How many of us think about what kind of music we want at our funerals?

My husband, Carl Crosier, talked about the music for his funeral for at least twenty years before we finally had to act on it. He had heard women at the Church of the Advent choir sing the Gregorian propers one year at the Gardner museum in Boston, and decided he wanted the same. The memorial service is apparently a tradition that has been carried out yearly in the atrium at the request of Isabella Stewart Gardner, the museum’s founder, who wanted to showcase her art collection “for the education and enjoyment of the public forever.”

Years ago I decided I wanted the six-voice organ motet, Aus tiefer Not by J. S. Bach, played at my funeral, but I am afraid it’s only wishful thinking, because few organists play the piece, which has four independent voices in the manuals, and two voices in canon in the pedal. I did record it myself, but I’m not sure where the recording is located.

Ian Capps, the former president of Early Music Hawaii and host of “The Early Muse” on Hawaii Public Radio, specifically requested Renaissance music for his memorial service, which will take place tomorrow, Sunday afternoon at 5:00 pm, at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Scott Fikse will be conducting a quartet from the Early Music Hawaii Chamber Choir, including Kim Sueoka (soprano), Sarah Lambert Connelly (alto), Mark Primeaux-Redmond (tenor), and Keane Ishii (bass). You can find the program below, and you’ll see that it’s full of Renaissance music, including works by Ian’s favorite composers: William Byrd (1540-1623), Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611), Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), Cristobal de Morales (1500-1553), Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), and Josquin des Prez (1450-1521), plus others.

I’ll be playing Henry Purcell’s “When I am laid in earth,” as arranged for organ solo, the famous aria called Dido’s Lament from the opera, Dido and Aeneas. It’s probably one of the saddest piece of music I know!

Here’s a version I found on YouTube.

Also, one of my favorite hymn tunes, THAXTED, by Gustav Holst, will be sung by the assembly. This hymn is well-known by the British people for its majestic and uplifting melody from “The Planets: Jupiter.” It’s frequently used at weddings and funerals.

The service will be livestreamed, and you’ll find the link here.

You can also hear the final broadcast of Ian’s show, “The Early Muse: The Sunset Show” with commentary by Ian’s colleagues at Hawaii Public Radio here.