Escolania de Montserrat facts for kids

The Escolania de Montserrat is a special choir made up of boys who sing high notes (sopranos) and lower notes (altos). They live and learn at a Benedictine monastery called Santa Maria de Montserrat, which is near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. Sometimes, older choir members and monks join them to sing.

The Escolania is part of the Montserrat Monastery and is one of the oldest boys' choirs in Europe. Records show that this musical school has been around since the 1300s!

More than fifty boys, usually between nine and fourteen years old, are part of the Escolania. They come from different parts of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian community. While they are at the Escolania, they go to school for their primary and early secondary education. They also have special music lessons.

Every student learns to play two instruments. They all learn the piano, and then they choose another orchestral instrument they like. Besides instruments, they study music theory, play in an orchestra, and, of course, sing in the famous choir!

Singing and Traveling

The Escolania choir sings every day in the Basilica, which is a large church. Many visitors and people on pilgrimages from all over the world come to hear them. Their midday singing of the "Salve Regina" is a very popular event at the Sanctuary.

The choir has made many music albums. They have also traveled to perform concerts in different countries. They have visited places like Hungary, Switzerland, France, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Russia, the United States, and China. In March 2023, they even performed three concerts in Australia as part of the Adelaide Festival.

A Look at Their History

• 1025: The Benedictine community of Montserrat was started.
• 12th Century: People began to visit the mountain to honor the Virgin of Montserrat.
• 1307: The first official paper mentions the Escolania. It also talks about the choir robes they still wear today.
• 1479: The choir sang for King Fernando, who was known as the Catholic King, when he visited Barcelona.
• 1494: Abbot Garcia de Cisneros said how important religious music was for the Escolania's singers. At that time, there were about 20 boys in the choir.
• 16th Century: Bartomeu Garriga, who was once a choirboy, promised to build a great church for the Virgin when he grew up. In 1560, as the Abbot of the Monastery, he started building the Basilica that stands today.
• 17th-18th Century: The Escolania grew a lot. This is when "Masters of the Escolania" first appeared. These were monks who led the choir and created new music for them to sing.
• 1889-1909: Father Manuel Guzman brought a new sound to the choir. He also taught future directors of the Escolania.
• 1909-1911: Father Ramir Escofet became the director.
• 1911-1933: Father Anselm Ferrer from Italy became the director and a composer. He made the first recordings of the Escolania and helped the choir's sound develop.
• 1933-1936: Blessed Father Angel Rodamilan was the director. He died for his beliefs during the Civil War.
• 1936-1939: The monks and students had to leave Montserrat during the Spanish Civil War.
• 1939-1953: Father David Pujol was the director.
• 1953-1997: Father Ireneu Segarra was the director and a composer. Under his leadership, the choir grew to fifty students. They also released many records. In the 1960s, they started performing concerts outside Montserrat for the first time, including tours to other countries.
• 1997-2000: Father Jordi-Agustí Piqué was the director.
• 2000-2007: Joaquim Piqué was the first director who was not a monk.
• 2007–2014: Bernat Vivancos was the director.
• 2014-Present: Llorenç Castelló is the current director of the Escolania.

See also

In Spanish: Escolanía de Montserrat para niños