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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia ~ Number 1 on the Billboard Charts

Richard J. Clark · June 12, 2015

EER BREWING Benedictine Monks from Norcia, Italy, just released their unique CD of Marian chants mostly from the Divine Office. Directed by Choirmaster Basil Nixen, it was produced by eleven time Grammy Award winner Christopher Adler. In its debut, it has reached #1 on the Classical Billboard Charts, and Top 35 overall in iTunes.

It was released by De Montfort Music, the sister company to AimHigher Recordings that brought us the Top 5 Billboard CD, St. Paul’s Christmas in Harvard Square. Perhaps the recent commercial success of sacred music is indicative of humanity’s natural hunger for transcendent union with the Divine. This CD certainly brings prayerful tranquility to those who listen.

      * *  Order the CD here: BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia You can also view the track list and listen to samples. It is also available on iTunes.

UITE REMARKABLY, THE AVERAGE AGE of the monks in Norcia is only 33. Furthermore, Norica is the birthplace of St. Benedict and his twin sister, Scholastica. Despite this, the town had not had a monastery for nearly two hundred years; the monastery was suppressed during the Napoleonic era. So in 2000, the local bishop invited the monks—located in Rome—to establish a monastery in Norcia under Prior, Fr. Cassian Folsom.

Fr. Folsom, a Massachusetts native, studied music at Indiana University. He discusses the very ordinary routine life of the monks of prayer and work. Singing the Divine Office and mass, Fr. Folsom says, “Music, for the monastic life, is an essential part of our prayer…Chant is part of the air we breathe.” Producer Christopher Adler also notes that this music is not simply for pleasure, but a necessary part of the fabric of their everyday lives. “You can hear that in the sincerity of their singing.” Furthermore, Adler states, “It has something eternal to it…you don’t feel it will ever go out of date.”

      * *  You can listen to a special interview on NPR’s Weekend Edition and NPR Music with the Prior and Founder of The Monks of Norcia here.

      * *   You can learn more about their beer, Birra Nursia, here.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Vatican II did not say anything about the direction of the celebrant. […] I love both directions of celebrating Mass. Both are full of meaning for me. Both help me to encounter Christ—and that is, after all, the purpose of the liturgy.”

— Christoph Cardinal Schönborn (February 2007)

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