Dresden Kreuzchor

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Dresden Kreuzchor
The logo of the Dresden Kreuzchor since 2015.
Seat: Dresden / Germany
Genus: Boys' choir
Head : Kreuzkantor Roderich Kreile
Voices : 123 ( SATB )
Website : www.kreuzchor.de
Kreuzchor performing in the Kreuzkirche in Dresden in the 1960s
Kreuzchor on the Dresden Theaterplatz , on the sofa Roderich Kreile

The Dresdner Kreuzchor is a world-famous boys' choir from Dresden with a choral tradition going back around 650 years. After the Aachen Cathedral Choir , the Regensburger Domspatzen , the Stadtsingechor zu Halle and the Leipzig St. Thomas Choir, it is one of the five oldest boys' choirs in Germany and Europe.

description

The Dresden Kreuzchor today has 123 active Kruzians - this is how the choir members are called - aged 9 to 19 who play as a mixed-voice boys' choir ( soprano / alto / tenor / bass ). The size of the cast depends on the works to be performed. About 80 Crucians travel to guest performances.

The city of Dresden is the sponsor of the Kreuzchor (so it is not a church choir), although the artistic home of the choir is the Kreuzkirche . The design of the Musica sacra for Vespers and services corresponds to his original obligation and at the same time forms the foundation of his artistic work.

The choir is characterized by a diverse and extensive repertoire. It ranges from the early baroque works of the Dresden court conductor Heinrich Schütz , Bach's passions , motets and cantatas as well as choral music of the 19th century to modern times; like the world premiere of the work Pilgrimages by Chaya Czernowin . With numerous world premieres and first performances, the Dresdner Kreuzchor has repeatedly received attention and recognition from specialist critics.

The joint concerts with the Dresden Philharmonic , the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden or special ensembles for "early music" are firmly rooted in the concert life of the city of Dresden.

The choir is regularly obliged to make television and radio recordings. The Kruzians have been producing sound recordings for well-known record companies for over 80 years. Works from almost all epochs of music history have since been recorded and are now available on CDs from Berlin Classics , Capriccio, Teldec and the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft .

The Kruzians receive their school education at the Evangelical Cross Gymnasium up to the Abitur . The Crucians of the first year (fourth grade ) as well as the older ones with further journeys home live in the Alumnat , the boarding school of the choir.

Success and fame do not only result from the specific sound of the boy's voices (also known as the Crucian voices ), the basis for this is daily rehearsals and intensive singing and instrumental lessons. The synthesis between liturgical tradition, continuous training and high artistic quality helps the ensemble to have a worldwide reputation.

In 2014, the Dresden Kreuzchor, together with the Thomanerchor and the Dresdner Kapellknaben, were nominated by the state of Saxony for intangible cultural heritage .

Kreuzschule and Dresdner Kreuzchor

history

On April 6, 1300, a Dresden schoolmaster was first mentioned in a document. The beginning of the school is likely to have been a parish school, which passed into the administration of the Dresden Council in the course of the 14th century until 1380. The name Kreuzschule was due to its location near the relic of the cross of Christ , which was also attached to the church, which was probably consecrated to St. Nicholas, and for which a chapel, the Kreuzkapelle, was built. The Nikolaikirche was again referred to as the Kreuzkirche for the first time in 1319. An important task - documented in writing since 1371 - is the training of choirboys who were needed for liturgical chants. They are also used to celebrate church services.

The actual age of the choir cannot be exactly proven. The 700th anniversary of the choir was celebrated five times in the 20th century (of which - at least - three festive times): 1916, 1926, 1931, 1937 and 1947. After the so-called 775th anniversary in 1991, it was already leading In 1992 the historian Karlheinz Blaschke said: "It is only to be hoped that the Kreuzchor Jubilee of 1991 will be the last that relates to the year 1216, since such a reference is unfounded."

Due to the first written mention of 1371, the fact that around this time the school was passed into municipal sponsorship and the definitive renaming of the Nikolai Church in Kreuzkirche, which can only be proven from 1390, it suggests that the actual age of the choir for 2016 was around 645 Years to assume. The assumption that the first mention of Dresden as a city (1216) is identical with a foundation or first mention of the Kreuzchor is neither substantiated nor substantiated; the 775th anniversary celebrations of the Kreuzchor in 1991, as well as its 800th anniversary celebrations in 2016, are based on a fictitious document .

