Cistercian Monks Hit the Music Charts

VIENNA, Austria (Zenit) - The Cistercian monks of the Stift Heiligenkreuz Abbey are unlikely candidates to make pop music's Top 10 list -- but they did just that, debuting at No. 9 in the United Kingdom.

A CD of their prayer, "Chant: Music for Paradise," (sold as "Chant: Music for the Soul" in some countries) has been called a "must-have" by reviewers.

Cistercian Father Karl Wallner, rector of the Benedict XVI Papal University of Heiligenkreuz, attributed the CD's overwhelming welcome to the fact that "Gregorian chant spreads harmony, peace and consolation in the depth of the soul."

We spoke with Father Wallner about the CD and the monks who made it.

Q: Entitled "Chant -- Music for Paradise," the Cistercians' CD has had extraordinary success. It would seem that Gregorian chant could be described as "music for the world." How do you account for this?

Father Wallner: The CD enables one to listen to our daily prayer to God, which we sing in the holy traditions of the Church and of the order, on the basis of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Its success, on one hand, is amazing. And it is amazing that suddenly a world that has become so profane is interested in a soft and harmonious Latin chant and that our CD jumped to the top of the pop music charts.

In England, not only is the CD number one in the field of classical music, but it is also among the top 10 on the charts where usually only pop and similar music is found. Even in stores, our CD has been put under the title "pop."

Here is my interpretation of this: Secular music has arrived at a dead point. In a world anguished by stress and nerves, it now causes more stress and nerves. Sacred music, above all Gregorian chant, has always been an oasis to bring relief to the soul. And it seems that many seek this oasis with nostalgia.

We have observed that for years, young people whom we invite to hear our chant, listen in silence, are fascinated, and then say with enthusiasm how they [found it] "cool." Therefore, it seems clear that there is an instinct in men's ailing hearts, which drives them to look for a medicine. Hence Gregorian chant is a medicine for the soul.

Q: Not long ago the Holy Father said that music, and in general true art, does not separate man from his daily concerns or from the reality of every day. Is this also true for Gregorian chant?

Father Wallner: I consider our choral prayer, during which we use Gregorian chant to praise and exalt God, a moment of relaxation and spiritual uplifting. Benedict speaks of [it as the] "work for God" -- in Latin, "opus Dei." Thus, it isn't a waste of time. It isn't something absurd; it's an action full of significance, a "work" -- a work, in fact, for God.

And in true music, there isn't only one man who sings, rather, it is a dimension of the Eternal that penetrates man, creating in him an ability to listen. Why has Gregorian chant always been called "the song of the angels?" Because something is felt that comes from and resounds from another world, something that cannot be measured with mere coordinates, such as rhythm, harmony and notes. That is why this form of music is not foreign to daily life, but heals the wounds of every day and helps to overcome them.

Q: What are the characteristics of this form of sung prayer, which is "daily bread" in convents and monasteries?

Father Wallner: Gregorian chant is very ancient. It was born in the first millennium, appearing already in the 4th century, and in many aspects is addressed to the Most High.

First of all the texts are, for the most part, verses from the Bible: hence it is the word of God, which from the mouths of men returns to God in the form of singing.

In the second place, the composers of the melodies were pious anonymous men consecrated to God, mostly monks, who created the music not out of a desire for fame, but men who desired, once the work was complete, to return to total anonymity. Hence, men who in their longing for holiness created something holy.

In the third place, chant is very fascinating, inasmuch as it is situated outside our normal experience of music. There are no tones of C major or D minor, there are no tempi, there is no established rhythm; it is a song for only one voice. Hence, it is a different sound from all other sounds that we today call music. And at the same time, it is at the root of all that which subsequently developed as music.

Fourth point: chant is above all a sung prayer. We sing it always before the altar; therefore, it is not for the people, but for God. That is why we can never go on tour with our chant, because it is always a question of prayer. The recordings for the CD "Chant -- Music for Paradise" were also taken from prayer.

Q: In the month of June, the Pope will pray, among other things, that all Christians ...

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