Funeral march

A funeral march is a march composed, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession. Such marches are often considered appropriate for use during funerals and other sombre occasions.

Examples in western classical music

• The Dead March from Saul by George Frideric Handel

• The second movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)

• The third movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat, Op. 26 (written in the key of A-flat minor with a middle section in the major).

• The funeral march for piano written by Frédéric Chopin in 1837, which became the 3rd movement of his Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, op. 35 . (This is probably the piece most often associated with funeral marches in popular culture, such as cartoons and/or computer games). [1]
• The Funeral March for the Final Scene of Hamlet by Hector Berlioz

• The Marche funèbre second movement of Charles-Valentin Alkan's Symphony for solo piano, Op. 39 no. 5

• Siegfried's Funeral March from Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner

• The Trauermarsch opening movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

• The ninth variation from Benjamin Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10

• The third movement of Mahler's first symphony, based on the children's song Frère Jacques.

The 2nd movement of Brahms' Deutsches Requiem utilizes the characteristics of a Funeral March but is in a slow triple metre.

External links

• Easybyte - free easy piano arrangements that include many funeral marches