Manuscript archive

Historical manuscripts and prints and copies of manuscripts were found in the depots of the Kreuzchor. The privately operated manuscript archive Dresdner Kreuzchor was founded in 2013 in order to record, digitize and make these available to the public .

Cross Cantors

Kreuzkantors lead the Kreuzchor and are employees of the city of Dresden in a special contractual relationship. Sometimes the post is linked to one person for several decades, for example with Ernst Julius Otto (Kreuzkantor in the years 1828–1875) and Rudolf Mauersberger (1930–1971).

Cross choir vespers

The annually over 20 Kreuzchor Vespers on Saturday at 5 p.m. are musical devotions and are regularly attended by over a thousand listeners. The choral music resounding from the chancel is complemented by organ playing, the Sunday Word, parish chorale as well as prayer and blessings.

In Advent , at Christmas , at the Christ Vespers of the Crucians , Easter or Whitsun , visitors wait several hours in a long queue at the old market to be admitted to the church. And for the Crucians there are new highlights every year when they proclaim the Christian message in front of over four thousand people making music.

Church services

Up to 25 times a year, the Crucians sing the motets from the choir loft in the Sunday morning service and intone the alternating chants with a small choir group in liturgical carolers in the chancel. Another specialty is the psalmody of the epistle and the gospel by a crucian.

Concerts

The annual over ten concerts are determined by the church year . Beginning with two Christmas carol evenings, three performances of cantatas 1 to 3 of Bach's Christmas Oratorio follow, followed by cantatas 4 to 6 at the beginning of the year. The choir commemorates the destruction of Dresden in World War II with works that correspond to the admonishing occasion of that day . During Holy Week, the two performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion are on the program. In the first few weeks of summer, a large choral symphonic work is usually heard at the Dresden Music Festival.

Easter Mass

The traditional Easter mass of the Dresden Kreuzchor has been taking place on the morning of Easter Sunday since the 1950s. Here, according to the tradition of medieval mystery games, the biblical events are presented in a scenic manner, accompanied by music by the former Kreuzkantor Rudolf Mauersberger . A modified shape has been demonstrated since 2017. It was edited by Peter Kopp.

Tours, concerts and other appearances

  • The Crucians are celebrated guests in churches and concert halls at home and abroad. Guest appearances have taken the choir to the USA , Japan , South Korea , Taiwan , the People's Republic of China and Canada in recent years . Furthermore, in many other European countries and in countless German cities. Three fixed tours take place every year: in summer, autumn and winter. There are also several short trips.
  • Opera houses such as the Semperoper Dresden, and in earlier years also the Deutsche Oper Berlin or the Komische Oper Berlin regularly engage singers of the choir as soloists , for example as a boys' concert in the Magic Flute or as a shepherd boy in Tosca .
  • The Dresden Kreuzchor regularly organizes the services in the Kreuzkirche with liturgical chants as well as motets and cantatas .
  • On some Saturdays the choir sings in the "Vespers" of the Kreuzkirche, a musical-liturgical evening devotion lasting around 60 minutes.
  • All in all, the Kruzians sing more than 100 times a year: around 50 services and Vespers, 10 concerts in the Kreuzkirche and 40 concerts on tours and guest performances. Every year 150,000 visitors experience the performances of the choir.

Well-known former crucians

Vocal groups of former crucians

Prizes and awards

  • In 2005 the Dresden Kreuzchor was awarded the Brahms Prize by the Brahms Society Schleswig-Holstein based in Heide .
  • In 2013, the Kreuzchor was awarded the Shanghai Arts Festival Prize as part of its first China tour. After the concert agency had warned of difficulties with the Chinese censorship authority, the Kreuzchor deleted the song The thoughts are free from the repertoire of this tour. This should "avoid any questions about a text translation in order not to endanger the timely issuing of an entry permit", explained the leadership of the Kreuzchor, "a political demonstration with minors is not justified."
  • The choir is also awarded the European Choir Prize .
  • In December 2014, the Dresdner Kreuzchor was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage in Germany as one of three Saxon boys' choirs .

Series of publications by the Dresden Kreuzchor

The "Schriften des Dresdner Kreuzchor" has been published on behalf of the Dresdner Kreuzchor since 2014 by Matthias Herrmann in the Tectum Verlag Marburg / Baden-Baden with the kind support of the Förderverein Dresdner Kreuzchor eV.

