Cantores minores
Encyclopedia
Cantores Minores is a Helsinki Cathedral's Choir
, and Finland's
oldest and most successful boys' choir
. President of Finland
is choir's patron.
The choir currently consists of about three hundred 4- to 25-year-old boys and young men. Cantores Minores was Finnish Broadcasting Company's annual youth-choir from 2009 to 2010.
Choir's long-termed conductors include Austrian Peter Lacovich who acted as choir's leader in 1954-1958 and 1960–1962, and German Heinz Hofmann who directed the choir in 1962 - 1987.
Since 1987, the choir and in 1990 established Cantores Minores musical institute was led by a German professor
Christian Hauschild. During his time choir took increasingly large repertoire of works and at the same time choir's valuation at foreign countries increased because of the long concert tours around the globe
. Year 2004 represents well very significant role of major works of choral repertoire of Cantores Minores. In that year, choir made the following major pieces: Johann Sebastian Bach's
St John Passion, St Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio
(cantata 1-3), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
Requiem
and Johannes Brahms's
Ein deutsches Requiem
. Professor Hauschild was assigned to retire in end of 2004.
In early 2005, Hannu Norjanen
started as choir's artistic leader and as headmaster of Cantores Minores musical institute. Norjanen has also sung in Cantores Minores as a boy. He has studied choral and orchestral conducting Sibelius Academy
in which he graduated as conductor
.
, 1 and 2 alto
, 1 and 2 tenor
, 1 and 2 bass
). After mutation of voices, boys proceed from boy voices to male voices. Each voice have its own Prefect
. The Prefect is the position of trust appointed by conductor of the choir. The Prefect is "leader" of his voice and is responsible for keeping order. In addition, the choir has Headnoteprefect who is in charge of copying and dealing the notes, and Headprefect who is in charge of overall discipline . The choir is actively practicing several times in a week and give concerts both at home and abroad. Trips will be frequent in Europe
, but Cantores Minores has also made numerous tours in North America
and in Japan
.
Finnish Broadcasting Company selected Cantores Minores as annual youth-choir of the year in September 2009
and its near areas. Boys may also choose to study classical singing and piano
lessons.
and H-minor exhibition), as well as the composer's motets. Other mentionable major works are for example Requiems of Brahms
and Mozart
. Choir's a cappella
program is a cross-section of the entire history of classical choral music, ranging from Orlando di Lasso in Olli Kortekangas
. Finnish choral music repertoire is strongly represented of course. (composers, including Einojuhani Rautavaara
, Jukka Linkola
, Joonas Kokkonen
and Leevi Madetoja
).
In Christmas times choir sings traditional Christmas carols in dozens of different concerts. The choir was also singing in Mission association's 150-year anniversary album "The World's Most Beautiful Christmas Songs", together with Jari Sillanpää
, Tarja Turunen
and many others.
. A choir also occurs in smaller configurations (for example, Favorite choir with 40 singers). CM-boys continue to occur also for private occasions such as weddings and funerals, corporate conferences and other events.
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, and Finland's
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
oldest and most successful boys' choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
is choir's patron.
The choir currently consists of about three hundred 4- to 25-year-old boys and young men. Cantores Minores was Finnish Broadcasting Company's annual youth-choir from 2009 to 2010.
History
The choir was founded at 1952 by Tarmo Nuotio and Ruth Ester Hillilä. In addition, the choir has since established several smaller groupsChoir's long-termed conductors include Austrian Peter Lacovich who acted as choir's leader in 1954-1958 and 1960–1962, and German Heinz Hofmann who directed the choir in 1962 - 1987.
Since 1987, the choir and in 1990 established Cantores Minores musical institute was led by a German professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Christian Hauschild. During his time choir took increasingly large repertoire of works and at the same time choir's valuation at foreign countries increased because of the long concert tours around the globe
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
. Year 2004 represents well very significant role of major works of choral repertoire of Cantores Minores. In that year, choir made the following major pieces: Johann Sebastian Bach's
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
St John Passion, St Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio
Christmas Oratorio
The Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734 incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular cantatas written during 1733 and 1734 and a...
(cantata 1-3), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
Requiem
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
and Johannes Brahms's
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
Ein deutsches Requiem
Ein deutsches Requiem
A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45 by Johannes Brahms, is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and a soprano and a baritone soloist, composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together last 65 to 80 minutes, making this work Brahms's longest...
. Professor Hauschild was assigned to retire in end of 2004.
In early 2005, Hannu Norjanen
Hannu Norjanen
Hannu-Markus Tapio Norjanen is a conductor and has worked as the conductor of the Helsinki Cathedral Boy's Choir Cantores Minores since 2005.. , Loviisan Sanomat, Retrieved July 12, 2011 He is also a part of the Cantores Minores head council. In the years 1990-1997 Norjanen has worked as the...
started as choir's artistic leader and as headmaster of Cantores Minores musical institute. Norjanen has also sung in Cantores Minores as a boy. He has studied choral and orchestral conducting Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
in which he graduated as conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
.
Chorus
In choir, there sings 131 8- to 27-year-old boys and men (2009). assembly of the choir is SSAATTBB (1 and 2 sopranoSoprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, 1 and 2 alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
, 1 and 2 tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, 1 and 2 bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
). After mutation of voices, boys proceed from boy voices to male voices. Each voice have its own Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
. The Prefect is the position of trust appointed by conductor of the choir. The Prefect is "leader" of his voice and is responsible for keeping order. In addition, the choir has Headnoteprefect who is in charge of copying and dealing the notes, and Headprefect who is in charge of overall discipline . The choir is actively practicing several times in a week and give concerts both at home and abroad. Trips will be frequent in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but Cantores Minores has also made numerous tours in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Finnish Broadcasting Company selected Cantores Minores as annual youth-choir of the year in September 2009
Training groups and musical kindergarten
The choir operates in connection with training groups named B- and Coral choir, which are preparing 7- to 12-year-old boys to perform in main chorus (A-Choir) . CM-Music Institute also runs a musical kindergartens for 4- to 7-year-old boys around the HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and its near areas. Boys may also choose to study classical singing and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons.
