Billboard reported this week that, for the second year in a row, the top-selling classical artists were the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a community of nuns from rural Missouri.
The sisters’ “Lent at Ephesus” and “Angels and Saints at Ephesus” – collections of ancient chants and hymns – were the first- and second-best selling traditional classical albums of 2014 (the traditional classical category excludes crossover releases, according to Billboard).
“Lent at Ephesus,” which was released on Feb. 11 by Decca, sold about 34,000 copies this year and spent 38 weeks on the chart. “Angels,” which was released in 2013, came in second place with 20,000 copies over 45 weeks. Billboard‘s rankings are based on sales data for the year’s top sellers compiled by Nielsen Music.
posted by Jon White