The Singing Nun

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the person. For the film, see The Singing Nun (film).
"Sister Smile" redirects here. For the film, see Sister Smile (film).

Jeanne Deckers
Deckers holding a guitar and smiling
Background information
Birth nameJeanne-Paule Marie Deckers
Also known asThe Singing Nun
Sœur Sourire
Sister Luc Gabriel, O.P.
Luc Dominique
Born(1933-10-17)17 October 1933
Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Died29 March 1985(1985-03-29) (aged 51)
Wavre, Brabant, Belgium
GenresFolk, religious
Instrument(s)Vocals, acoustic guitar
LabelsPhilips Records

Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire (French for 'Smiling Sister') and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian singer-songwriter and a member of the Dominican Order in Belgium as Sister Luc Gabriel. She acquired widespread fame in 1963 with the release of the Belgian French song "Dominique", which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and other charts, along with her debut album. Owing to confusion over the terms of the recording contract, she was reduced to poverty, and also experienced a crisis of faith, leaving the order, though still remaining a Catholic. She died by suicide with her lifelong partner, Annie Pécher.

Early years

She was born Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, in

Fichermont, headquartered in the city of Waterloo, where she took the religious name "Sister Luc Gabriel".[6][7]

Beginning of fame

While in the convent, Sister Luc Gabriel wrote, sang, and casually performed her own songs, which were so well received by her fellow nuns and visitors that her religious superiors encouraged her to record an album, which visitors and retreatants at the convent would be able to purchase.[6]

In 1962, the album was recorded in Brussels at Philips; in 1963 the single "Dominique" became an international hit, and her album sold nearly two million copies.[7] Sister Luc Gabriel became an international celebrity and took the stage name of Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile"). She gave several live concerts and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on television on 5 January 1964.[8] "Dominique" was the first song by a Belgian artist to be a number one hit single in the United States.[9] The song's chorus "Dominique, nique, nique" caused some amusement among French listeners as the word "niquer" is short for "fornicate", with "nique" the equivalent of "fuck"; Deckers was unaware of link.[10]

Sister Luc Gabriel found it difficult, however, having to live up to her publicity as "a true girl scout," always happy and in a good mood. "I was never allowed to be depressed," she remembered in 1979. "The mother superior used to censor my songs and take out any verses I wrote when I was feeling sad."[11]

In 1963 the General Music Company published a book of 15 Soeur Sourire songs with English lyrics provided by Noël Regney, who later claimed that he had co-written "Dominique."[10] Later that same year she was sent by her order to take theology courses at the University of Louvain. She liked the student life, if not her courses.

Effects of fame and further musical career

Deckers did not see much money from her international fame, and her second album, Her Joys, Her Songs, received little attention and disappeared almost as soon as it was released in 1964. Most of her earnings were taken by Philips and her producer, while the rest automatically went to her religious congregation,[7] which earned at least $100,000 in royalties.[6]

In 1966, a biographical film loosely based on Sister Luc Gabriel was released called The Singing Nun and starring Debbie Reynolds in the central role.[7] Sister Luc Gabriel reportedly rejected the film as "fiction".[6]

Pulled between two worlds and increasingly in disagreement with the Catholic Church, Deckers left her convent in 1966

lay Dominican instead.[12] She later reported that her departure resulted from a personality clash with her superiors, that she had been forced out of the convent and did not leave of her own free will. Convent superiors denied the other nuns contact with her as she was described as a "bad influence". After she left, however, she continued to adhere as closely as she could to the disciplines of the convent, still considering herself a nun, praying several times daily, and maintaining a simple and chaste lifestyle.[11][13]

When she left the convent, her record company made her give up her professional names, "Sœur Sourire" and "The Singing Nun".

contraception, "Glory be to God for the Golden Pill".[14] This led to a backlash from the Catholic hierarchy which saw a succession of her planned concerts cancelled.[15] In 1968, Deckers turned to publishing, writing a book of inspirational verse, but that, too, failed to gain an audience.[16]

Deckers went on to release an album titled I Am Not a Star in Heaven

autistic children.[13] She eventually suffered a nervous breakdown, which was followed by two years of psychotherapy.[11]

Relationship with Annie Pécher

Deckers reconnected with Annie Pécher, whom she had known while at the

University of Louvain. They developed a strong relationship,[7] and shared an apartment until their deaths.[18]

Frustrated by rumours that the relationship was sexual, Deckers wrote:

People at my record company think that two women who live together must be lesbians. They assert even that nuns in convents are in love. I deny these rumors as I testify against every creepy spirit. The answer is still obvious that I am not homosexual. I am loyal and faithful to Annie, but that is a whole other love in the Lord. Anyone who cannot understand this can go to the devil![19]

Biographer Catherine Sauvat asserts that despite this denial, Deckers did go on subsequently to have a sexual relationship with Pécher, though only after several years of life together.[20]

Later years

In 1973, Deckers became involved with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Cardinal Suenens requested that she write songs for the movement, and this led to a brief but successful return to the stage, including a visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she sang before several thousand people.[7] Under the name "Sister Smile", she released another album in 1979, which she described as containing "honest, religious songs" commenting that the album would help listeners to "know who I really am."[11][21]

In the late 1970s, the

autism centre for children started by Deckers and Pécher had to close its doors for financial reasons in 1982.[7] After this, Deckers tried to make a living by giving lessons in music and religion.[23]

