The Gregorian Schola Karolus Magnus from Nijmegen (the Netherlands) just released their latest CD “The Martyred Virgins: A Gregorian memorial to female victims of violence”. It features Gregorian music interspersed with spoken words (in English) describing violence against women, historically. The CD is accompanied by a booklet of 48 pages with text in English, Latin and Dutch. On it, one can also hear parts of the testimonials of three Rwandan women who were profiled in “The Men Who Killed Me” (Adela, Marie Jeanne and Clementine). The music is intended to be a tribute to all women all over the world who faced or are still facing violence.
According to the producers: “[It] Started as a project honouring Saint Agnes and all other female martyrs venerated in the Catholic church, it grew into a sung monument in which violence against all women is commemorated. Typical here is that ‘Martyred Virgins’ does not only honour the women who died for their faith, nor only the women who were physically violated because they believed. The ‘Martyred Virgins’ is also a monument for the woman and her role in today’s society. And thus the Schola veers off into a different direction: the old Gregorian chant serves today’s needs.”
On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Schola began a tour through the Netherlands to raise awareness of violence against women. For more information about the Gregorian choir and the CD, see: http://www.karolus-magnus.nl/Virgin_martyress_eng.html
The CD (8 euros) can be ordered by sending an e-mail to mr. J. Bernards (janbernards@kabelfoon.nl) or through Amazon ($6,99) via http://www.amazon.com/The-Martyred-Virgins/dp/B006Y0FF14 (where you are able to listen to a sample of the music).
