The Wiener Schubertbund ("Vienna Schubert Society") is a men's choir in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria, founded in 1863.

History

The choir's founder in 1863, and its first musical director, was

Franz Mair Franz Mair (15 March 1821 – 30 November 1893) was an Austrian composer and choral conductor, and founder of the ''Wiener Schubertbund'', a choir that still exists today. Life Mair was born in Weikendorf in northeast Austria in 1821, son of a te ...

. It was originally affiliated to a teachers' association, and known as the ''Lehrersängerchor Schubertbund''. The reference to

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

was significant in that Schubert was from a family of teachers, himself having been at one time a teacher. In 1870 the choir left the teachers' association, and was renamed ''Schubertbund''. Since 1918 the choir has been based in the Vienna Concert Hall, and it has had the name ''Wiener Schubertbund'' since 1922."Schubertbund, Wiener (WSB)"
Österriechisches Musiklexikon Online. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
Wiener Schubertbund. Retrieved 11 December 2019. 132 singers were present at the first rehearsal in 1863; at the thousandth concert in 1924 there were about 400 singers. At the first rehearsal in 1946 after the Second World War there were 80 singers. In 2005 there were about 50 active members. The choir has given concerts outside Austria: in recent years it has visited the USA, China, Syria and Brazil. From its founding, the choir has paid particular attention to the works of

; at its first concert in 1864, Schubert's ''

Deutsche Messe ''Deutsche Messe'' ("German Mass"; full title: , "German Mass and Order of Worship") was published by Martin Luther in 1526. It followed his work '' Formula missae'' from the year 1523, pertaining to the celebration of a Latin mass. Both of these ...

'', D 872, was performed. It performs works by important composers of all musical periods. Works have been dedicated to the choir by composers including Richard Strauss (''

Die Tageszeiten ''Die Tageszeiten'' (''Times of the Day'') is a choral composition written for male voice choir and orchestra by Richard Strauss (1864–1949), TrV 256, Op. 76 (published 1928). It consists of four movements: "The Morning", "Afternoon Peace", ...

''),

Wilhelm Kienzl Wilhelm Kienzl (17 January 1857 – 3 October 1941) was an Austrian composer. Biography Kienzl was born in the small, picturesque Upper Austrian town of Waizenkirchen. His family moved to the Styrian capital of Graz in 1860, where he studied ...

and

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is ''The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life a ...

Musical directors

Past musical directors include , Ferdinand Rebay, ,

Anton Webern Anton Friedrich Wilhelm von Webern (3 December 188315 September 1945), better known as Anton Webern (), was an Austrian composer and conductor whose music was among the most radical of its milieu in its sheer concision, even aphorism, and stead ...

, Viktor Keldorfer, , Hans Gillesberger, and Heinrich Gattermeyer. The present musical director (in 2019) is Fritz Brucker.

References

External links

Wiener Schubertbund
Official website {{authority control Boys' and men's choirs Austrian choirs Musical groups established in 1863 1863 establishments in the Austrian Empire