Death

The grave of Deckers and Pécher at Chérémont Cemetery in Wavre, Brabant, Belgium

Deckers and Pécher died by suicide, taking overdoses of barbiturates and alcohol on 29 March 1985.[9][24][25] In their suicide note, they referenced their financial problems. They also wrote that they had not lost their faith and wanted a joint burial, according to the rites of the Catholic Church.[23] They were buried together on 4 April 1985 in Chérémont Cemetery in Wavre, Brabant, the town where they died.[26] The inscription on their tombstone reads, "J'ai vu voler son âme/ A travers les nuages" (English: "I saw her soul fly through the clouds"), a line taken from her 1966 song "Luc Dominique".[27]

In popular culture

Books

Soeur Sourire. Zie me graag (Sister Smile. Love me) is a 2005 biographical novel by Luc Maddelein and Leen van den Berg [nl], inspired by Deckers' personal diaries and correspondence.[28] It contains excerpts from the diaries.[24] It was translated into French as Soeur Sourire. Journal d'une tragédie. (Sister Smile. Diary of a Tragedy).[29]

Theatre

In 1996, The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun premiered Off-Broadway at the Grove Street Playhouse. The play, which was written and directed by Blair Fell, was loosely based on events in Deckers' life. The production featured several musical numbers and followed the life of the title character, renamed Jeanine Fou, from her entry into the convent until her death with Pécher. The New York Times review stated the play "milks much of its comic mileage from the incongruous, and willfully tasteless, pairing of its holy setting and its trashy, Jacqueline Susann-style dialogue ... In dressing up despair in barbed frivolity, Mr. Fell provides his own skewed equivalent of tragic catharsis."[30] The Catholic League spoke out publicly against the production.[31]

In 2006, a musical version of Fell's play was staged during the

NYMF Award for Outstanding Individual Performance. The musical featured music and lyrics by Andy Monroe and a book by Fell (who also contributed additional lyrics); it was directed by Michael Schiralli.[32]

Films

The Singing Nun is a 1966 American semi-biographical film, directed by Henry Koster and with a screenplay by John Furia and Sally Benson. Based loosely on Deckers' life to that point in time, it stars Debbie Reynolds in the title role and also features Greer Garson, Ricardo Montalbán, Agnes Moorehead, Katharine Ross, Chad Everett, and Ed Sullivan as himself.[33]

In 2009, Sœur Sourire, a Franco-Belgian biopic, directed by Stijn Coninx and starring Belgian actress Cécile de France as Deckers, was released.[34][35][36] The film won the Magritte Award for Best Costume Design.[37]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

  • Best of Sœur Sourire (2003)
  • Sœur Sourire, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 (2009)
  • Sœur Sourire Sings – The Masterpieces (2021)

References

  1. ^ "Soeur Sourire – Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ISBN 978-1-4537-1096-8
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-4537-1096-8
    .
  4. ISBN 978-2-87386-434-7
  5. ISBN 978-1-4537-1096-8
    .
  6. ^ a b c d e Purtell, Tim (18 December 1992). "The Singing Nun's Story". ew.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-2-87386-434-7
    .
  8. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6
    .
  9. ^ a b "New film tells tragic story of Belgium's Singing Nun". The Guardian. 28 April 2009.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4537-1096-8
    .
  11. ^ a b c d e f Gordy, Margaret (8 February 1979). "'Singing Nun' makes comeback". Youngstown Daily Vindicator. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  12. ^ "Bits of Show Business". The Milwaukee Journal. 13 October 1966. Retrieved 5 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b "Belgium's Singing Nun Is Reported a Suicide". The New York Times. 2 April 1985.
  14. ISBN 978-0-19-531395-6
    .
  15. ^ Heneghan, Tom (29 April 2009). ""Sister Smile" film tells sad story of the Singing Nun". Blogs.reuters.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  16. ^ a b c "Legacy, Celebrity deaths". Legacy.com. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Soeur Sourire". IMDb. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  18. ^ Stephanie Mansfield, "The Singing Nun" in The Washington Post, 6 April 1978.
  19. ^ Dominique, Luc (1968). Vivre sa vérité. Paris: Desclée.
  20. ^ Sauvat, Catherine (2009). Soeur Sourire (in French). France Loisirs, 2009, p. 104.
  21. ^ "'Singing Nun' returns". Ottawa Citizen. 8 February 1979. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  22. ^ "Soeur Sourire – Dominique (1982)". Retrieved 16 March 2019 – via www.45cat.com.
  23. ^ a b "'Singing Nun' takes her own life at 52". The Milwaukee Journal. 2 April 1985. Retrieved 5 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ a b "Interview: Leen Van Den Berg over Soeur Sourire: Zie me graag" [Interview: Leen Van Den Berg on Soeur Sourire: Love me]. Gaylive.Be. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014.
  25. ISBN 2-87415-483-0
    .
  26. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 43607-43608). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  27. ISBN 978-1-4537-1096-8
    .
  28. ^ "Soeur Sourire. Zie me graag". leenvandenberg.be.
  29. ^ Soeur Sourire. Journal d'une tragédie. ASIN 2507002522.
  30. ^ "The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun" (Registration required). The New York Times.
  31. ^ "The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights". catholicleague.org. 1996. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  32. ^ Strothmann, Ben (3 October 2006). "Photo Coverage: NYMF's 'Singing Nun'". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
  33. ^ "AFI-Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  34. ^ Calder, Peter (1 May 2010). "Uncovering a sister act with a rocking habit". NZ Herald News. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  35. ^ "Le film "Soeur Sourire" en tournage à Liège". www.7sur7.be (in French). Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  36. ^ "The sad song of Belgium's singing lesbian nun". Topics. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  37. ^ "Van Dormael sweeps up at Magritte Awards". Cineuropa – the best of european cinema (in French). 7 February 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  38. ^ "The Singing Nun – Soeur Sourire | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  39. ISBN 978-0-8020-3935-4
    .

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sœur Sourire.
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