“A Sound Track of Your Life”: Music in Contemporary Uk Funerals

Adamson, Sue; Holloway, Margaret

doi:10.2190/om.65.1.c

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Within each of these themes are located a variety of sub-themes, including those commonly remarked upon such as the use of music (Adamson & Holloway, 2012a;Caswell, 2012), all of which bear detailed consideration in their own right. However, the purpose of this article is to do justice to the comprehensive picture which the study produced through conveying a holistic sense of what these funerals in one north-east corner of England were all about.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Funerals aren’t nice but it couldn’t have been nicer”. The makings of a good funeral

et al. 2013

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There is growing comment in both academic and popular writing about the shape and content of funerals today, with general agreement that we are seeing marked changes with a growing trend towards secularisation and personalisation. Despite this, there is as yet relatively little systematic research on the topic. This article reports on a study funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council UK into spirituality in contemporary funerals. This qualitative study centred around case studies of 46 funerals in the north of England and gathered data from observations of funeral arrangement meetings as well as the funeral and semi-structured interviews with bereaved families and funeral professionals. The way both sets of participants engaged with the funeral and its constituent elements in an active process of meaning-seeking, meaning-creating and meaningtaking was closely aligned with contemporary understandings of humanistic spirituality. There was, however, little evidence of adherence to formal religious belief systems or wider philosophical frameworks amongst the bereaved families but considerable evidence of drawing on religious tradition and specific beliefs to locate personal meaning-making. The authors conclude that the funeral remains a significant ceremonial event which is psycho-social-spiritual in character and purpose.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Music was particularly important and not always for the lyrics alone (Adamson & Holloway, 2012a). Broadly speaking, all the choices were made for one of two interrelated reasons -to celebrate and convey the essence of the deceased, and to thereby maintain a connection with them.…”

Section: The Process Of Making Meaningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Funerals aren’t nice but it couldn’t have been nicer”. The makings of a good funeral

et al. 2013

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“…In another study, Adamson and Holloway (2012) examined the role of music in contemporary funerals in the United Kingdom. Based on 29 interviews with funeral professionals countrywide and 46 observations in the north of England, they showed that funeral music contributed to both the creation of a ceremonial event and to the process of meaning-making ( Adamson & Holloway, 2012 , p. 39).…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Musical Eulogy and Other Functions of Funeral Music

Bruin-Mollenhorst

2018

Omega (Westport)

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This article examines the function of music during contemporary funerals in the Netherlands. Using a performance-based approach, this article shows that music adds to the ritual dimension of contemporary funerals, by relating the music to the funeral itself, the deceased person's identity, and to emotions. Zooming in on the music that in contemporary personalized funerals is selected because it is-one way or another-related to the deceased, it will be shown that the lyrical content of this music is less important than social and emotional aspects. Theoretically, the concept of the musical eulogy is introduced as a hermeneutic tool to examine music in ritualized contexts.

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“…Researchers have used various foci but almost all of them zoom in specifically on the event of the funeral. Another meaning of music has been explored in Adamson and Holloway (2012), where it was found to function to break up of spoken words sections during the funereal ceremony. This forms part of Bruin-Mollenhorst's (2018) functional description of the meaning of music.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In connection with a ritual passage, for example a confirmation or a wedding, there is a transfer of a person's symbolic and intangible value in the social context (Valkare, 2016). Adamson and Holloway (2012) and Aggedal (2009) have stated their belief that the choice of music at a funeral is the clearest way that families and friends can show who the person was in life. Relatives appear to exert a great deal of influence when it comes to choosing music, and it is important to know how and why this selection also may affect the grieving process by the bereaved.…”

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confidence: 99%

Music as Consolation—The Importance of Music at Farewells and Mourning

2020

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In this study we examined a case where twelve participants conducted farewell ceremonies for their deceased relatives. Taking a qualitative approach, we used interviews and questionnaires to focus on life stories that involve grieving. Specifically, we asked about experiences of the grief process as related to choice of music. Our results indicate that the role of music in farewell rituals is important for the grieving process in several ways. Firstly, music was associated with positive memories of the loved one and gave rise to experiences of recognition. Secondly, music facilitated active participation in the grieving process through choosing farewell music together with a relative. Thirdly, selecting music for the funeral in advance, together with their loved ones, was also experienced as hopeful, comforting and consoling before, during and after the bereavement.

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“A Sound Track of Your Life”: Music in Contemporary Uk Funerals

Cited by 17 publications

References 32 publications

“Funerals aren’t nice but it couldn’t have been nicer”. The makings of a good funeral

“Funerals aren’t nice but it couldn’t have been nicer”. The makings of a good funeral

The Musical Eulogy and Other Functions of Funeral Music

Music as Consolation—The Importance of Music at Farewells and Mourning

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