Our Beautiful Funeral Music: “Why Does Someone Have to Die,” by Philip Glass

In Philip Glass’ typically haunting style, “Why Does Someone Have to Die,” written for the blockbuster motion picture The Hours, the rich orchestration and full, almost narrative shape, fits perfectly with its title and makes for perfect funeral music. Today, Philip Glass is one of the most well-known of modern classical composers, and here he puts one of the many age-old questions of death in music, one that many of us may find ourselves asking, many times throughout our lives, and perhaps yet again when we choose our funeral music.