Documentary film

  • 2016: God to honor, the city to blessing - 800 years of the Dresden Kreuzchor, documentary film - production, screenplay and director: Heike Bittner

literature

  • Dresdner Kreuzchor - Kreuzchor: Angels, urchins and music. MDR documentary, directed by Jana von Rautenberg, since 2006; DVD: Edel Records, parts 1-8, 2007; Parts 9-13, 2007.
  • Karlheinz Blaschke : Dresden, Kreuzkirche, Kreuzschule, Kreuzchor, Kruzianer. Musical and humanistic tradition over 775 years. Gütersloh / Munich 1991, ISBN 3-570-06664-9 .
  • Matthias Herrmann : Sing a new song to the Lord. Contemporary choral music with the Dresden Kreuzchor. In: Sächsische Heimatblätter. 62, 1, 2016, pp. 2-6.
  • Dieter Härtwig , Matthias Herrmann (ed.): The Dresden Kreuzchor. Past and present, places of work and school. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 3-374-02402-5 .
  • Jürgen Helfricht : Dresden Kreuzchor and Kreuzkirche. A chronicle from 1206 until today. Husum 2004, ISBN 3-89876-180-0 .
  • Hans John: The Dresden Kreuzchor and its cantors. Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-374-00177-7 .
  • Helga Mauersberger (Ed.): Dresdner Kreuzchor and Thomanerchor Leipzig two cantors and their time - Rudolf and Erhard Mauersberger. Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft Marienberg, Marienberg 2007, ISBN 978-3-931770-46-4 .
  • Matthias Herrmann (Ed.): Rudolf Mauersberger - From the workshop of a Kreuzkantor: letters, texts, speeches . (= Writings of the Dresden Kreuzchor. Volume 1). Marburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-8288-3317-3 .
  • Christoph Münchow: In the triad to this day: Dresdner Kreuzchor, Kreuzkirche Dresden, Kreuzgymnasium Dresden. Dresden. 2015, ISBN 978-3-943444-49-0 .
  • Matthias Herrmann (Ed.): Dresden Kreuzchor and contemporary choral music. World premieres between Richter and Kreile . (= Writings of the Dresden Kreuzchor. Volume 2). Marburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-8288-3317-3 .
  • Matthias Herrmann (Ed.): Martin Flämig . From the work of a Kreuzkantor - letters, interviews, speeches, texts (writings of the Dresdner Kreuzchor, vol. 3), Baden-Baden 2018, ISBN 978-3-8288-4214-4 .

Web links

Commons : Kreuzchor Dresden  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2016 season book of the Dresdner Kreuzchor
  2. ↑ a b Karlheinz Blaschke , Uwe John (ed. On behalf of the state capital Dresden): History of the city of Dresden. Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Thirty Years War. Konrad Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1906-0 , pp. 205, 235.
  3. ↑ a b c Martin Morgenstern: 645 years of the Kreuzchor - How it all began . (online) , accessed December 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Karlheinz Blaschke: Kreuzkirche, Kreuzschule and Kreuzchor zu Dresden in the Middle Ages. In: Schola crucis, schola lucis? (= Dresdner Hefte - contributions to cultural history. Issue 30). 1992, ISBN 3-910055-14-1 , pp. 5–8, here p. 6. In the same booklet, further evidence that the Kreuzchor was not founded in 1216 or is to be regarded as already existing at that time.
  5. ^ Blaschke, as already mentioned for 1991.
  6. ↑ As of 2013 ( Memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ). Archived page, accessed December 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ COLLEGIUM CANTICUM DRESDEN men's voices double quartet. Retrieved December 21, 2015 .
  8. ↑ canta d'elysio. Retrieved January 3, 2016 .
  9. ↑ echo | the Dresden male choir ensemble. In: www.echo-ensemble.de. Retrieved April 25, 2016 .
  10. ↑ arcanum musicae. In: www.arcanum-musicae.de. Retrieved July 29, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Vocal group VIP. In: vip-vokalgruppe.de/. Retrieved July 29, 2017 .
  12. ↑ In Voce Veritas. In: http://www.invoceveritas.de/ueberuns.html/ . Retrieved July 29, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Brahmpreis 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009 ; accessed on December 21, 2015 .
  14. ↑ Jens Jessen : Just no freedom of thought! What the Kreuzchor in China was afraid of. In: The time. November 7, 2013, p. 49.
  15. ↑ Kreuzchor defends itself against sharp criticism ( Memento from December 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) , mdr.de, November 5, 2013.
  16. ↑ Press release of the Standing Conference