Choirs set to join voices for Hospice fundraiser
The first Hospices were bathed in song. The monks and nuns who looked after the ailing pilgrims in their care also sang the regular services in the chapel, so music was always in the lives of both the living and the dying. Their plainsong is still sung by choirs but not in modern hospices. Musical tastes have become so diverse that we do not have background music in our own hospice. The music that would soothe one guest might well cause another to seethe.
Some of this diversity will be shown in the hospice fundraiser ‘Voices for Hospice”. Each of the choirs has its own repertoire and preferred type of music. It is only in this biannual fundraiser that the choirs share the same platform, with each singing for about 12 minutes.
There will also be three pieces for the audience and choirs to sing together. Two are tunes composed 100 years ago and recently given new words, and the third, Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, has been associated with World Hospice Day for many years. We first sang the complete Messiah on World Hospice Day 1997.
The original Monastic Hospices gave free medical care and hospitality to the pilgrims who stayed with them and this gift continues to be the norm for New Zealand Hospices.
However, unlike those early hospices, modern ones have a wide range of operating expenses to pay for. So, despite the valuable contributions of many volunteers, a lot of money is required to keep the service a free one. The District Health Board contributes just under half, the rest has to be donated.
The choirs taking part are: The Community Choir, The Lyric Singers, Wanganui Schola Sacra Choir and Wanganui Male choir. In addition we are pleased to welcome soloist Iain Tetley, and Awa Tuipuia.