The Monks of Norcia are more than just a secular religion devoted to making great beer. Instead, they are sensitive musicians dedicated to restoring the town of Norcia with Gregorian chant--a form that was omnipresent in the region until 1810. Father Cassian of the Monks, an American, has now made himself and his fellow devotees best selling recording artists.
The sacred town of Norcia is home to St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism. Existing for nearly 800 years, the piazza and Basilica in the town fell silent under the new Napoleonic code that was imposed. Some 200 years later, Father Cassian Folsom, an American, immigrated to Italy and returned the music to the church.
Coming in 2000, he and two other monks formed a choir and filled the valley with music once more.
Their devotion is rooted in music. Singing for the monks is an act of prayer, one that brings them closer to God. But, the monks never knew that their chants would rank them among the top selling Classical artist at the end of 2015 per Billboard.
C-lite spoke to Fr. Cassian last year when their debut LP, Benedicta, took the top slot in the Classical Traditional Album category, and he said of their musical faith:
"It's a way for us to express our faith, so while one might be able to merely say "I love you" to God, singing it has a bit more fervor. All the texts that are set to music are from our liturgy so each chant has a distinct quality to it."
Perhaps it's the listeners ability to hear the devotion in the chant that makes it both accessible and attractive or maybe it's the believability of the monks singing that has been able to sell the album entirely on its own.
Whatever the case may be, the liturgy is now in the circle of Best Selling musicians, a realm they never envisioned themselves entering.
Congratulations, once again, the Benedictine Monks and all their success as musicians.
