!!!Chorwesen Choirs: Apart from church music, in which choral singing has always been a tradition, and the opera choirs, which were usually rather small until the 19%%sup th/% century, independent choirs only developed as the musical activities of the middle class became institutionalised. The newly founded musical associations usually comprised a music school and a choir (one of the most famous is the "Singverein" choir of the Society of the Friends of Music); along with bourgeois choir clubs, choral unions, which were of nationalist persuasion, also developed during the 2%%sup nd/% half of the 19%%sup th/% century. Today, there are small and large choirs pursuing various musical aims; the most famous amateur associations are: the Singverein, Singakademie, A. Schoenberg Chor and Concentus vocalis. Austria´s best known professional choir is the concert association of the Vienna State Opera Choir. Saengerbund. %%language [Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Chorwesen|class='wikipage austrian'] %% [{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}] [{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]