St Thomas Boys Choir in The Jakarta Post March 2, 2009
The Jakarta Post of 28 Feb has a comprehensive article about the St Thomas Boys Choir here.
Mozart on the St Thomas Boys Choir February 17, 2009
Wolfang Amadeus Mozart on the St Thomas Boys Choir:
When the singing was finished he cried out, full of joy, “Now, there is something one can learn from!”
Extract from The New Bach Reader, p.488 ed. David & Mendel, revised & expanded Christoph Wolff, published by W W Norton & Company, 1998
Dresscode: The Kiel Blouse or the Sailor Suit February 12, 2009
Originating in Victorian England in the mid-nineteenth century, the dark blue suit with the striped collar became the standard boys’ wear for Sundays and holidays in bourgeois society. Fashioned after the typical sailor’s uniform, the suit remained en vogue in many European countries until 1930.
Since clothes for German sailors at that time were manufactured exclusively in the north German city of Kiel, the suit became known as the ‘Kiel Blouse.’
Initially worn with shorts and stockings, the soprano and alto singers’ blouse has become the St Thomas Boys Choir’s visual trade mark. The older boys -tenors and basses – perform in traditional dark suit and tie.
The St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig, makes its Singapore debut on March 6 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
The alumnat – A world of its own February 12, 2009
Life in the ‘Box’, as the boys refer to their alumnat, is a world of its own. Here, utter silence dominates in turn with polyrhythmic, harmonized whistling to the noise of clopping feet in the crowded corridors. At other times, the hallways are completely deserted, while the sounds of music emanate from behind closed doors.
“Just walking through the corridors you sense the unique atmosphere. Being a member of the Boys’ Choir is an incredible opportunity. But, of course, we aren’t angels either . . . ” Patrick, 10th grade – 2004
The choral community is also strengthened by assigning a little responsibility to each individual student, involving not only singing and the choral chores but every aspect of life in the alumnat, thus contributing to his personal development.
The principle of communal upbringing has proven itself at St Thomas’ for centuries, and the boys defend it fervently. Thomaners of different ages live together like in a second family. Here, they celebrate their birthdays and make preparations together for Christmas. In this atmosphere of camaraderie, the boys quickly find an ear to voice their troubles – and not merely regarding school. The older boys are responsible for younger roommates and readily attend to their concerns, many of which are familiar to them from their own experience.
“To engage with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in a community of nearly a hundred boys is an incredibly formative experience. Beyond music itself, you learn to assume social responsibility . . ” Christian, 12th grade – 2008
It is not a wealthy background but mutual talent has brought these boys and young men from different parts of the country together to live in the alumnat. In Leipzig, they are given the opportunity to have a comprehensive musical education. The students see this common background as a precious enrichment. These youngsters are largely responsible for actively shaping life in the choir and in the alumnat.
Text courtesy of the St Thomas Boys Choir.
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The St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig, makes its Singapore debut on March 6 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
St Thomas Church, Leipzig – home of the Thomanerchor February 11, 2009
St Thomas Church, Leipzig
The history of the late-Gothic Thomaskirche or the St Thomas Church is connected to that of the city Leipzig and to German heritage and culture like few others.
Thomaskirche was built as part of a 13th-century monastery, but now stands on its own. Its tall roof dates from 1496, and the church was heavily restored after World War II.
Martin Luther preached here on Whitsunday 1539, signaling the arrival of Protestantism in Leipzig.
JS Bach memorial in front of St Thomas Church, Leipzig
Bach’s 12 children and the infant Richard Wagner were baptized here in the early 17th-century, and composers Wolfang Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy performed here.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, godfathers to another revolutionary Karl Liebknecht, attended the latter’s baptism here.
However, no one is indelibly linked to the Thomaskirche as celebrated composer Johann Sebastian Bach, Leipzig’s musical director – director ‘musices lipsiensis’ – and choirmaster of the St Thomas’ Boys Choir for 27 years between 1723 and 1750.
Bach was a member of and wrote most of his cantatas for the church’s famous boys’ choir, the Thomanerchor (St Thomas Boys’ Choir), which was founded in the 13th century.
Bach's final resting place
In the Middle Ages, the boys sang on every occasion – city celebrations, the installation of bishops, and even executions.
Recently, the church has hosted artists such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin, the latter performing Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Thomanerchor for the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.
For more about the city of Leipzig, which can rightfully call itself the ‘City of Music‘, click here.
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The St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig, makes its Singapore debut on March 6 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
St Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig sing Stille Nacht/Silent Night February 3, 2009
The choristers sing the Christmas carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night).
The St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig, makes its Singapore debut on March 6th at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
St Thomas Boys Choir on Artzine February 3, 2009
Read a preview article about the St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig, on Artzine here.
It includes a Youtube video of the choir singing prefaced by a great introduction to Bach’s music by conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
The Choir singing St. Matthew Passion January 25, 2009
A short excerpt from the three-hour-long recording of St Matthew Passion, with the choir conducted by Georg-Christoph Biller.
“To many devotees of Johann Sebastian Bach, the singing of the St Thomas Church Choir in Leipzig, is the voice of Holy Writ…(the) ten-to-18-year olds can still sing Bach with a precision and authority rarely equalled by any other choir in the world…the tone was rich and powerful, the movement of sound clear and regular.” Time Magazine
The St Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig, makes its Singapore debut on March 6th at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
