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)
Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht
Wiener Sängerknaben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
Hirten erst, kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja
Christ der Retter ist da
Christ der Retter ist da Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb aus seinem göttlichen Mund
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'Christ in deiner Geburt
Christ in deiner Geburt
The song Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, also known as Silent Night in English, is a beloved Christmas classic that has been translated into multiple languages and is sung all around the world. The lyrics paint a peaceful picture of the night Jesus was born, with everything quiet and still except for the holy couple and their baby. The first verse introduces the scene with the image of a sleeping world, only interrupted by the presence of the holy family and the comforting presence of a little baby with curly hair. The second verse brings in the shepherds, who have just received the angelic announcement of Christ's birth and are spreading the word excitedly. The third verse shifts the focus to Christ himself, joyfully laughing and bringing love and salvation to the world.
The lyrics of Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht have a simplicity and elegance that capture the wonder of the Christmas story. The use of repetition in the first and last lines of each verse and the gentle rhyming add to the soothing, peaceful feeling of the song. The use of contrasts, such as the sleeping world versus the holy family, and the hushed quiet versus the joyful proclamation of the shepherds, create a sense of balance and harmony in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
Peaceful night, holy night
Alles schläft, einsam wacht
Everything is asleep, only one person is awake
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar
Only the beloved and holy couple
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar
Beautiful child with curly hair
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh
Sleep in heavenly peace
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh
Sleep in heavenly peace
Hirten erst, kundgemacht
First told to the shepherds
Durch der Engel Halleluja
By the angels' hallelujah
Tönt es laut von Fern und Nah
It resounds loudly from far and near
Christ der Retter ist da
Christ the savior is here
Christ der Retter ist da
Christ the savior is here
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
God's son, how he laughs
Lieb aus seinem göttlichen Mund
Love from his divine mouth
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'
The saving hour strikes for us
Christ in deiner Geburt
Christ in your birth
Contributed by Nolan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheDacapo1
Absolutely beautiful and timeless and arresting to say the least. Dear God if only we could teach as many young boys as possible to sing harmony at an early age, the world would be a better place. God bless The Vienna Boys Choir for decades of hope and beauty.
@wienersaengerknaben1498
thank you for your lovely comment!
@elainethemusician3310
This must be the best loved carol in the world and this is one of the loveliest versions l have ever heard. It is so good to hear these boys from Austria, the home of Silent Night, and, of course, in their native German; the original language. They have such lovely smiles, too.
@wienersaengerknaben1498
Thank you very much! It probably IS the best loved carol in the world - the version here is the original, as Franz Xaver Gruber (the composer) and Joseph Mohr (the lyricist) are said to have sung it themselves on Christmas Eve in 1818. They say it has been translated in over 300 languages.
@marieboutin9054
sehr schön. Wunderbar. Dieses lied ist sehr schön auf Deutsch.
@IrwanSihombing-ng5bz
Thankyou for posting. I had loved listening to this beautiful and heavenly Vienna Boys Voices since I was very young. I'm now turning to 60 years old and still enjoy listening. It brings back my childhood beautiful Christmas memory.
@wienersaengerknaben1498
thank you for sharing your memories!
@petraluger5357
woah... das schönste Weihnachtslied geht immer sehr tief.....
@jem1954
Wow - 1,1 Mio. Aufrufe inzwischen! Das ist toll und hochverdient. Für mich ist die Präsentation dieser Vier immer noch die schönste Interpretation dieses wundervollen Liedes. Danke an Simeon, Matthew, Philipp und Daniel mit ihren engelsgleichen Stimmen für diesen zu Herzen gehenden Gesang ... 👌👍🤗❣
@Heike0815
dem kann ich nur zustimmen. Ich suche immer wieder genau dieses Video mit diesen herrlichen Stimmen und den leuchtenden Augen der Jungen 😀