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)
Ave Maria
Vienna Boys' Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus, dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus
Benedictus fructus ventris tui
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
Jungfrau mild
Erhöre einer Jungfrau Flehen
Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild
Soll mein Gebet zu dir hinwehen
Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen
Ob Menschen noch so grausam sind
O Jungfrau, sieh der Jungfrau Sorgen
O Mutter, hör ein bittend Kind
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
The song Ave Maria, performed by the Vienna Boys' Choir, is a Latin prayer dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The lyrics are a salute to Mary, a prayerful request for her mercy, guidance, and protection. The first four lines of the song simply repeat the phrase "Maria, gratia plena," which means "Mary, full of grace." The next line "Ave, ave dominus, dominus tecum" translates to "Hail, hail Lord, the Lord is with you." This line is derived from the Catholic tradition and a sign of respect for the Virgin Mary, who is believed to be the mother of Jesus Christ. The following line "Benedicta tu in mulieribus" means "Blessed are you among women," which is another way of expressing reverence for the Virgin Mary.
The second part of the song begins with "Ave Maria, Jungfrau mild" meaning "Hail Mary, gentle virgin." The song then goes on to describe a devotion to Mary and a personal prayer that is offered to her. The first few lines of this part of the song describe a difficult situation where the singer asks for Mary's help to pray to God. The lines "We sleep safely until morning, Even though people are so cruel, Oh Virgin, look at the Virgin's worries, Oh Mother, hear a praying child" convey a feeling of security and hope which Mary provides for the devotee.
Line by Line Meaning
Ave Maria
Hail Mary, a greeting to the Virgin Mary
Gratia plena
Full of grace, expressing Mary's holiness and sanctity
Maria, gratia plena
Mary, full of grace
Maria, gratia plena
Mary, full of grace
Ave, ave dominus, dominus tecum
Hail, hail Lord, with you
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Blessed are you among women, recognizing Mary's unique role as chosen by God to give birth to Jesus
Et benedictus
And blessed, referring to Jesus as the blessed fruit of Mary's womb
Benedictus fructus ventris tui
Blessed is the fruit of your womb
Tui, Jesus
Your, Jesus
Ave Maria
Hail Mary
Ave Maria
Hail Mary
Jungfrau mild
Gentle virgin, a description of Mary's character
Erhöre einer Jungfrau Flehen
Listen to a young woman's plea, a request for Mary's intercession and help
Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild
From this hard and wild rock, a metaphor for the difficulties of life
Soll mein Gebet zu dir hinwehen
Should my prayer be directed to you
Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen
We sleep safely until morning, expressing trust in Mary's protection and care
Ob Menschen noch so grausam sind
Even if people are cruel
O Jungfrau, sieh der Jungfrau Sorgen
Oh virgin, see the virgin's concerns, a plea for Mary's empathy and help
O Mutter, hör ein bittend Kind
Oh mother, hear a praying child, an appeal for Mary's compassion and intercession
Ave Maria
Hail Mary
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, MMP Mute Music Publishing e.K., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Melodie Der Welt GmbH
Written by: Cliff Masterson, Helene Fischer, Alex Christensen, DP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
escolaniasds
Name of Boy soloist: ((according to comments)
Waddawik : i think his name is Michael Paddy Quilligan
Ronaldo Broca : His name is Michael Paddy Quilligan, and the year is 1957.
Afşin Özen : his name is Tommen Baratheon
QuickQuickSlowSlow55 : It's wee Jimmy Riddle, again
ANDREW MONTGOMERY:The voice behind the photographic is Andrew Montgomery; photo 1905
Eric Cartman : Its Bonny Langford's brother, Neville
Juan Velazquez : Everyone look up Andrew Johnston
Only two comments coincide : that of Waddawik and Ronaldo Broca. The others are diversity of names. Who is the authentic boy soloist?
Mystical Margaret
Such a beautiful, ethereal, Heaven-sent voice. It's so sad that the soloist is unknown!
Big D Liquor
Hands down the best version of this song, at least to me it is. The notes are so soft with out sung with so much to vibrato. Thank you so much for the upload. I never thought I'd find this version!
Haren Russel Samson Makaea
Hands down.. 🌹💖❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏
JurassicTrance
I prefer the Hitman version
But_kikr
Second that or what ever, I love this version
kevinrspBelieves
Celine Dion takes it for me
Glen Gerod
No German version can beat the Latin version. No offense intended.
Abandoned Muse
Even in the choir you can distinguish his voice above all others. Absolutely angelic. I wish I could sing this song like him. Every note is perfect.
Groverkiin Muppetborn
I remember performing this as a young boy during the introduction of Gotham's Renewal program. Most of my peers from back then are either dropheads or no longer with us. Listening to this song today is bittersweet.
fleurs et poèmes
I think this one was sang by that boy with glasses and long hair isn't it?