The Columbarium: Dun-Dun-DunDun-Dun-DunDun-DunDun-DunDun
The Columbarium is a free, weekly newsletter where the history of death and dying meets practical advice about the same. Enjoy this issue from the archive—and if you like it, consider signing up!
Come on, you know exactly what funeral march I’m talking about. It sounds like a slow version of Darth Vader’s theme on piano.
Turns out it’s by Chopin. The third movement of his Piano Sonata No. 2, to be specific. And it’s literally called Funeral March. Or rather, Marche funèbre, because he was Fre—hold up. Wikipedia informs me Chopin was POLISH?
I’m learning so much today. Focus, Robison.
Why is Chopin’s funeral march the first one that comes to mind? He’s far from the only classical composer to tackle the subject: Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Mahler all wrote their own.
According to NPR, Chopin wrote his funeral march in the 1830s in sympathy with Poland’s unsuccessful November Uprising against Russia at the beginning of the decade.
Tsar Nicholas I was like, “I’m going to command my Polish troops to stop the July Revolution in Paris and protect my conservative pal King Charles X.” The Polish troops were like, “No thanks,” and took over part of Warsaw. Tsar Nicholas was like, “Cute,” and sent in 115,000 Russian troops. They put up a good fight, but ultimately things did not go well for the 40,000-strong Polish army.
Allegedly, that’s what Chopin was mourning with his funeral march. But that doesn’t explain why we all know it so well.
What does explain it? Cartoons. Professional Wrestling. Commercials. Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Pop culture has inundated us with the song ever since we were little, inextricably tying it to our perception of death. You may not know it’s Chopin—I didn’t until I wrote this newsletter. But you do know Spongebob Squarepants.
In case you were wondering, Chopin’s funeral march did indeed play at his own funeral. I’ve been to his grave at Père Lachaise in Paris. Can you really blame me for assuming he was French?
If you’re holding a memorial service at a funeral home or place of worship, they should already have a way for you to play music. But if you’re planning a celebration at a less traditional location—restaurant, public park, bowling alley—remember to add musical logistics to your to-do list, whether that’s a bluetooth speaker or microphones and cables for a live band.
More on funeral planning here.