Vienna Boys Choir
Vienna, Austria
This morning I went to mass at a big Catholic church, the Hofburg Chapel in Vienna. I got to see the Vienna Boys Choir sing, along with the Vienna Philharmonic and some male members of the Vienna State Choir. We’re in Bratislava now and headed to Vienna in a few days, but the Boys choir only sings at this event on Sundays.
My alarm went off at 6:30 this morning and I took a Bolt (like Uber) to the train station and got on the 7:15am train to Vienna.
As I sat there I wondered if I might need my passport, as there is a border crossing from Slovakia to Austria. Thumbing through my purse I realize I left it in the hiking backpack. SHIT. I quickly search through my phone for a photo of my passport which I hope will be sufficient if someone comes around. I’ll just show my ID, plus my passport photo. That should be fine.
SHIT!!! My wallet is in the other backpack, too! Oh my god. No passport, no ID, no credit cards, no cash. I’m nervous the whole ride to Vienna, but get out at Central Station and start walking. It’s a 45-minute walk, according to Google maps, but I make it in 35. Plenty of time.
I would have stopped for a coffee on the way there and/or on the way back, but, no money, so I hauled ass back to the train station (this time in 30 mins) and got the train back to Bratislava. Nobody checked tickets or passports for either journey.
Here’s a description of the event from viennaticketoffice.com (It is indeed more of an event than a Catholic mass. I mean, I did buy a ticket…)
Mass with the Hofmusikkapelle and the Vienna Boys’ Choir and members of the State Opera orchestra and men’s choir Hofmusikkapelle (Hofkapelle) court orchestra, Vienna. Its primary function was the musical accompaniment of mass at court; its beginnings can be traced back to the High Middle Ages. After the extinction of the Luxemburg dynasty in 1438 the court orchestra was taken over by the Habsburgs. At that time excellent musicians played in the Hofmusikkapelle; the first conductor of the court orchestra known by name was J. Brassart. 1498, the year of its reform under Maximilian I, is often referred to as the year of its creation. In early modern times more worldly functions become increasingly important, a development that reached its climax (with musicians such as A. Cesti, Ziani, J. J. Fux, G. Bononcini and A. Caldara) under the “Musikkaiser” (= musical emperors) Ferdinand III, Leopold I, Joseph I and especially Karl VI. Under Maria Theresia the activities of the court orchestra were more restricted. In the 19th century they were limited to religious music and the court opera.
General Information: During HOLY MASS the priest is celebrating at the altar, the Choir and musicians are performing at the organ gallery which is located behind high up on 3rd floor. At the end of Mass the Vienna Boys Choir come to the altar to sing one motet and to be seen. The oratorios are located besides the main Chapel on 2nd and 3rd floor with big open windows to the Chapel. The mass is in German and Latin.
You are kindly asked to take your seats by 9:00 am. Image and sound recordings are not permitted.
Guess I missed that last part, because I definitely took both video and sound recordings. It’s so beautiful, I just had to capture it. As reflected in the “obstructed view” seat options online, you cannot see anything in a good many of the 2nd and 3rd floor seats. There are screens for those folks. I could see quite a lot and was right in the corner.
There is something ethereal and divine about it, but also something that hangs on the edge of suspicion, like it could easily get tipped into something twisted and exploitative and self-serving. These prepubescent boys with their high, angelic voices, dressed like little sailors, under the mentorship and supervision of men with white hair in white robes.
It’s funny how people go to church. We need buildings to come to with other people to hear things about god and to pray. Does it “work?” And in this church only people with certain genitalia can do leadership things (penis = leader). The Catholic Church deduce that because Jesus chose 12 male disciples, he/god meant no woman ever should be a priest. And, because a priest apparently becomes Jesus, or is a vessel of Jesus, that the body then must be a man’s body because Jesus was a man. Do we really think god is so narrow or impotent (pun intended) as to be limited by human flesh?
To me it seems so silly and small. Latching on to one sexist notion from one religious dogma from one species on this planet that’s been here for millions of years; it’s baffling. Let a woman who wants to be a priest be a priest for god’s sake. Pun very much intended.
Still, the sound of the choir, all the humans singing together turns into something higher than human. The men’s voices together are so beautiful with the strings and the church acoustics; it brings tears to my eyes.
