German Boy Choir Costumes: The Thomanerchor (St. Thomas' Choir)


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 East German choirs supported by the communists was The Thomanerchor, a choir with a long historicaltradition.

The Choir

The Thomanerchor (St. Thomas' Choir) is a shared living and learning experience of nearly 100 boys between the ages of 10 and 18.

The Music: Focus on Bach

The major occupation of the choir is with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach whose works are one of the foundations of the Western musical tradition nd church coral music. We know of no other choir that specialies to such an extent on one single composer. 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.

History

The he Margrave of Meißen founded a choir at St. Thomas’ Church in Leipzig (1212). 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. With its over 800 years of existence, the Thomanerchor is the oldest cultural institution of the city of Leipzig and one of the oldest in Europe as a whole. Otto IV confirmed the foundation of the Augustinian liturgical choir at St. Thomas at the request of the Margrave of Meißen. Initially, it belonged to the monastary school which was intended to spiritually train new generations of youth for the Church . Eventually, however, other boys who did not live in the cloisters joined the choir available. This was before the Reformation. Thus the boys sang Plain song for the Mass. One component of the training from the beginning was in liturgical chant. It made the transition to the Reformed Church and performed Bach's great works. Thus the boys at the Choir played a central role in the developing Western musicl tradition.


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

Civic Duties

Aside from the Choirs religious duties, the boys also acquired civic 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 continued to this day often drawing an audience of 2,000 visitors.

Thomaskantors

Th first Thomaskantor (choir masters) was Georg Rhau (1518-19). This was at thectime of the greatv debtes between Martin Luther and Johann Eck. Other famous Thomaskantors were Sethus Calvisius (1594-1615), Johann Hermann Schein (1616-1630), as well as Johannes Kuhnau (1701-1722). Johann Sebastian Bach was Thomaskantor (1773-50). 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. These 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 highest artistic level, in which Bach at the center. The contemporaries of these cantors has followed in this tradition. Georg Christoph Biller, the 16th Thomaskantor since Bach continues in the artistic standards and artistry of his predecessors..

Concerts

The Choir from an early stage came to play an important role 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. 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. 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.

Choristers

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. 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.

Church Services

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.

Choir Communities

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.

Uniform

We have little historical information on costumes worn by Thomanerchor choristers. e suspect that they at first wore clothes similar to monks and then priests. The boys in the 17th century were reportedly wearing wigs and dark cloaks, at least for street apoearances. The boys now wear long pants sailor suits although We are not sure when this uniform was first introduced, but it looks like a 20th century style. .








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Created: November 2, 1998
Last updated: November 2, 1998