Figure 1.--The Thomanerchor Choir is one of Germany's oldest choirs. The boys wear a sailor suit uniform, but not of the classic style like other German choirs.

Many countries of Western and Central Europe have a long tradition of church boys' choirs dating back to the medevil era. Germany has like, neigboring countries, an important choral tradition. Germany includes formerly independent states with both protestant and catholic populations. The choral tradition in Germany is associated with both catholic and protestant churches. This tradition was continued after World War II by both democratic West Germany and Communist East Germany. One of the Eas German choirs supported by the communists was

The Thomanerchor (St. Thomas' Choir) is a shared living and learning experience of nearly 100 boys between the ages of 10 and 18. The major occupation of the choir is with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. I know of no other choir that specialies to such an extent on one single composer. With its over 780 years of existence, the Thomanerchor is the oldest cultural institution of the city of Leipzig. The Margrave of Meißen established the choir at St. Thomas' Church. Initially, it belonged to the convent school which was intended to spiritually train new generations of youth. Eventually, however, other boys who did not live in the convent joined the choir available.

Figure 2.--The Thomanerchor choristers sailor suit costume is quite destinctive. Most German abd Scandinavian choirs wotr very traditiinal sailor suits.

The choir was established to fulfill the liturgical needs of the Nikolai (St. Nicholas) and Thomaskirche (St. Thomas' Church) by providing performances during church services. Aside from these duties, the boys were called upon to perform at civic functions. Still in the 18th century the boys were often required to go through the streets in wigs, dark cloaks and often barefoot. In the 19th century the concerts known as "Mottete" began to generate interest. The choir had long since become a standard feature of the concert life of the city. The weekly Motette and cantata performances, a tradition inaugurated in the 20th century, followed and continue to this day often drawing an audience of 2,000 visitors.

Famous Thomaskantors (choir masters) were Georg Rhau, Sethus Calvisius, Johann Hermann Schein as well as Johannes Kuhnau. From 1723 to 1750 Johann Sebastian Bach was Thomaskantor. There followed Friedrich Doles, Johann Adam Hiller, Gottfried Schicht, Karl Straube and Günther Ramin. Both of the last two named cantors were responsible for the development of the choir and for its spreading fame throughout the world. It was because of their efforts that Leipzig was able to build its church music to a high artistic level. The presentations of the Bach Passions, Christmas Oratorio and B-minor Mass begun under Straube and continued by Günther Ramin, Kurt Thomas, Erhard Mauersberger und Hans-Joachim Rotzsch became impressive experiences for listeners. This tradition is outstandingly continued by Georg Christoph Biller, the 16th Thomaskantor since Bach, as he follows in his predecessors' path.

The choir has performed around the world. There have been concert trips, as in 1996 to Japan, and also numerous radio, TV, LP-record and CD productions. In all such activities, the choir must and does present its high musical standards. That this is the case is attested to in the writings of prominent persons and music critics with regard to the Thomaskantors and the performances of the choir.

The Thomanerchor is only a half-century younger than the city Leipzig itself and is its oldest cultural institution. More than 780 years encompasses the choir's history, which is marked with political, urban, religious and scholastic confrontations. Otto IV confirmed in the year 1212 the foundation of the Augustinian liturgical choir at St. Thomas at the request of the Margrave of Meißen. As written, this was a monastic school which should train young men, but soon boy who did not live in the cloister were also available. One component of the training from the beginning was in liturgical chant.

The line of the famous Thomaskantors began with Georg Rhau, in whose term of office (1518-1519) the debate between Martin Luther and Johann Eck fell. Further famous cantors were: Sethus Calvisius (1594-1615), Johann Hermann Schein (1616-1630), Johann Kuhnau (1701-1722). From 1723-1750, Johann Sebastian Bach was Thomaskantor. Then follow Friedrich Doles, Johann Adam Hiller, Gottfried Schicht and Karl Straube and Günther Ramin for our century particularly.

Both cantors made a mark for the development and also for the recognition of the Thomanerchor all over the world. It is due to them, that Leipzig could also develop into a center for Protestant church-music at the utmost artistic level, in which Bach was the center, the prevailing contemporaries of the two cantors was also amply represented, however. With the development of the mass transportation, active concert activity of the choir began in foreign countries. The first foreign-tour in 1920 found the choir, under Karl Straube, in Scandinavia. The choir has made guest appearances since that time in virtually all major music-centers of the world.

Long ago the choir had a solid place in the concert life of Leipzig. The motets and cantata performances on Fridays and Saturdays in St. Thomas had turned into musical events. Under Straube, the regular performances of the Bach passions, the Christmas Oratorio and the B-minor Mass shine, and these were nurtured by the Thomaskantors Günther Ramin, Kurt Thomas, Erhard Mauersberger and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch.

The members of the choir, the Thomases (or Thomaners), live together in their Alumnat, which they lovingly refer to as their Kasten (Box), and study in the Thomasschule (high school) in Leipzig. Life in the Alumnat is probably one of the most unique educational structures in Germany. In each case, 10 to 12 boys of all age-groups live together in one room. A Thomaner of the 12th grade is the oldest person and is responsible with it for his roommates. The inclusion of an older boy in the education of younger ones has proved over the centuries to be the principle always adhered to in the Alumnat, so that a teacher - called an "inspector"--is also present in the Alumnat. Only in the rarest cases must the inspector intervene in the educational process based on reciprocal responsibility. The center of choir life is the choir rehearsal, in which the personality of the Thomaskantor serves as a model for the boys.

The actual service of the Thomases is for the preservation of the musica sacra - the church music. The daily rehearsals find their climax at each weekend when the weekly motet (a musical church service-form) and the Bach cantata are heard. To these weekly performances come 2,200 listeners. But also the numerous obligations of the Thomanerchor, such as concert trips in Germany and foreign countries, recordings, broadcasts, television appearances and other artistic endeavors, are situations in which the choir can put its high musical proficiency to the test again and again. These diverse experiences weld the choir into a virtual family and performance community. The concert dates and artistic tasks are packed between the many tasks in Leipzig's St. Thomas' Church. With all tasks of the Thomanerchor as a musical institution of world reputation, it is apparent that the Thomases must work together in unison to carry the work forward, especially if the boys, as students at the Thomasschule are to be equipped for the time when they must leave the choir. Of course time must also be available for personal development, so that the boy can develop the interests of young people. So there are, for examples, soccer "Kasten-championships," in which the individual rooms compete against each other. The soccer contest forms a climax between the Thomanerchor and the Dresdner Kreuzchor.

Figure 3.--The Thomanerchor choristers continue to wear a distinctive sailor suit costume. I'm not sure when the costume was first worn.

For the entire choir life, the common musical work with the Thomaskantor proves to be the binding tie. The enthusiasm of the public all over the world and the growing flock of the visitors to the motets and church services in St. Thomas' Church are the rewards of this often hard work. In the repertoire of the choir, Johann Sebastian Bach's motets and spiritual choruses are in the first line, along with the madrigals, folk songs and other works.

I have little historical information on costumes worn by Thomanerchor choristers. The boys in the 17th century were reportedly wearing wigs and dark cloaks. The boys now wear long pants sailor suits although I am not sure when this uniform was first introduced.