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A wide variety of garments are associates with choir groups. Some of the most important have been the following. Many of the distinctibe garments are the liturgigal garments worn by the British cathedral choirs and te folk costumes worn by various European choirs. Choir costumes have also been stringly influenced by British school uniforms, as choristers are often attached to the public and preparatory schools maintained by English cathedral choirs. Another major choir costume has been the sailor suits favored bu German and Scandinavian choirs.
Choir boys do not commonly wear caps. Some of the German and other choirs wearing sailor suits wore sailor caps. (I do not know of any who have worn sailor hats.) The British choirs located in cathedral schools often wore peaked caps, but this was more their school uniform than a choir costume. Some choirs may have been photographed in caps given to them on their various trips.
The image of a boys' choir in America commonly shows boys in a chour robe and large floppy bow. They were not organized professional choirs, but normally church choirs which sang on specil occassions such as Christmas. These images appear in the eay 20th century, before boy choirs were common in America. Today in the United States there are quite a number of boy choirs, almost all of which were formed after World War II (1939-45). These choirs almost all have costumes different than the popular image of choir robe and bow. Even so, this image persists in the popular mind. I am less sure how common this image is in other countries.
Many choirs wear blazers. This style was set by the British Cathedral choirs where the choristers were recruites from an associated school. The blazer has been aopted by American choirs and other choirs around the world.
Choir costumes have been made with may different collar styles. The boys wearing sailor suits of course wore middy blouses with sailor collars. Ofthe distinctive collars are the ruffled collars worn by the British Cathedral choirs. While ruffled collars are most common, a few choirs in England and Ireland wear Eton collars.
Some French choirs wears cassocks as they are supported by various French Catholic ordrs. A Spanish choir also wears cassocks.
A few choirs also include capes as part of their choir costume. The cape is, however, is more associated with French school uniforms. HBC knows of some Britush choirs which war capes. There probably have some French choirs which also wear capes, but HBC can not identify them at this time.
Many of the most famous boy choirs are European. The English cathedrals have a long history of boy choirsd spanning centuries. The modern Englisg choirs are attached to Cathedral sponsored preparatory and public schools and thus affected by English school uniforms. Coninental choirs, with a few exceptions, have 20th centiry origins. As a result the pants styles are strongly influenced by popular boys clothing standards. As a result, many choristers wore short pants. The English boys mostly wore grey shorts. Blue shorts were common in France and black shorts in Germany and Poland. Since the 1980s, however, most choirs have generally shifted to long pants.
Eclesiastical robes are most common in England where the boys wear them for religious services in England's great cathedrals. Some European choirs in the Netherlands, Spain, and other countries also wear eclesiarical robes, but this is most common in England. Choir boys wear boths albs, surplices, and cassocks. This varies along primarily national lines. French choir boys commonly wear cassocks as do choristers in Spain. English choir boys more commonly wear albs and surplices. American choirs are not as religiously oriented as European choirs, but many robes are worn by boys in many America churches. These are not, however, normally boy choirs.
HBC sometimes refers to ruffs as ruffled collars. A reader on a tour of English choirs tells us, "I held a ruffled collar in my hands. No one says "ruffled collar" here. They are called 'ruffs'." Ruffs have not totaly disappeared in the modrn world. They are still worn by some English boys' choirs. A British reader tells us that we should have said have British choirs. We were not familiar with boy choirs in Wales, Ulster, and Scotland, but apparently there are some. "There are choirs with boys' voices in Scots and Welsh Cathedrals, also in Ireland north and south. Many are beruffed or wear Eton collars." He reports that he has also see them worn by boys in German choirs and there must be choir in America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand where they were worn. The boys' choirs wearing ruffs are mostly choirs that were reconsyitued in the 19th cenury. Thus the choir costumes are genealy recreations of what 19th century choir directors thought earlier choirs or ecleiastics might have worn. The ruff itself was a popular style in the 16th century and was not an exclusively ecleastical style. We are unsure to what extent 16th century chiors actually wore ruffs. It was an expensive style and only worn by the affluent. An American chorister tells HBC, "I am looking to purchase choristers ruffs here in New York City. I know various makers in the UK, however, I was wondering if you knew any here in the states?" HBC does not know of any U.S. suppliers at ths time.
Socks are only of notable importance in the choir costumes of the boys wearing short pants or knickers. Almost all of the choirs wearing short pants and kneesocks wore grey socks. These were often grey kneesocks with tops in the school collars as many choirs, especially English choirs, were assiciated with choirs. Many of the Continental choirs, especially the French and German choirs wore white kneesocks.
European continental choirs were not as focused on religious music as English choirs. Many European choirs gave considerable emphasis to folk music. To match thie folk musical theme, many choirs also adopted folk costumes. Some choirs used their folk costumes only for sprcial concerts. Other choirs primarily performed in their folk costumes.
Sailor suits were commonly used as uniforms for boy choirs on the
continent. This was especially the case of German and Austrian choirs.
But choir boys in Poland and other countries also wore sailor suits. Choirs in England and France, however, did not wear sailor suits. The Vienna Choir Boys are the most familiar boys choir wearing sailor suits, but they were several other German boy choirs. Some are still active and continue to wear sailor suits. Some of the choirs have long histories and the sailor suits are relatively recent inovations. Some of the choirs had military uniforms before the First World War, but then shifted to sailor suits. I'm not positive why this was, but assume it was connected with the German repulsion with war following the catrorophic losses in the war. Somehow the sailor suit was not viewed similarly, perhaps because it was more associate with boys wear. One source also suggests that sailor suits were selected for the Vienna Choir Boys because Vienna boys commonly wentbto church dressed in silor suits. This may have also been the case in Germany and Scandinavia. These different choirs have worn different uniform styles.
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