International Federation Pueri Cantores

The basis of the modern International Federation of Pueri Cantores, founded in the twentieth century, was formed on a deep ancient Christian conviction that singing can be an instrument of worshipping God. It has been a significant element determining the musical form of Christian cult over the centuries. St Paul in his letter to Colossians encourages them to teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as they sing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs with gratitude in their hearts to God (cf. Col 3:16). These words prove that in the early Christian consciousness there was a strong belief that man, through singing, not only worships God, but also professes his faith. Thus singing was a tool of preaching the Gospel and a means of spiritual and moral development of a believer. An ancient conviction that “music soothes the savage beast”, and allegedly St Augustine’s saying that “he who sings, prays twice as much”, serve as a very convincing proof. Those early Christian ideas are fundamental to the present shape of the Pueri Cantores Federation.