Hospice Flute: Music & Photography by Elaine Whitman
Hospice Flute
Music & Photography by Elaine Whitman
Elaine Whitman explains . . .
“I am performing this piece on a Native American Flute which I commissioned from the artist (http://www.billhughesflutes.com/) specifically as a hospice instrument. I play it in a variety of medical settings, but primarily at the bedside of patients who are in the last days or hours of their life. During these vigils, I play only the lowest notes of the flute. I do not play recognizable songs, but rather long, drawn-out tones. My eyes are on the patient’s chest, so that the length and spacing of my notes are congruent with the inhalation and exhalation of the patient’s breath.”
(slideshow)
