Non-religious funeral music
More and more families are choosing non-religious funerals — humanist ceremonies, civil services, celebrations of life, or simply a gathering without any particular faith tradition. The music at these services does not have to follow a hymn book, and it does not need an organ or a church. But it still has a job to do: hold the room together, honour the person who has died, and give people something to feel. Getting that right is what this guide is about.
What makes non-religious funeral music different
At a religious funeral, the liturgy provides a scaffold. There are hymns the congregation sings together, readings with set responses, and a structure that carries everyone through even when emotions are raw. The music fits into that scaffold, and a good part of its power comes from the ritual surrounding it.
At a non-religious service, the music has to do more of that work on its own. There are no hymns to draw the congregation together in song (unless you choose to include something singalong — some families do). There is less structure to lean on, and the music carries more emotional weight because there is less ritual framing it.
This is a strength, not a limitation. Without a set format, you have complete freedom to choose music that genuinely reflects the person. The pieces can be deeply personal — a favourite song, a piece of music that meant something private, something that captures a personality in a way that no hymn could. The result, when it is done well, is a service that feels authentic and true to the individual. Our complete guide to funeral music covers how music works across all types of service, and much of that broader advice applies here too.
Songs families choose most
Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)
Operatic, grand, and unmistakably a farewell. The melody is soaring and emotional, and it fills even a large room completely. It works beautifully performed live by a solo soprano or tenor — the Italian text gives it a universality that crosses the boundary between religious and secular without effort. It is one of the pieces we perform most often at non-religious services, and it never fails to move the room.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Hopeful and wistful in equal measure. The Israel Kamakawiwo’ole ukulele version has become enormously popular at funerals, but a live vocal performance brings something different — a warmth and presence that a recording cannot quite match. It suits the entry or exit, where its gentle optimism sets or closes the tone. Families choose it when they want something that looks forward rather than back.
My Way
A statement about a life lived on one’s own terms. It is personal, defiant, and celebratory, and it captures something that many families recognise in the person they have lost. Most often played as the Sinatra recording — his voice is so much a part of what makes it work — though it can be performed live to powerful effect at a celebration of life where the tone is warmer and less formal.
What a Wonderful World
Louis Armstrong’s recording is the one everyone knows, and it carries a message of gratitude and wonder that feels right at a funeral without being heavy. It is a gentle, optimistic piece — a reminder that the world is still beautiful, even in grief. It works as exit music, sending people out with something warm to hold on to.
Fields of Gold
Written by Sting, but it is often the Eva Cassidy version that families request. The song is reflective and nostalgic — images of golden fields, promises kept, a life remembered with tenderness. It works beautifully as a mid-service piece, during a moment of reflection. A live performance with voice and guitar or piano gives it an intimacy that suits smaller, more personal services.
Bring Him Home
From Les Misérables — a prayer of sorts, even within a non-religious context. The melody is restrained and builds to something quietly devastating, and the text is about protection and peace. It is stunning performed live by a tenor, and it sits naturally at the emotional heart of a service. Families choose it when they want something that acknowledges loss with dignity and grace.
Danny Boy
One of the most deeply moving melodies in the English-speaking tradition. The text is a farewell — direct, unadorned, and devastating in its simplicity. It works for Irish families and for anyone who responds to a melody that seems to contain every shade of love and loss at once. A live performance is almost always more powerful than a recording here. The song demands a voice in the room, not a voice through speakers.
You Raise Me Up
A song of uplift and gratitude that builds from a quiet opening to a full, powerful chorus. Its message of being supported through difficulty resonates at funerals without being tied to any religious tradition. It suits services where the family wants something that acknowledges loss but ultimately looks upward. Our guide to popular funeral songs covers this and other commonly chosen pieces in more detail.
Classical pieces that work beautifully
You do not need to know classical music to choose it for a funeral. Some of the most powerful moments in non-religious services come from instrumental pieces that let people sit with their own thoughts, without words directing them towards a particular feeling.
