanksgiving tone. Morning Has Broken and Lord of the Dance are lighter and suit a service with children present.
How many hymns should a memorial service have?
Two or three. One near the start, one after the tributes, and one at the end gives the congregation three chances to stand and sing without the service running long.
Can we have pop songs at a memorial service in church?
Usually, yes, but ask the minister first. Many churches welcome a song sung live with piano or organ, and some prefer recorded pop music to be played as people arrive or leave.
How much does it cost to have singers at a memorial service?
In Greater London a soloist costs £275, a soloist with an organist £550, and a choir of four £1,150, which covers the rehearsal and the service. We add travel for memorials outside London.
Ask us about the music
If you have a list of pieces and want to know which a choir can sing, or which order works, get in touch. We will suggest a running order for the venue and send a written quote.
Tell us about the memorial you’re planning
Text us on WhatsApp for the fastest reply, or email office@londonchoralservice.com. The contact page has every way to reach us.