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)
My Heart Will Go On
Wiener Sängerknaben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on
Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on
Near, far, wherever you are
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone
Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
You're here, there's nothing I fear
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
The song "My Heart Will Go On" by Wiener Sängerknaben is a heartfelt ballad that speaks about the persistence of love even in the face of distance and time. It speaks of a love that can transcend physical barriers and endure even when the lovers are separated by distance. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is haunted by the memory of a lost love, but who still believes that their love will endure despite the odds. The central theme of the song is the resilience of the human heart and its ability to keep on beating even in times of great loss and sorrow.
The song begins with the line "Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you, That is how I know you go on." This line suggests that the memory of the lost love is so intense that it feels like the loved one is still present even in the singer's dreams. The next lines, "Far across the distance, and spaces between us, you have come to show you go on," suggest that distance has separated the lovers. However, the singer is comforted by the knowledge that their love endures despite this separation. This theme is echoed in the chorus, "Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go on." The song ends with the reassurance that the love will continue, and that the lost loved one will always be safe in the singer's heart.
Overall, "My Heart Will Go On" is a powerful and deeply emotional song that has touched millions of listeners around the world. It speaks to the power of love to transcend obstacles and endure despite seemingly insurmountable odds.
Line by Line Meaning
Every night in my dreams
I see you every night while I am asleep
I see you, I feel you
I feel your presence while I dream of you
That is how I know you go on
Your memory continues to exist in my heart and mind
Far across the distance
Despite being far apart
And spaces between us
Despite the physical distance that separates us
You have come to show you go on
You have found a way to demonstrate that you still exist
Near, far, wherever you are
No matter how close or far apart we are
I believe that the heart does go on
I believe that love continues to exist even when people are apart
Once more you open the door
You once again show that you still exist
And you're here in my heart
Your memory and essence remains in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
My love for you will continue to persist infinitely
Love can touch us one time
Love can have a profound effect on us
And last for a lifetime
And continue to have an impact throughout our lives
And never let go till we're gone
And remain with us until the end of our lives
Love was when I loved you
I experienced true love when I loved you
One true time I hold to
I have one memory of our love that I hold onto
In my life we'll always go on
Our love will always continue to exist in my life
You're here, there's nothing I fear
I feel safe when you're with me
And I know that my heart will go on
I know that my love for you will continue to persist
We'll stay forever this way
Our love will remain the same forever
You are safe in my heart
Your memory remains secure and cherished in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
My love for you will continue to persist infinitely
Writer(s): Will Jennings, James Horner
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anton Janssen
look for we are all a bit on our language?. Here are many children who normally find your bad reaction and take the bad things about that for them appear normal. my thanks is very great......... BOYS!
Germany
Denn wir sind alle ein bisschen auf unsere Sprache zu suchen?. Hier sind viele Kinder, die normalerweise Ihre schlechte Reaktion zu finden und über die schlechten Dinge zu nehmen, die für sie normal erscheinen. Mein Dank ist sehr groß... Jungs!
Nederlands
letten we allemaal een beetje op onze taal?. Hier zijn veel kinderen die jullie slechte reactie normaal vinden en nemen de slechte dingen over die voor hen normaal lijken. mijn dank is zeer groot......... MANNEN!
Sneaky Snake
we listened to this in school today,i started to cry...its so beautiful
이네마
i love this song of Vienna Boys Choir so much...very impressive and touching!!
mauricio d
It sounds amazing through a kid's voice!...
Elizabeth
that was so well done when some boys where on the boat that was very funny, also i had no idea that they were sooo good that sang it beautifully and not many boys can sing that high or in sink, and the boys are so good at sing well done
Jordan Stephenson
You boys are stunning and have beautiful voices your my little angels xoxo <3
Vivie Faezah
oh my God.. this is fantastic :) Subahanallah may i know how old are them .
bird angel
Vivie Faezah their age ranges from 9-14
Stephen Howell
Amazing
FanBai
sorry i'm late reply.. yeah their voices sound so beautifull. hope u like it ^_^
MusicalRaichu
the boys sang beautifully and the arrangement was wonderful, but the music was too loud so that it overpowered their voices, which I think would be the main point of the clip. plus the video/audio were out of sync.