The Vienna Boys' Choir, or Wiener Sängerknaben in German (and also known as the Vienna Choir Boys, a more direct translation), is among the world's foremost and beloved children's choirs. It is also one of the oldest musical organizations anywhere, fulfilling traditional roles that date back centuries.
The choir dates back to June or July of 1498 when Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I issued a decree specifying that boys' voices should be the singers of the court chapel at the Hofburg Palace; the boys perform at Sunday masses there to this day. Composers who have written for th...