Alous Huxley once stated, “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. “
(http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1654.html)
Music is a magical means of expression, it’s one of many means which can used to express
that which we feel, better than we can express them with words. For this reason, for many people,
music has always been a focal point of a funeral service and the grieving process. For example, for fire
fighters, police men, and Scots all over the world there is no better way to express ones grief than with the
penetrating sound of a bagpipe playing amazing grace during the funeral rites. Not only does the sound
penetrate the air and can be heard for miles but the sound of the bagpipes can penetrate the heart and
soul of those how hear it in such a way that tears may flow easily and the healing of the soul may begin.
When I was very young I experienced the magical penetration of the bagpipes and healing they bring, when I attended the funerals of my great grandmothers. As I reached the door of the church and heard the glorious sound of the bagpipes my eyes filled with tears and I could feel in my heart that my sweet great grandmothers would be physically absent from my life until we were once again united physically in the resurrection.
(http://www.lfrbagpipes.org/history.htm)
For others the sound of taps being softly played on a bugle far in the distance allows them to let their
loved one receive their eternal rest from the labors of a life spent in the service of in the armed forces.
(http://blogs.voanews.com/tedlandphairsamerica/files/2010/11/06-buglar-taps-arl-Beverly-Pack.jpg)
In other situations it may not be appropriate to play the bagpipes or taps as part of the
service due to the fact that the deceased hated the sound of bagpipes and bugles or because the family
didn’t feel it appropriate. In such situations any music can be used at a service to express ones feelings
whether it be classical music such as Mozart’s requiem mass or Hard rock such as My Immortal by evanescence.
Whether your loved one or you enjoy classical, country or rock. Celebrate their life with music and let the the music express your feelings and penetrate your soul that it may heal.
