Christmas Carols and Their Stories
Puzzle 71 · Carol Services, Choirs and Bells · Page 99 in print
Famous Boys' Choirs
Westminster Abbey’s choir has twenty-four boy choristers and twelve lay vicars, and the line of its Organists and Masters of the Choristers includes Orlando Gibbons, John Blow and Henry Purcell.
Jump to a word
The words
Augarten
The Vienna campus where the choirboys live and study.
Augustinian
The monastery of 1212 where the Leipzig choir began.
Bruckner
One of the four Vienna touring choirs is named for him.
Choirboy
A boy singer in one of the great choirs.
Haydn
Joseph Haydn, once a Vienna choirboy; a choir bears his name.
Wiener Sängerknaben (opens a new tab) · Österreichische UNESCO-Kommission (opens a new tab)
Henry Purcell
Among the Abbey’s famous organists.
John Blow
Composer and organist in the Abbey’s line of choir masters.
Lady Chapel
Where Westminster Abbey’s boys’ choir began.
Maximilian
Emperor Maximilian I, whose court of 1498 began the choir.
Motets
The weekly motet services sung by the Leipzig choir.
Schubert
Franz Schubert, once a Vienna choirboy; a choir bears his name.
Wiener Sängerknaben (opens a new tab) · Österreichische UNESCO-Kommission (opens a new tab)
Thomanerchor
The St Thomas Choir of Leipzig.
Thomaskantor
Director of the St Thomas Choir, Bach’s post.
Vienna
Home city of the Vienna Boys Choir.
Westminster
Westminster Abbey, whose choir began in 1380.
Sources
- Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boys Choir), official site, ‘The Boys Choir’ (English)wsk.at
- THOMANERCHOR Leipzig, official biography (as of February 2025, PDF)thomanerchor.de
- Österreichische UNESCO-Kommission, nomination form ‘Pflege der Knabenstimmentradition bei den Wiener Sängerknaben’ (German, PDF)unesco.at
- Westminster Abbey Choir School, official site, ‘Choristership’choirschool.westminster-abbey.org
- Westminster Abbey Choir School, official site, ‘Choristership / History’choirschool.westminster-abbey.org