Evangelical chapel boys

Evangelical chapel boys
Seat:	Dresden / Germany
Carrier:	Sophienkirche
Founding:	1737
Resolution:	1923
Genus:	Boys' choir
Voices :	??? ( SATB )

The Evangelical Kapellknaben were a boys' choir in Dresden belonging to the Saxon court , which was used from 1737 to 1923 together with the Evangelical Court Choir for the musical organization of the services in the Evangelical Court Church Dresden ( Sophienkirche ).

history

Former Dresden Palace Chapel: Heinrich Schütz among his musicians, mostly singers, including band boys

The history of the choir goes back to the 16th century. In 1548, Elector Moritz von Sachsen issued a choir order and thus created a court choir necessary for the musical organization of court services. This formed the basis for the development of the Saxon State Orchestra and the Kapellknaben, a choir that initially consisted of 13 boys. Under the direction of the Kapellmeister appointed by the court, especially during the time in office of Heinrich Schütz (1615–1672), the court orchestra and choir achieved high artistic quality.

With the conversion of the Saxon Elector Augustus the Strong to the Catholic faith, there were decisive changes in the church music life in Dresden. While the elector himself became Catholic, a large part of the court remained true to the Lutheran faith. For this reason, the court chapel was reorganized in 1709 and divided into a Lutheran and a Catholic group.

In 1737, August's successor Friedrich August II issued a decree that from then on the Lutheran court services had to take place in the Sophienkirche . In order to continue to guarantee the musical organization of these services, a new evangelical group was formed from the existing boys' choir, which initially consisted of six singers. A separate choir was created for the Catholic services as early as 1709, and it still exists today as the Dresden Kapellknaben .

Until the end of the monarchy in 1918, the Evangelical Kapellknaben were run by the Evangelical Court Choir and grew to up to 60 singers around 1900. The last Protestant court choirmaster and director of the choir was Paul Julius Knöbel until 1920 . As part of the amalgamation of the bourgeois parish and the former court parish of the Sophienkirche, church music was also reorganized and the Evangelical Chapel Boys dissolved in 1923.

Individual evidence

↑ From one root - the 300-year history of the Dresden Kapellknaben and the St. Benno-Gymnasium Dresden. St. Benno Verlag, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-7462-2765-8 , p. 20.
^ Robert Bruck: The Sophienkirche in Dresden. Their history and their art treasures . Keller, Dresden 1912, p. 17.
↑ From one root - the 300-year history of the Dresden Kapellknaben and the St. Benno-Gymnasium Dresden. St. Benno Verlag, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-7462-2765-8 , p. 22. Online ( Memento from January 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 831 kB)

[1] From one root - the 300-year history of the Dresden Kapellknaben and the St. Benno-Gymnasium Dresden. St. Benno Verlag, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-7462-2765-8 , p. 20.

[2] Robert Bruck: The Sophienkirche in Dresden. Their history and their art treasures . Keller, Dresden 1912, p. 17.

[3] From one root - the 300-year history of the Dresden Kapellknaben and the St. Benno-Gymnasium Dresden. St. Benno Verlag, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-7462-2765-8 , p. 22. Online ( Memento from January 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 831 kB)