Threnody: a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person [syn: dirge, coronach, lament, requiem]

[From Greek threnoidia, from threnos (lament) + oide (song). Ultimately from Indo-European root wed- (to speak) that is also the forefather of such words as ode, tragedy, comedy, parody, melody, and rhapsody.]

Notable example - "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" by Penderecki