how much is that doggie in the window?

I am often asked about my work as rota organist at the crematorium. During the past 10 years I have played for well over 5000 funerals and to write about all of them would take several volumes of books! As it is a public place it takes in all sorts of religions and faiths. Most of the services are Christian and some of these might be in another language besides English. To hear "what a friend we have in Jesus" in Chinese, as recently was the case in a Chinese Evangelical service, is quite a novel experience.

Things do not always run smoothly - eg the coffin which was too large for the catafalque, the punch-up between the wife and ex-wife of the deceased, and the drunken brawl for which the police had to be called. On another occasion the minister leaned on the button which caused the coffin to descend at the beginning of the service. It had to be brought up again which resulting in great embarrassment to some and amusement to others.
 
On another occasion the organ refused to work so an emergency organ was hurriedly sent down from the burial chapel. As it was too large to be brought up to the organ loft I spent the rest of the day playing a 2 manual entertainment organ with one octave of pedals right at the front and even a well-placed flower arrangement failed to obscure me from the view of the congregation. One of the funeral directors was most amused and said that at least the congregation would now realise that he music was live!

Music plays an important part in the services and it is interesting how tastes have changed Although the traditional pieces such as "Jesu joy" are still the most popular there is a huge variety of styles from popular to classical. There are often some puzzling choices such as 'Smoke gets in your eyes'- perhaps it is the tune rather than the words that have been considered! I always take people’s choices seriously even if I might find some of them a bit strange. What might sound trivial to some might be very important for others.

Some people like to bring in CDs of their favourite music. Although the choices are usually quite sensible, some I think are beyond the pale - "Bat out of Hell" and "Ring of fire" were two recent examples.

Some of the pieces I have been asked to play on the organ recently include "How much is that doggie in the window", "Bring me sunshine", The Birdie Song and "Half a sixpence, jolly jolly sixpence"(song sheets were given to the congregation so they could join in whilst skipping out of the chapel) These are but a few of the many examples of jollity. The list of unusual pieces seems endless. It is truly a case of "You hum it, I'll play it."
It seems that experience of playing in pubs and clubs is more helpful than any amount of organ lessons.

Hymns are rather more predictable with "The Lord's my Shepherd" and "Abide with me" still being the favourites. I have sometimes however accompanied a congregational rendition of "Goodnight Irene", "You'll never walk alone" and "Flower of Scotland."

This has been a but brief glimpse of an organist's lot at the crematorium but will hopefully throw some light on on the can happen!