Nimrod (Elgar) — perhaps the most deeply moving piece of orchestral music in the English repertoire. It builds from a whisper to a noble climax and says more without words than most songs manage with them. It is associated with remembrance and quiet courage, and it works as entry or exit music. A string quartet performs it beautifully in a smaller space.
The Lark Ascending (Vaughan Williams) — English pastoral beauty at its most serene. The solo violin soars above gentle orchestral textures, and it evokes open skies, countryside, and peace. Families choose it when the person loved the outdoors, or simply when they want something that feels like release.
Adagio for Strings (Barber) — slow, sustained, and deeply sorrowful. It does not try to comfort or uplift; it simply sits with the grief, and there is great honesty in that. It is often chosen for the entry of the coffin, where its slow unfolding matches the solemnity of the moment.
Air on the G String (Bach) — flowing, warm, and recognisable. It has a calm beauty that suits a moment of reflection, and it works on organ, piano, or strings. It bridges the gap between the sacred and the secular effortlessly — Bach wrote it for the church, but it belongs everywhere.
Chanson de Matin (Elgar) — a morning song, bright and gently joyful. It suits exit music at a celebration of life, where families want people to leave feeling something warmer than sorrow. It is less well-known than Nimrod but every bit as beautiful in its quieter way.
For more on the instrumental ensembles we offer, see our services page.
Live music at a non-religious service
At a religious funeral, much of the music is congregational — people stand and sing together. At a non-religious service, the congregation is mostly listening. This changes what live music does in the room.
When a singer stands a few metres from you and performs Time to Say Goodbye or Danny Boy, the sound is alive. It breathes with the room. It responds to the silence, the emotion, the particular quality of that moment. A recording, however good, is fixed — it sounds the same regardless of what is happening around it. Live music connects.
At a non-religious service, where there are no hymns to anchor the congregation, that connection matters even more. The live musician becomes the emotional centre of the service. A solo singer performing two or three pieces, supported by a pianist, can carry the music for an entire ceremony with grace and beauty. It does not need to be elaborate. Our funeral choir guide explains what different ensemble sizes sound like and when each one makes sense.
Many families combine live and recorded music — a live soprano for the reflective pieces, and a Sinatra or Armstrong recording at another point in the service. This gives you the intimacy of live performance where it matters most and the authenticity of the original where it counts. For a sense of what our musicians sound like, visit our listening page.
Structuring the music
Without a liturgical framework, you have complete freedom over how the music is placed. Most non-religious services include three to five musical moments, and the shape tends to be something like this:
Entry music — as people arrive and settle. Something gentle and atmospheric that signals the service is beginning. A live instrumental piece or a recording.
After the first tribute or reading — a song or piece that lets the emotion breathe. This is often the most powerful musical moment in the service.
A mid-service piece — during or after a period of reflection. This could be a classical piece, a favourite song, or a live vocal performance.
Exit music — as people leave. Something that sets the tone for what comes next — hopeful, warm, celebratory, or quietly resolute, depending on the mood the family wants.
Some families add a fifth piece — perhaps ambient music as people take their seats before the service begins, or a song during the committal. The right number depends on the length of the service and how much space you want to give to tributes and readings. If the service is at a crematorium, our guide to crematorium music covers the particular considerations of that setting.
The important thing is that each piece has a purpose and a place. Music that is thrown in to fill a gap will feel like it. Music that is chosen with care, and placed where it can do its work, will carry the service.
We can help you plan the music
We help families plan non-religious funeral music every week. If you are unsure where to start, or you know what you want but not quite how to make it work, a short conversation is usually all it takes. We can suggest pieces, advise on live vs. recorded, and help you shape the music so that the service feels right for the person and the occasion. No obligation, no pressure — just straightforward advice from musicians who do this all the time.
Talk to us about your funeral music
Or call us on 07356 042468. We’re glad to help at any stage.
For a clear breakdown of costs, see our funeral music costs guide.