Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chorknaben
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In 1900 the Stuttgart Hymnus Boys' Choir was initiated by the Swabian entrepreneur Paul von Lechler.
Examples were the Thomanerchor Leipzig and the Cross Choir of Dresden. After the re-foundation in 1946 and under the leadership of Professor Gerhard Wilhelm, who conducted the choir until 1987, the Hymnus Boys' Choir soon reached an artistic level, that was recognized far beyond the country borders. Then Eckhard Weyand was in charge until 1992. Since 1992 the choir is led and conducted by church music director Hanns-Friedrich Kunz. Even though churches and concert halls in Baden-Württemberg are the centre of their public appearances, the choir was on successful concert tours through Germany and Europe. The Stuttgart Hymnus Boys' Choir has a broad repertoire of spiritual vocal music, especially music by Johann Sebastian Bach and other baroque composers. Parallel to the concerts the musical-liturgical arrangements of masses have a special meaning.
About 170 boys and 30 young men come together to rehearse in Stuttgart weekly, because the choir does not have a boarding school. The singers live with their parents and go to school in their hometowns.
The boys start to learn reading easy notes and dealing with musical basics at an age of seven or eight years. Later, usually after three years, the boys are introduced to the literature of the concert choir and start to fully participate in concerts. After the voice has changed, the boys can sing in the men's choir as tenors or basses. Skilled voice artists and teachers support both boys and men in single voice lessons.
