Australian Boy Choirs: Unidentified Choir


Figure 1.-- We note an unidentified Australian boys' choir visiting Berlin during the Nazi era--we suspect around the time of the Berlin Olympics (1936). We know the visit took place during the 1930s, although the year is not specified. We think that this must have been the choir of a private boys' school in Australia. The boys look about 13-16 yeats old. This includes olddr boys than is the case today, an illustration of the fact that boys' voices tended to chanbge later before Worlkd War II. Most of them wear short trousers suits with dark knee socks, white shirts, and ties (with a sleeveless sweater here and there). A few boys (but not many) are wearing long trousers.

We note an unidentified Australian boys' choir visiting Berlin during the Nazi era--we suspect around the time of the Berlin Olympics (1936). We know the visit took place during the 1930s, although the year is not specified. We think that this must have been the choir of a private boys' school in Australia. There were quite a number of these schools in Australia, organized rather like British public (fee paying boarding schools) as well as comparable day schools. The boys look about 13-16 yeats old. This includes olddr boys than is the case today, reflecting the age range at these schools and an illustration of the fact that boys' voices tended to change later before World War II. Most of them wear short trousers suits with dark knee socks, white shirts, and ties (with a sleeveless sweater here and there). A few boys (but not many) are wearing long trousers. One of the oddities of the picture to us is that boys seem to be singing sitting down. If this were a public concert, they'd probably be standing. Perhaps they are just rehearsing, but they look dressed for concert performance, and even choral rehearsals are conducted with the boys standing. Maybe a German photographer snapped the photo before or after the concert in Berlin when the boys were in a sitting position. We were not aware that Australia choirs visited Nazi Germany, but I'm not sure what public attitudes in Australia were around 1933-36 before the war. Hitler at the time was pursuing a moderate foreign policy to give Germany thge time it needed to rearm. Boy choirs are of course a big tradition in Germany, so that may have been the attraction. And we do note Hitler Youth groups visting Britain and British Scouts presumably visited Germany.








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Created: 8:20 PM 9/2/2011
Last updated: 8:20 PM 9/2/2011