Repertoire
Cantores Minores permanent repertoire includes, inter alia, Johann Sebastian Bach's major works: St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, (which sets out in alternate years), Christmas OratorioChristmas Oratorio
The Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734 incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular cantatas written during 1733 and 1734 and a...
and H-minor exhibition), as well as the composer's motets. Other mentionable major works are for example Requiems of Brahms
Ein deutsches Requiem
A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45 by Johannes Brahms, is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and a soprano and a baritone soloist, composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together last 65 to 80 minutes, making this work Brahms's longest...
and Mozart
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
. Choir's a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
program is a cross-section of the entire history of classical choral music, ranging from Orlando di Lasso in Olli Kortekangas
Olli Kortekangas
Olli Kortekangas is a Finnish composer, born on May 16, 1955 in Turku. He currently resides in Espoo, Finland.His early career in music began in Espoon Musiikkiopisto and the youth choir Candomino. His academic studies in music began at the Sibelius Academy as a pupil of Eero Hämeenniemi and...
. Finnish choral music repertoire is strongly represented of course. (composers, including Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara is a Finnish composer of contemporary classical music, and is one of the most notable Finnish composers after Jean Sibelius.-Life:...
, Jukka Linkola
Jukka Linkola
Jukka Linkola is a Finnish jazz pianist and classical composer. He has composed music for the Finnish National Opera and led several jazz Big Bands In addition he has won two Jussi awards for music.- External links :...
, Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen
Joonas Kokkonen was a Finnish composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius; his opera The Last Temptations has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.-...
and Leevi Madetoja
Leevi Madetoja
Leevi Antti Madetoja was a Finnish composer.-Life and career:Born in Oulu, he was the son of Antti Madetoja and Anna Hyttinen...
).
In Christmas times choir sings traditional Christmas carols in dozens of different concerts. The choir was also singing in Mission association's 150-year anniversary album "The World's Most Beautiful Christmas Songs", together with Jari Sillanpää
Jari Sillanpää
Jari Sillanpää a Finnish singer. With over 820,000 records sold, he is the fourth-best-selling music artist and best-selling solo artist in Finland....
, Tarja Turunen
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli is a Finnish singer-songwriter and composer. She is a full lyric soprano and has a vocal range of three octaves....
and many others.
Small Groups
From main choir of Cantores Minores, there have risen several small bands such as CM Vocal (SATB), CM Swing as well as Christmas CM-Star Boys' Singing (SATB and SA, TB). Some of these groups also has lighter a cappella program ranging all the way to Popular musicPopular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. A choir also occurs in smaller configurations (for example, Favorite choir with 40 singers). CM-boys continue to occur also for private occasions such as weddings and funerals, corporate conferences and other events.
Choir directors
- 1952-1954 Ruth Ester Hillilä
- 1954-1958 Peter Lacovich
- 1959-1960 Harald Andersén
- 1960-1962 Peter Lacovich
- 1962-1987 Heinz Hofmann
- 1987-2004 Christian Hauschild
- 2005 - Hannu NorjanenHannu NorjanenHannu-Markus Tapio Norjanen is a conductor and has worked as the conductor of the Helsinki Cathedral Boy's Choir Cantores Minores since 2005.. , Loviisan Sanomat, Retrieved July 12, 2011 He is also a part of the Cantores Minores head council. In the years 1990-1997 Norjanen has worked as the...
Recordings
- In dulci Jubilo (1993)
- Kaunis ääni Suomesta (1995)
- Jauchzet!
- Kruunajaismessu (1996) (Mozart Requiem)
- Suomelle (1997)
- Puer Natus in Beethlehem (2000)
- Joululauluja, Christmas carols (2007)
Tours
The choir has accomplished 52 international concert tours around the world.- 1957 SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- 1964 East Germany
- 1967 East Germany
- 1968 Sweden, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, the Netherlands - 1969 NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- 1970 West Germany, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Untied-Kingdom, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - 1972 East Germany, Switzerland, Sweden
- 1974 Sweden, West Germany, HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... - 1976 West Germany, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France, Switzerland - 1978 East Germany
- 1980 PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, West Germany, France, Belgium - 1981 West Germany, Switzerland
- 1982 ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- 1982 United States of America
- 1984 Sweden, West Germany
- 1985 East Germany
- 1986 West Germany
- 1988 United States of America
- 1989 West Germany, East Germany
- 1990 Sweden, West Germany
- 1991 GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... - 1992 Germany
- 1993 United States of America
- 1994 Belgium, France
- 1995 JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- 1996 Sweden, Denmark, Germany
- 1996 Belgium, Germany
- 1997 Japan
- 1998 United States of America
- 1999 RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- 2000 Germany, Sweden, Japan
- 2001 LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Hungary - 2002 Germany, Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Austria, Switzerland - 2003 Russia
- 2004 Germany, Norway
- 2005 Sweden, Denmark
- 2006 Sweden, the United States, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- 2007 Russia
- 2008 IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Germany - 2009 Sweden, Germany
- 2010 SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Hungary, CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Austria, Germany - 2010 GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...