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Monks top the charts

Daniel Burke

Last week, while writing about a mini-renaissance of interest in Gregorian chant (find it here) I mentioned that Universal Music Group, the record company best known for acts like Eminem and Snoop Dogg, had signed Austrian monks from a Cistercian monastery to cut an album.

The album “Chant-Music for Paradise,” released this May, has hit #1 on the classical charts and #9 on the pop charts.

A spokeswoman for the record company said: “These monks are singing stars who are in bed by 9pm, have their days filled with prayer, contemplation and good deeds: what better pop idol for 2008?”


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