monjas gregorianas

ganan concurso para grabar un disco y las amenazan de muerte

NTDTV | 26 de julio de 2010

A group of nuns from France answer the prayers of a major record company looking for the world's best Gregorian chant performers.

A group of secluded nuns near Avignon, France, have signed a major record deal with Lady Gaga's record label.

Decca Records chose the nuns after a worldwide search for the best female Gregorian chant performers.

The nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation shone above 70 convents across the globe.

The nuns can now call Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, U2 and convent-educated Lady GaGa herself - label-mates.

The nuns are part of an ancient order, dating back to the 6th century.

Sisters continue the tradition of talking with any visitors, even family, through a wooden grille to avoid intrusion from the outside world.

Once vows have been taken to live in the convent, the sisters remain there for the rest of their lives.

[Sister Raphael, Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation]:
"Before starting the recording, we were a bit nervous, we were a bit afraid about what would happen to our cloistered life so we confided this to St. Joseph in our prayers. If this was going to help people to pray, if it's going to help people find God, if it's going to help peace, go through with it, make this go through."

To avoid interference in their daily lives, the nuns will film their own television commercial and photograph their own album cover.

The self-sufficient nuns - amongst them a plumber, an engineer, an electrician, a silk-weaver and a dental assistant - have already forbidden record company bosses from entering their cloister.

[Sister Raphael, Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation]:
"I think that our music appeals to a wider audience, secular and non-secular. The words have a very profound meaning that is coming from a sacred scripture. Singing in our daily lives is very important for us. It is our prayer. It is something we look forward to each day. It's not quite a question of how we feel when we sing but who we are and for whom we sing. But if you want us to tell us what we feel when we sing, it's joy, peace, and love - love of god which is very much present in our life."

The nuns' album will feature the most ancient form of Gregorian chanting, which the sisters sing eight times a day. Gregorian chanting was the first music ever to be written down.

The nuns have taken a vow to live a life free of worldly possessions.

The royalties from the album will go straight into the running of the monastery, supplementing the income they earn from other crafts.

The nuns' album, "Voices - Chant from Avignon", will be released worldwide in November.