Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

Get access

Funeral music
(1,511 words)

1. Definition

Funeral music is the most voluminous genre of occasional composition. Throughout its history, music has been used on occasions of mourning. There are two categories within this use in the early modern era: polyphonic pieces composed for specific occasions, and the singing of standard hymns (as in the accompaniment of the funeral procession, for example). These “funeral dirges” were often set pieces assigned teache…

Cite this page
Kremer, Joachim, “Funeral music”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019564>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180208



▲   Back to top   ▲