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The Regensburger Domspatzen (Regensburg Cathedral Choir) is the official choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
 for the liturgical music
Liturgical music

Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service , the Lutheran mass, the Orthodox Christianity liturgy and other Christian services including the Divine Office....
 at St Peter's Cathedral
Regensburg Cathedral

The Regensburg Cathedral , dedicated to St Peter, is the most important church and landmark of the city Regensburg, and cathedral of the Diocese of Regensburg....
 in Regensburg
Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen River rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube....
, Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. The choir consists of boys and young men only.

Domspatzen, literally "Cathedral Sparrows", trace their origins back to the year 975 when bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg
Wolfgang of Regensburg

Saint Wolfgang or Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint of the Roman Catholic church ....
 founded a cathedral school that – among other things – instructed boys to sing in the liturgy.






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The Regensburger Domspatzen (Regensburg Cathedral Choir) is the official choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
 for the liturgical music
Liturgical music

Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service , the Lutheran mass, the Orthodox Christianity liturgy and other Christian services including the Divine Office....
 at St Peter's Cathedral
Regensburg Cathedral

The Regensburg Cathedral , dedicated to St Peter, is the most important church and landmark of the city Regensburg, and cathedral of the Diocese of Regensburg....
 in Regensburg
Regensburg

Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen River rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube....
, Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. The choir consists of boys and young men only.

History and organization

The Domspatzen, literally "Cathedral Sparrows", trace their origins back to the year 975 when bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg
Wolfgang of Regensburg

Saint Wolfgang or Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint of the Roman Catholic church ....
 founded a cathedral school that – among other things – instructed boys to sing in the liturgy. The choir has seen various ups and downs during its more than 1,000-year history. In the 20th century, however, the Domspatzen became world-famous, especially through the achievement of the two directors who were to shape them over the course of 70 years: Theobald Schrems (Domkapellmeister 1924-1964) and Georg Ratzinger
Georg Ratzinger

Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, PA, is a Germany Roman Catholic Church Priesthood and musician, known for his work as the conductor of the Regensburger Domspatzen, the cathedral choir of Regensburg, Germany....
 (Domkapellmeister 1964-1994).

Schrems laid the foundations that enabled the choir’s success by giving the Domspatzen their current institutional makeup: a boarding school for boys aged 10-19, a private secondary school with emphasis on musical education, and the choir at the center of the structure. In this way the boys can practise singing together and learn under the same roof, which allows for greater efficiency and thus also helps to avoid exhaustion of the students. Ratzinger oversaw the choir becoming a stable concert presence and consolidated and enhanced its quality.

Since 1994 Roland Büchner has been Domkapellmeister; after centuries the first layman to hold the position. He has so far continued the choir's success story.

Recordings

The choir has made numerous recordings (e.g. J. S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
: Christmas Oratorio
Christmas Oratorio

The Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734 in music incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular cantatas written during 1733 and 1734 and a now lost church cantata, BWV 2...
, J .S. Bach: Motets
List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

There are over 1000 known compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. Listed here are about half of these in the order of the BWV catalog, including the spurious works in the BWV Anhang ....
, H. Schütz
Heinrich Schütz

Heinrich Sch?tz was a German composer and organ , generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi....
: Psalms of David; G. F. Handel
George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was an England Baroque music composer of Germany birth who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerto grosso. His life and music may justly be described as "cosmopolitan": he was born in Germany, trained in Italy, and spent most of his life in England....
: Messiah
Messiah (Handel)

Messiah is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. Composed in the summer of 1741 and premiered in Dublin on the 13 April 1742, Messiah is Handel's most famous creation and is among the most popular works in Western choral literature....
) and concert tours throughout the world (among others to the USA, Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
, Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
 and the Vatican
Vatican City

Vatican City , officially the State of the Vatican City , is a Landlocked country sovereignty city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the Capital of Italy....
; and a tour through Germany every year). There is a youtube recording of Schlafe,mein Prinzchen, schlaf ein at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLwbdfINnU&feature=related

Performances

The choir performed in honor of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
 on the occasion of her State Visit to Germany in 1978, and at Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...
’s visit to Munich
Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
 in 1980. They also gave a concert in Bonn
Bonn

Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the Capital of Germany West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
 for the state guests at the NATO summit
NATO summit

A NATO summit is a summit that is regarded as a periodic opportunity for Head of State and Head of Government of NATO member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities....
 in 1982 under the auspices of then German president Karl Carstens
Karl Carstens

Karl Carstens was a Germany politician. He served as the fifth President of Germany of Germany....
. In 2006 they gave a concert in the Vatican City for Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI is the List of popes and reigning Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and, as such, monarch of the Vatican City....
, the brother of the former Domkapellmeister Georg Ratzinger. The main purpose of the choir, however, remains the music in the liturgy of St Peter's, where the religious services of Holy Week
Holy Week

Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of Pentecostarion....
 constitute the prime event of the liturgical, and thus also the musical, year.

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