Meet the Singing Friar
Few singers would consider turning down a recording contract. But then few singers are also a Franciscan friar. Friar Alessandro was enjoying his quiet and simple life living and working within his order, singing in the occasional concert in the Italian town of Assisi, when he was discovered by Mike Hedges, a music producer who has worked with bands such as U2 and The Cure. Mike and his associates had been looking for the next Italian tenor and Alessandro’s rich voice immediately captivated them. They wanted to sign him up there and then; Alessandro was not so sure.
‘I love to live in tranquillity,’ he says, in halting English. ‘And I don’t want to be famous.’ When he was offered the contract, he turned to his brothers in the friary for advice. ‘They said maybe it is God asking me on a mission. Singing these songs, it is a good opportunity to evangelise.’
Buoyed by the support of the members of the friary, Alessandro agreed to undertake the project. He flew to England to record the album in Abbey Road. ‘It was the first time I’ve been on a plane,’ he grins. Saint Francis always sent his friars out on missions in pairs, so Friar Unan, a former barrister from Ireland, accompanied Alessandro on the trip. They opted to stay in a friary in London rather than take up the record company’s offer of a plush hotel. Friar Unan is also on hand to help Alessandro during his promotional activities, ready to offer quiet words of encouragement (and the odd bit of translation). ‘This is considered by us to be a mission,’ confirms Unan. ‘When we travel, we share in other friars’ lives, and go out and transmit the message through music.’
Trussed up in monastic dress, these friars seem a relic of a bygone age. It is only when a mobile phone rings, and Alessandro rummages about in his robes, that one is reminded we are in the 21st century, where a record deal can be considered a modern method of spreading the word of God. And yet, although the Franciscan order has strong traditions of music and dancing, Alessandro admits that it is difficult to balance his passion for singing with his spiritual calling. Time spent in Abbey Road, after all, is time away from the basilica. He went through a brief period of abstaining from performing, to prove to himself that his priority was his spirituality, and now regards it as a means to engage others. ‘Singing is a gift from God. It is not just for me – we should give our talents as a service to others.’
When he sings, he feels ‘like I am in another dimension’. He smiles frequently and broadly as he talks, which gives him an endearingly childlike air. ‘It’s like I’m inside this world and there is a door, and the music is the key to open it. When you open it, you can see God, heaven, love, glory… All the feelings of the human world and the feelings of the divine world in perfect harmony.’
Unlike the plethora of fame-hungry performers ribbing for a place in the charts, Alessandro would rather be regarded as a vessel. ‘I don’t want to be remembered. I just want to communicate with people. When you sing with your spirit, other spirits will notice that.’ He says all this with conviction, exuding an enviably contented air. He frequently refers to the ‘joy’ of the world and it is easy to see that he is suited to his unusual role. The journey to his present situation, however, has not been without struggle. He felt a calling at the tender age of 16, and was unsettled by the feeling. ‘I felt inside me a special communion with God and all creatures and all people,’ he explains. ‘Before I was convinced that God was just an idea. And yet after I felt his presence, he became more material than all the material things I’d met in life.’
After watching a film about Saint Francis, he knew that this was the life he desired. ‘Immediately I was afraid. I thought I wanted to be a musician and have a family, so I tried to chase away the idea.’
On top of his own reservations, he also had to deal with those of his family. ‘My family did not react very well. They were not especially religious so did not understand. They were angry and very worried for me.’
Unable to shake the feeling that he was being called, however, Alessandro joined the order at the age of 21. Happily, his family came round to the idea – their own faith strengthening as a result. ‘My father is now becoming a deacon,’ Alessandro beams.
In addition to the expected religious tracks, his album, Voice From Assisi, also features secular pieces. I am curious as to whether Alessandro can relate to songs about love. ‘Of course I have been in love with women,’ he states, and suddenly this softly spoken friar seems very Italian indeed. ‘I sometimes still fall in love with women,’ he reveals, ‘as I am only human. But that is the role of faith. My commitment to the Lord is stronger.’
After all promotional activity, Alessandro says that he wants nothing more than to return to the tranquil world of the friary. Along with the morning prayers, Holy Mass and hosting of pilgrims, he finds time in his day to indulge his love for music. As we walk in sunlight over to the basilica, I ask what he listens to when he is not the one singing.
