Figure 1.--We note what looks like a turn-of-the 20th century portrait of a bpy's choir. It is marked on the back 'St. John's Boys' Choir'. As the photograph came fron Denver, we assume it was the choir from the St. John's Episcopal (Anglican) Cathedral in the city. The Cathedral has an active music program. There was a revival of boys' choirs in England beginning in the mid-19th century. It was centered in the great Anglican cathedrals. This interest had spread to America by the late-19th century. The St. John's Boys' Choir was one example of this movement.

We note what looks like a turn-of-the 20th century portrait of an American boys' choir. It is marked on the back "St. John's Boys' Choir". As the photograph came fron Denver, we assume it was the choir from St. John's Episcopal (Anglican) Cathedral in the city. The Cathedral has an active music program. There was a revival of boys' choirs in England beginning in the mid-19th century. It was centered in the great Anglican cathedrals. This interest had spread to America by the late-19th century, especially within the Epicopal churches which were related to the English churches. In England, it was mostly men who worked with the choirs. Here three ladies are working with the boys. They were probably 'choir mothers'. The St. John's Boys' Choir was one example of this movement in America. We are not sure just when it was founded. The boys in the portrait wear Eton collars with their choir surplices and cassocks. Eton collars were widely worn by boys at the time, both in England and America. Some English choirs also used them as part of their choir costumes. Note that some of the boys wear neckties with their Eton collars and others do not. There seems to have been no rule avout this, only that the boys had to wear Eton collars. The photograph is undated, but the dresses worn by the women working woth the choir help to give us an appromixate date. The Cathedral continues to have a very active youth music program, including both a boys' choir and a girls' choir as well a junior children's choir.

St. John's Cathedral

We note what looks like a turn-of-the 20th century portrait of an American boys' choir. It is marked on the back "St. John's Boys' Choir". As the photograph came fron Denver, we assume it was the choir from St. John's Episcopal (Anglican) Cathedral in the city. Father John H. Kehler with his family arrived by stagecoach to establish an Episcopal congregation in Denver (1860). What is now Denver was little more than a mining camp. As America hurdeled toward Civil War, Father John was forced out of his Sharpsburg, Maryland congregation because of his Unionist sympathies. (Sharpewburg would 2 years later be the site of the Battle of Antitem.) His congregation was chartered as "Saint John's Church in the Wilderness" because it was so far away from any other Episcopal Church. Denver grew rapidly and so did Father John's small congregation. The congregation from a very early peruiod had an active music program. The Cathedral even at this time had an active music program. Bishop John Franklin Spalding, missionary Bishop of Colorado and Wyoming, as Colorado grew announced his plans to institute a "Cathedral system" for Colorado and named H. Martyn Hart, a young clergyman from London, the Dean and incorporated "The Bishop and Chapter of the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Denver, Colorado." At the time, there were only a few cathedrals in the American Episcopal Church, and only two of them built as cathedrals. There was no consensus as to just what a cathedral and how it differed from a church. The idea of building a cathedral in the Wild Wesr was a leapm of faith. In just 2 years the Cathedral church was built (1881). A 'miscreat' lit a fire which burned down the cathedral (1903), but a much larger cathedral was opened (1911). We are not sure if the portrait here was taken in the old are new cathedral.

Boy Choir Movement

There was a revival of boys' choirs in England beginning in the mid-19th century. It was centered in the great Anglican cathedrals. This interest had spread to America by the late-19th century, especially within the Epicopal churches which were related to the English churches. The St. John's Boys' Choir was an early one example of this movement in America. It is interestihgvthatvit was located in the Wild West at the time.

Chronology

We are not sure just when the cathedral it was founded. We note a boy choir was function at the church by the early-1870s. This photograph is undated, but the dresses worn by the women working woth the choir help to give us an appromixate date which looks to be the early-1900s just after the turn-of-the 20th century. But it may have been taken when the new Cathedral was opened (1911).

Choir Mothers

In England, it was mostly men who worked with the choirs. Here three ladies are working with the boys. They were probably 'choir mothers'. We suspect that there was another portrait taken with the choir master, any assistants, and organist. A reader writes, "The ladies are undoubtedly "choir mothers" (the term for the ladies who look after the boys in the choir, making sure that they are properly vested and in some cases actually caring for choir vestments and music). When I was a choir boy in my youth at a High Anglican church, our "choir mother" enforced discipline among the boys, made sure that we had our black shoes polished and wore black socks or stockings which might show under our cassocks. She checked up on things like chewing gum (forbidden of course in church) and made sure that we went to the bathroom before Mass or Solemn Evensong so we wouldn't have emergencies during long and complicated liturgies. Choir mothers often carried mirrors so we could make sure our hair was properly combed and no cowlicks were visible. If we got too badly out of line, she could report us to the choir director (the important resident musician who conducted us in church during offertory anthems anb other sung parts of the services and who sometimes doubled as organist). Choir mothers were usually volunteers from the parish, like members of the altar guild who took care of the priests' vestments, washed and ironed the altar linens, kept the chalices and other altar vessels in good order. Choir mothers (in some cases) also looked out for the younger acolytes and altar boys, and made sure they were properly vested like their counterparts in the choir."

Choir Costume

The boys in the portrait wear Eton collars with their choir surplices and cassocks. Anglicans and Roman Catholics always use the word cassock rather than robe. Some of the cassocks buttoned down the front while others were held together by a "cincture" or "girdle" (a church rope that matched the color of the cassock, usually black, and was tied around the waist with tassles hanging down). The surplices are white. We are not sure about the cassocks, perhaps red. Eton collars were widely worn by boys at the time, both in England and America. Some English cjoirs also used them as part of their choir costumes. Note that some of the boys wear neckties with their Eton collars and others do not. There seems to have been no rule about this, only that the boys had to wear Eton collars.

Modern Music Program

The Cathedral continues to have a very active youth music program, including both a boys' choir and a girls' choir as well a junior children's choir.

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Created: 10:45 PM 9/4/2010
Last updated: 6:47 PM 9/5/2010