VIENNA CHOIR BOYS PERFORM CONCERTS
CHRISTMAS AND YEAR-ROUND
Story and photos by Barb & Ron Kroll
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Who dresses as a sailor, sings like an angel, plays soccer with a passion, travels the world, and becomes a pensioner at 14? Answer: A Vienna Choir Boy.
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| Vienna Choir Boy. Austria. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
The world-famous singing group dates back to 1498. "Emperor Maximilian I selected eight boys to sing at Sunday mass in the Imperial Chapel," explained Herbert Gröger, who was conducting the choir, during our visit.
The Hapsburg dynasty supported the boys' choir until 1918, when the empire broke down. Chaplain, Monsignor Schmidt, re-established the group with 11 boys in 1924, and in 1927, changed their name from the Imperial Choir Boys to the Vienna Boys' Choir.
Disney changed name
The name stuck until 1961, when the group made a Walt Disney movie. "Disney registered them as the Vienna Choir Boys," says Gröger. "That's the name they must now legally use in North America. Elsewhere in the world, it's still the Vienna Boys' Choir."
Why do they wear blue and white sailor outfits? Gröger explains: "The Emperor's uniforms were not appropriate in 1924. Neither were church vestments, because the group gave secular concerts as well as religious ones. In the 1920s, sailor suits were fashionable, so that's what they chose."
The boys travel as much as mariners. There are four choirs, each with 25 members. Two choirs sing at the Imperial Palace Chapel and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, while two travel from Europe and the Orient to North America and the South Pacific.
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| Vienna Boys' Choir. Augarten Palace. Vienna, Austria. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
"Since we're self-supporting and accept no state money, we can visit any country, regardless of their political system," says Gröger. "The money we earn pays for the boys' travel and education, and maintains their home and school, the Augarten Palace, in the former Imperial gardens."
Because the boys tour for three months of the school year, they attend private classes at the Augarten. Twice-yearly examinations ensure that they've reached the same academic levels as students in state-run schools. Combined with rehearsals, performances and travels, their studies leave little time for soccer, a game that they dearly love.
Short career
A Vienna Choir Boy's career is very short. Most enter preparatory school when they're eight or nine. At 10, they must pass a test before joining a touring choir. They devote the next four years to singing and schooling. On weekends and holidays, they visit their families.
"When the boys' voices change at the age of 13 or 14, they must leave the choir," states Gröger. "About 20 per cent move on to music careers. The whole State Opera is infiltrated with former Vienna Choir Boys! Others progress to technical schools and universities. Although they may eventually become teachers or lawyers, they all retain their connection with music, even if it's simply as concert-goers.
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| Vienna Choir Boys. Austria. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
"Boys who live far from an appropriate school, often remain with us," adds Gröger. "They live in old pensioners' homes, right beside the palace, although they attend state schools. If they've sung in the choir for four or five years, they can stay with us for free. We currently have 10 old pensioners."
As we finish the interview, the boys arrive for their concert and gather on both sides of the piano. Fixing their eyes on Gröger, they raise their clear-as-crystal voices in harmony.
"Their repertoire includes madrigals, classic and contemporary pieces, as well as operas," says Gröger, during an intermission. "It's about two hours long and is constantly changing, so it never becomes routine."
There is one frequently-performed exception: The Blue Danube, sometimes called the second Austrian national anthem. With voices tuned as finely as a Stradivarius, the boys sing the famous Strauss waltz. Their exquisite rendition brings tears to our eyes and sends chills up our spine — just as it has undoubtedly done to audiences around the world throughout their 500-year-old history.
More things to see and do in Austria:
Vienna Special Events Focus on Music, Art, Fashion, Food and Wine
New Walking Tour, Wine Center, Hotels and Spa Open in Austria
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