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)
The Little Drummer Boy
Vienna Boys' Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
When we come
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
on my drum?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum
The Little Drummer Boy is a beloved Christmas song performed by the Vienna Boys' Choir. The song tells the story of a young boy who goes to visit the newly born King, Jesus Christ. The boy is poor and does not have any gifts to bring to the King. However, he realizes he has his drum and asks if he can play it for the baby. Mary, the mother of Jesus, nods in approval, and the boy plays his drum "to honor Him."
The lyrics of this song are simple yet powerful. They emphasize the fact that one need not have material possessions to give an offering to Christ. It is the thought and the heart behind the gift that matter the most. The little drummer boy shows us that one can use the talents and abilities they have to honor Christ, and that can be the best gift of all.
The song has become a Christmas classic and has been performed by many artists in various versions. It has been covered by popular singers like Bing Crosby, David Bowie, and Josh Groban, among others. Despite its popularity, the song has also faced some criticism for its religious connotations and its perceived commercialization of Christmas.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum
They summoned me to come with them by playing the rhythm of drums
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
We're going to see the newly born King
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
We bring the best gifts we have to offer
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
We're going to lay these gifts before the King
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
The sound of the drums keeps on beating with joy and anticipation
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
We do all this to show honor and respect to Him
When we come
We'll come with great joy and anticipation
Little Baby pa-rum pum pum pum
To the little baby, I play my drums
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
Just like the baby, I'm not rich and unable to bring expensive gifts
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
I only have my drum to offer
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
But I hope this humble offering will be accepted by the King
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
If it pleases You, I will play my drum
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
Mary agreed to let me play the drum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
Even the animals were captivated and moved by the sound of the drum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played the drum for the baby King
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
I played with all my heart and soul to give my best offering to Him
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
The drum's beats are still echoing in the air
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Then the baby King smiled at me
Me and my drum
I felt very blessed to be able to play my humble instrument for the King
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, INTERNATIONAL KORWIN CORP, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Diana Leal
Love this from the Vienna Boys Choir this my favorite song ever👍😇
Chris Smith
Absolutely Breathtaking! The Vienna Boy's Choir is my favorite for The Little Drummer Boy! Always a magnificent performance!
betty dale peters
Such lovely voices. It wouldn't be Christmas with out these boys and this song. Thank you
Modeltnick
I remember Christmas 1958, I was seven. This song was catching everyone’s attention. On Christmas Eve my dad was driving us to my family gathering and we stopped at a record store where he bought the record! Such sweet memories!
meeranaam
Perfection...the voices of God's little angels. Merry Christmas everyone.
jerseytomato100
Who else gets emotional at the line "Then He smiled at me, a rump-a-bum-bum-bum, me and my drum"? What a sweet image.
Mirenda Norton
I cry every time I hear this and I'm 56 years old! The perfect Christmas song in my opinion ❤
HotWax93
I do.
brenda ann
Yes, I want him to smile at me too :)
Stephanie Loverde
Age is just a number my friend. You’re allowed to have feelings even if you aren’t a child anymore