From classic with Brahms to industrial rock with Rammstein: music at funerals is now common practice, from hearses with loudspeakers in the cemetery to live performers in the crematorium.
The sequences of the ceremony for Johnny Hallyday at the Church of the Madeleine in 2017, with his guitarists around his coffin, or the
resounding
song
One
by U2 during the tribute to the teacher Samuel Paty at the Sorbonne are in all the spirits.
Live: LIVE - Tribute to Samuel Paty: the highlights of the ceremony
"
Today, the distribution of music in ceremony is almost systematic
", told AFP Gautier Caton, spokesperson for the Confederation of funeral and marble professionals (CPFM).
“
Funeral homes and crematoriums are equipped with sound systems and many companies have equipped their emcees with smartphones connected to sound systems for cemeteries;
because it is sometimes difficult to have a hearse fitted out with speakers near the grave.
"
In the case of a religious ceremony, in a Catholic church for example, the entire process must be validated by the parish team, which is not the case for civil ceremonies - in funeral homes or crematoriums - where the choices are free.
A number of funeral quote websites offer song playlists, including pieces evoking the afterlife, like the title
Le paradis blanc
by Michel Berger, or the farewell with
Je suis came tell you I'm leaving
”by Serge Gainsbourg.
But, in reality, we often deviate from these standards.
Light the fire
"
There is a personalization, depending on the choice of the family or the deceased: it can be Radiohead, Beethoven or Rammstein's 5th
," Jean-Marie Lagarde, director of the Père-Lachaise crematorium, told AFP.
If in the classical register this person in charge quotes recurring composers, "
Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach or Chopin
", for the other musical registers, there is "
less specificity, it is more random
".
And this is not a legend,
Igniting the fire
by Johnny Hallyday sometimes resonates during a cremation.
"
Yes, it happened, it is the choice of the deceased
", confirms Jean-Marie Lagarde.
“
Funeral operators never interfere in a religious ceremony.
In a civil ceremony, it is up to the family to organize everything and we can have an advisory role
, ”explains Gautier Caton, also general manager of the Caton funeral group in the Center region.
“
Sometimes you have to find out who the person was beyond the public figure: someone known, established, with the classic image, listened to AC / DC.
"
“At
one time, in Great Britain, it was
My way
by Sinatra that was popular, a song that could apply to a 19-year-old who died on a motorcycle or to an old 'sup-executive'.
But in France, it is mainly personal tastes, which can be paradoxical for funerals,
”adds AFP Bertrand Dicale, specialist in French song.
Live services
"
All the singers have a title on their own death, Ferré
À mon funerement
, Aznavour
J'abdiquerai
, Damien Saez
Song for my funeral
, but we can very well have
Pour un flirt avec toi
by Michel Delpech
", continues the Radio columnist France and signature of News Tank Culture.
“
We often come back to the music listened to by the deceased between the ages of 15-25, that which followed him all his life,
” adds Gautier Caton.
Before adding: "
There is recorded music, or live, with musicians and instruments, it is the family who chooses the mode of distribution
", further details Jean-Marie Lagarde.
The start-up Elicci, created in 2014, specializes in live performances, in all styles: lyrical, rock, gospel ...
“
We are experiencing slow but sure growth.
Initially, we were contacted through the funeral directors.
Now there is a big demand on the internet, it is people who think about it,
”described for AFP Aliette Frangi, founder of this company radiating around six large French cities.