‘I like Puccini, Verdi, Vivaldi… I also like Michael Jackson,’ he enthuses. ‘Like me, he believed God was the well of his music.’ From music deals to mobile phones to Michael Jackson, this is a very modern friar indeed.
Friar Alessandro’s album, Voice From Assisi, is available on Decca Records, priced £9.99.
‘I love to live in tranquillity,’ he says, in halting English. ‘And I don’t want to be famous.’ When he was offered the contract, he turned to his brothers in the friary for advice. ‘They said maybe it is God asking me on a mission. Singing these songs, it is a good opportunity to evangelise.’
Buoyed by the support of the members of the friary, Alessandro agreed to undertake the project. He flew to England to record the album in Abbey Road. ‘It was the first time I’ve been on a plane,’ he grins. Saint Francis always sent his friars out on missions in pairs, so Friar Unan, a former barrister from Ireland, accompanied Alessandro on the trip. They opted to stay in a friary in London rather than take up the record company’s offer of a plush hotel. Friar Unan is also on hand to help Alessandro during his promotional activities, ready to offer quiet words of encouragement (and the odd bit of translation). ‘This is considered by us to be a mission,’ confirms Unan. ‘When we travel, we share in other friars’ lives, and go out and transmit the message through music.’
Trussed up in monastic dress, these friars seem a relic of a bygone age. It is only when a mobile phone rings, and Alessandro rummages about in his robes, that one is reminded we are in the 21st century, where a record deal can be considered a modern method of spreading the word of God. And yet, although the Franciscan order has strong traditions of music and dancing, Alessandro admits that it is difficult to balance his passion for singing with his spiritual calling. Time spent in Abbey Road, after all, is time away from the basilica. He went through a brief period of abstaining from performing, to prove to himself that his priority was his spirituality, and now regards it as a means to engage others. ‘Singing is a gift from God. It is not just for me – we should give our talents as a service to others.’
When he sings, he feels ‘like I am in another dimension’. He smiles frequently and broadly as he talks, which gives him an endearingly childlike air. ‘It’s like I’m inside this world and there is a door, and the music is the key to open it. When you open it, you can see God, heaven, love, glory… All the feelings of the human world and the feelings of the divine world in perfect harmony.’
Unlike the plethora of fame-hungry performers ribbing for a place in the charts, Alessandro would rather be regarded as a vessel. ‘I don’t want to be remembered. I just want to communicate with people. When you sing with your spirit, other spirits will notice that.’ He says all this with conviction, exuding an enviably contented air. He frequently refers to the ‘joy’ of the world and it is easy to see that he is suited to his unusual role. The journey to his present situation, however, has not been without struggle. He felt a calling at the tender age of 16, and was unsettled by the feeling. ‘I felt inside me a special communion with God and all creatures and all people,’ he explains. ‘Before I was convinced that God was just an idea. And yet after I felt his presence, he became more material than all the material things I’d met in life.’
After watching a film about Saint Francis, he knew that this was the life he desired. ‘Immediately I was afraid. I thought I wanted to be a musician and have a family, so I tried to chase away the idea.’
On top of his own reservations, he also had to deal with those of his family. ‘My family did not react very well. They were not especially religious so did not understand. They were angry and very worried for me.’
Unable to shake the feeling that he was being called, however, Alessandro joined the order at the age of 21. Happily, his family came round to the idea – their own faith strengthening as a result. ‘My father is now becoming a deacon,’ Alessandro beams.
In addition to the expected religious tracks, his album, Voice From Assisi, also features secular pieces. I am curious as to whether Alessandro can relate to songs about love. ‘Of course I have been in love with women,’ he states, and suddenly this softly spoken friar seems very Italian indeed. ‘I sometimes still fall in love with women,’ he reveals, ‘as I am only human. But that is the role of faith. My commitment to the Lord is stronger.’
After all promotional activity, Alessandro says that he wants nothing more than to return to the tranquil world of the friary. Along with the morning prayers, Holy Mass and hosting of pilgrims, he finds time in his day to indulge his love for music. As we walk in sunlight over to the basilica, I ask what he listens to when he is not the one singing.
‘I like Puccini, Verdi, Vivaldi… I also like Michael Jackson,’ he enthuses. ‘Like me, he believed God was the well of his music.’ From music deals to mobile phones to Michael Jackson, this is a very modern friar indeed.
Friar Alessandro’s album, Voice From Assisi, is available on Decca Records, priced £9.99.