Freiburg Cathedral Boys' Choir
Encyclopedia
The Freiburg Cathedral Boys' Choir (Freiburger Domsingknaben) is one ensemble
of the "Freiburg Cathedral Music" in southwest Germany
, which has a history that can be traced back over eight centuries. It is directed by Boris Böhmann
and composed of about 55 boys and 25 adult voices.
school which had an important role in the formation of choral music at the Cathedral
in Freiburg
. Since the 16th century, polyphonic music for the boys’ choir at the Cathedral has been passed down in written form.
The boys sang at early mass
, at vespers
, and on Sundays and holidays, often together with the Cathedral Chamber Choir, into the 20th century. During the Nationalsocialist period, the choirs were dissolved, only to be officially reinstated on the Feast of All Saints
in 1970. This was accomplished by Director of Music and prelate
Dr. Raimund Hug, whose 30-year direction brought a new level of international acclaim for the choir. Since the 1970s, the Boys’ Choir has been responsible for Sunday and feast day masses at the Cathedral.
The choir has performed in spiritual
and secular concerts under conductors
such as Lorin Maazel
, Michael Gielen
, Neville Creed, Philippe Herreweghe
, Ingo Metzmacher
, Roland Bader and Moshe Atzmon
. For its musical achievements, the choir has received various honours and awards. Concert tours have taken the Freiburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir throughout Germany and Europe
as well as to Canada
, Japan
, South America
, South Africa
and Australia
. In 2003, conductor Boris Böhmann assumed the artistic direction of the Freiburg Cathedral Music, and has continued the tradition of a Boys’ Choir at the archiepiscopal chair in Freiburg. The choir has produced various CDs of a cappella
and oratorio
works as well as many radio and television productions.
Before a youngster of 10 years of age is accepted into the Boys’ Chamber Choir, he must complete musical training including individual voice
lesson
s, choir stages (Early Education, Pre-Choir, A-Choir, Chamber Choir), and music theory
. After having passed the entrance examination under the choir director, the singer receives a small Cathedral cross
which symbolizes his complete affiliation with the Freiburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir. The men's voices consist of experienced former choir boys who are further instructed after the change of voice. According to the englisch model they sing also the alto part, which is singular in Germany. Apart from choir training, music-theory and individual voice lessons, the children and adolescents can also receive various instrumental lessons at the school. Freiburg’s Cathedral Choir School (over 600 members) is a prominent training centre for choir and church music in Germany and promotes musically talented children and adolescents and their early musical formation.
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of the "Freiburg Cathedral Music" in southwest Germany
Germany
Germany , 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...
, which has a history that can be traced back over eight centuries. It is directed by Boris Böhmann
Boris Böhmann
Boris Böhmann is a German conductor and composer.He was born in Worms am Rhein, was musical assistant at his home church, Worms Cathedral, between 1987 and 1990. His studies in Catholic theology at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz were followed with studies at the College of Music in...
and composed of about 55 boys and 25 adult voices.
Historical Overview
As early as the 13th century, there is evidence of a LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
school which had an important role in the formation of choral music at the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
. Since the 16th century, polyphonic music for the boys’ choir at the Cathedral has been passed down in written form.
The boys sang at early mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, at vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
, and on Sundays and holidays, often together with the Cathedral Chamber Choir, into the 20th century. During the Nationalsocialist period, the choirs were dissolved, only to be officially reinstated on the Feast of All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
in 1970. This was accomplished by Director of Music and prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
Dr. Raimund Hug, whose 30-year direction brought a new level of international acclaim for the choir. Since the 1970s, the Boys’ Choir has been responsible for Sunday and feast day masses at the Cathedral.
The choir has performed in spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and secular concerts under conductors
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...
such as Lorin Maazel
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
, Michael Gielen
Michael Gielen
-Professional career:Gielen was born in Dresden, Germany, to opera director Josef Gielen. Through his mother, Rose, he is the nephew of Eduard Steuermann and Salka Steuermann Viertel. He began his career as a pianist in Buenos Aires, where he studied with Erwin Leuchter and gave an early...
