Shubert Boys Choir/Schubertsängerknabe


Figure 1.--The Schubertsängerknabe wear a sailor suit uniform, but a rather non-traditional middy blouse. The older members of the choir wear green blazers.

The Schubertsängerknabe has a different philosphy about choral music than the more famous Viener Sangerkanaben. Both groups, however, wear sailor suit uniforms for their performancess. HBC has only limited information at this time on t The Schubertsängerknabe.

Stereotype

The Shubert Boys Choir asks the question, "There is no business like showbusiness?" There are some prejudices about Sängerknaben. The typical Sängerknabe has to be blonde, smart, cute, gentle with a beautiful high "Viennese" boy voice. But like the most prejudices that IS NOT TRUE. Of course the Shubert Boys Choir does have some blonde boys, but not all the boys are blond. Of course, they have some smart boys, but not all the boys are brilliant. Of course some of the boys are cute, sometimes--but not all the time. Of course they are gentle, but not very often. And the thing with the voice... Only this: it is a long way to a developed performing voice.

Actual Situation

The Choir than asks, "What is the truth, besides all the imagination?" It would be easy to declare: All those boys are just normal boys like ever other boy in their age. This would be easy, and (a typical imagination and) that is why it is wrong. They are not like other guys in the same age. Nobody would say, that a special talented 10 year old footballer is equal to his not as much talented friends. Just because he is better in football. The same thing with a young maths genius, he is also not equal like the others not genius. In their fields they are different. And a Sängerknabe is differnt to all his friends, who is not a Sängerknaben. Or is it typical for an 8 till 14 year old boy to travel trough the world, to perform concerts and to be guest at big parties? Well, the Choir of course thinks it is not. But the Choir adds, "ASa Schubertsängerknabe is a normal boy, anyway!"

Training

The Shubert-Sängerknaben do not have a boarding-school. They all live with own familys, they all attend 'own' schools and they all have their own friends. They rehearse twice a week and sometimes they go on tour (especially during the summer).

Phiolosphy

For Gerald Trabesingers the most important thing is that the boys have enjoy the music. So one of the main reasons is, that the boys like to come to the rehearsals, like to come to the concerts. In contrast to some choirs with boarding-schools, for the Shubert Boys, the choir is a part, but not the only thing of their lifes. The normal relation to their familys and friends is the natural regulations against potential delusions of grandeur. And that is why a Schubertsängerknabe is still a normal Boy. A normal boy, who has same special adventures (concert for an audience of 10,000 people, or grass skiing in the middle of South Korea).

Uniform

The Schubertsängerknabe wear a sailor suit uniform, but a rather non-traditional middy blouse. The older members of the choir wear green blazers. The collar pf their middy bloses is green rather than the more traditional blue stripes.







Christopher Wagner





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Created: November 1, 2000
Last updated: November 16, 2000