Over the centuries, the choir has worked with many composers including Mozart, Caldara, Salieri, Heinrich Isaac, Hofhaimer, Biber, Fux, Gluck, and Bruckner.
History
The choir is the modern-day descendant of the boys' choirs from the Viennese Court, dating back to the late Middle Ages. The choir was, for practical purposes, established by a letter written by Maximilian I of Habsburg on 7 July 1498. In the letter the Emperor instructed court officials to employ a singing master, two basses and six boys. Jurij Slatkonja became the director of the ensemble.
The role of the choir (numbering between fourteen and twenty) was to provide musical accompaniment to the church mass. The boys received a solid musical education, which in most cases had a significant impact on the rest of their lives, as many went on to become professional musicians. The composers Jacobus Gallus, Franz Schubert, and the conductors Hans Richter, Felix Mottl and Clemens Krauss were members of the choir. The Haydn brothers were members of the St. Stephen's Cathedral choir, directed at the time by Georg Reutter II who used this choir in his duties for the imperial court which at the time had no boy choristers of its own.
In 1920 the Hofkapelle (court musicians) was disbanded. However, the rector at the time, Josef Schnitt, sought a continuation of the tradition. In 1924 the "Vienna Boys' Choir" was officially founded and has evolved into a professional music group. Since 1948 the Palais Augarten has served as their rehearsal venue and boarding school which goes from kindergarten level up to middle school level. The choir adopted its now-famous blue and white sailor suits, replacing the imperial military cadet uniforms that included a dagger. The composer HK Gruber is one of the graduates of the reformed choir.
The choir is a private, not-for-profit organization. There are approximately 100 choristers between the ages of ten and fourteen. The boys are divided into four touring choirs, named for Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, which perform about 300 concerts each year in front of almost 500,000 people. Each group tours for about nine to eleven weeks.
After Dr. Eugen Jesser died in May 2008, Walter Nettig became the choir's president and Franz Schlosser its director. Gerald Wirth became the choir's artistic director in 2001.
Since the turn of the 21st century, the choir has come under pressure to modernise and has faced criticism of their musical standards leading to a split with the Vienna State Opera. The choir has for the first time had to advertise for recruits after a rival choir school was established by Ioan Holender, director of the opera company. He complained of both falling standards and of poor communication with the choir. He said that the State Opera sometimes trained boys for particular stage roles only to find out on the day of performance that they were unavailable as they had gone on tour with the choir. Some boys were attracted to the rival choir school by the prospect of a more relaxed atmosphere and of performance fees being paid directly to them.[4] The Vienna Boys Choir has sought to update its image, recording pop music selections and adopting an alternative uniform to the sailor suits used since the 1920s, allowing the boys to dance as they sing.
Selected discography
Christmas
* Wiener Sängerknaben Goes Christmas (2003)
* Frohe Weihnacht (Merry Christmas) (1999)
* Christmas in Vienna / Heiligste Nacht (1990)
* The Little Drummer Boy (1990)
* Merry Christmas from the Vienna Choir Boys (1982)
* Christmas with the Vienna Choir Boys (with Hermann Prey)
* Christmas with the Vienna Boys' Choir, London Symphony Orchestra (1990)
* Weihnacht mit den Wiener Sängerknaben (Gillesberger 1980)
* Die Wiener Sängerknaben und ihre Schönsten ... (1967)
* Frohe Weihnacht (1960)
* Christmas Angels (RCA Gold Seal)
Pop music
* I Am from Austria (2006)
* Wiener Sängerknaben Goes Pop (2002)
Other recordings
* Orff: Carmina Burana (with Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) (1994)
Adeste Fideles
Vienna Boys' Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
God of God
Light of Light
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb
Very God
Begotten, not created
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
See how the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze
We, too, will thither
Bend our hearts' oblations
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Lo, star-led chieftains
Magi, Christ adoring
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh
We to the Christ-child
Bring our hearts' oblations
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Child, for us sinners
Poor and in the manger
Fain we embrace
Thee with love and awe
Who would not love Thee
Loving us so dearly
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above
"Glory to God
In the highest"
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee
Born this happy morning
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing
O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
The Vienna Boys' Choir's rendition of "Adeste Fideles" is a beautiful piece of choral music that is perfect for the holiday season. The song's lyrics tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and encourage all to come and adore him. The first verse implores everyone to join in and come to Bethlehem, where the King of Angels has been born. The second verse highlights the divine nature of Christ and how he was begotten but not created. The third verse speaks of the shepherds who were summoned to witness the birth of Christ, and how we too should offer our hearts' oblations to him. The fourth verse speaks of the Magi, who offer incense, gold, and myrrh to the Christ-child. The fifth verse speaks about how Jesus Christ was born poor, and how he should be embraced with love and awe. Finally, the song ends with a joyful chorus of angels singing praises to God in the highest.
Overall, "Adeste Fideles" is a beautiful song that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and encourages all people to come and adore him. Its combination of beautiful choral music, uplifting lyrics, and religious significance makes it a perfect piece for the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, all ye faithful
Come, all you who have faith
Joyful and triumphant
Rejoice and be victorious
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
See Him
Born the King of Angels
The King of Angels is born
O come let us adore Him
Let us worship Him
O come let us adore Him
Let us worship Him
O come let us adore Him
Let us worship Him
Christ the Lord
Jesus Christ is the Lord
God of God
He is God, begotten of God
Light of Light
He is the Light of Light
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb
He was born of a Virgin
Very God
He is truly God
Begotten, not created
He was not created but begotten
See how the shepherds
Look at the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle
Called to His crib
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze
Left their sheep to come and see Him
We, too, will thither
We will also go there
Bend our hearts' oblations
Offer our hearts' devotion
Lo, star-led chieftains
Behold the leaders led by the star
Magi, Christ adoring
The Magi worshiping Christ
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh
Presenting Him with incense, gold, and myrrh
We to the Christ-child
We bring to the Christ-child
Bring our hearts' oblations
Our hearts' devotion
Child, for us sinners
A child for us sinners
Poor and in the manger
Poor and in the manger
Fain we embrace
We gladly embrace
Thee with love and awe
You with love and awe
Who would not love Thee
Who would not love You
Loving us so dearly
Loving us so much
Sing, choirs of angels
Angels singing
Sing in exultation
Singing with great joy
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above
Sing, all you citizens of heaven above
"Glory to God
In the highest"
"Glory to God in the highest"
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee
Yes Lord, we greet You
Born this happy morning
Born on this joyful morning
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given
Give all the glory to Jesus
Word of the Father
The Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing
Now appearing in flesh
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Miller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BurtBowers
Such beautiful music..my mother was born in Frankfurt Germany & she & my dad always loved listening to the Vienna boys Christmas songs..thanks for the posting..
@missylu24
Best version of this beautiful classic.
@nonocarrasco8975
maravilloso!
@MrsNice-tb8hn
Besser gehts nicht !!!
@nicholasherr6166
NEW RUSSIAN BOYS CHOIR
@nicholasherr6166
ILDE ro