, Neville Creed, Philippe Herreweghe
Philippe Herreweghe
Philippe Herreweghe is a Flemish conductor.In his school years at the University of Ghent, Herreweghe combined studies in medical science and psychiatry with a musical education at the Ghent Conservatory, where Marcel Gazelle, Yehudi Menuhin's accompanist, was his piano teacher...
, Ingo Metzmacher
Ingo Metzmacher
Ingo Metzmacher is a German conductor. He is the son of the cellist Rudolf Metzmacher. His musical education in piano, music theory and conducting was in Hanover, Salzburg and Cologne...
, Roland Bader and Moshe Atzmon
Moshe Atzmon
Moshe Atzmon is a Hungarian-born Israeli conductor.He was born in Budapest, and at the age of thirteen he emigrated with his family to Tel Aviv, Israel. He started his musical career on the horn before going to London for further studies in conducting....
. For its musical achievements, the choir has received various honours and awards. Concert tours have taken the Freiburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir throughout Germany and 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...
as well as to Canada
Canada
Canada 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...
, 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...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 2003, conductor Boris Böhmann assumed the artistic direction of the Freiburg Cathedral Music, and has continued the tradition of a Boys’ Choir at the archiepiscopal chair in Freiburg. The choir has produced various CDs of 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...
and oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
works as well as many radio and television productions.
Musical training
The musical education and promotion of young singers has its home in the Archbishop’s Palace, directly across from the Cathedral in Freiburg. This historical residence of the Freiburg bishops was completely renovated in 1995, and since then has become an institution of the Freiburg Cathedral Music, known as the Freiburg Cathedral Choir School.Before a youngster of 10 years of age is accepted into the Boys’ Chamber Choir, he must complete musical training including individual voice
Voice
Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
lesson
Lesson
A lesson is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students being taught by a teacher or instructor...
s, choir stages (Early Education, Pre-Choir, A-Choir, Chamber Choir), and music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
. After having passed the entrance examination under the choir director, the singer receives a small Cathedral cross
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
which symbolizes his complete affiliation with the Freiburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir. The men's voices consist of experienced former choir boys who are further instructed after the change of voice. According to the englisch model they sing also the alto part, which is singular in Germany. Apart from choir training, music-theory and individual voice lessons, the children and adolescents can also receive various instrumental lessons at the school. Freiburg’s Cathedral Choir School (over 600 members) is a prominent training centre for choir and church music in Germany and promotes musically talented children and adolescents and their early musical formation.
Discography
- J. S. BachBạchBạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
: St. John Passion (2010) - W. A. Mozart: Requiem (2006)
- G.F. HändelHANDELHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
: Dixit Dominus (2005) - J. Haydn: Stabat Mater (2004)
- W. A. Mozart: Requiem (2003)
- Celebrations of the Church Year – Choir and Organ Pieces (2003)
- Baroque Christmas Concert from the Cathedral in Freiburg (DVD, 2002)
- Festive Music from Benedictan Monasteries of South-Western Germany (2002)
- Sax’n Dom – Children’s Songs (2002)
- J.B. BachBạchBạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
: St. Matthew Passion (2001) - J. G. Rheinberger: The Star of Bethlehem (2001)
- Ave Maria – Songs of Mary (2000)
- G. Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (1997)
- Rejoice, Heavenly Queen (1997)
- Where One Sings: Popular Melodies with the Freiburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir (1996)
- Jesus is Born: The Saviour of the World (1994)
- Jubilate Deo – Festive Motettes of the Church Year (1994)
- For Unto Us a Child is Born – Christmas with the Freiburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir (1994)
- Masses by M. HaydnMichael HaydnJohann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer of the classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn.-Life:...
and J. G. Albrechtsberger (1991)