Singende Jugend (1936)

Little Toni is an orphan boy who lives in Vienna. His foster father is a rough, brutish man, and, wanting to escape his punishment, Toni joins the kind street musician Blüml, who takes him under his wing from then on. But life is made difficult for him too. This time, the police drive him away, and Blüml and Toni take refuge in a church. The Vienna Boys’ Choir is rehearsing there. Toni is enthralled and desperately wants to join the choir. The next day, Blüml takes the orphan to Wilhelminenberg Castle, where he presents Toni, who has a beautiful voice, as a great talent. The boy is delighted by his new surroundings, because here, for the first time, he feels what it means to be welcomed and accepted. He comes to trust Sister Maria in particular, the choir’s “good soul.” One day, the Vienna Boys’ Choir is due to go on a trip to recover. The destination is East Tyrol. Along with Toni and his faithful companion Blüml, who has found a job at Wilhelminenberg, Maria and choirmaster Schmidt are also going. But trouble soon arises. A thousand-schilling banknote that Sister Maria received from the hotel as part of a settlement has vanished without a trace from the cash safe. Schmidt, who is chronically short of money and could use it to secure his career as a musician, and Toni, who was seen leaving the room where the banknote had been, are suspected as possible thieves. Out of deep affection for Maria, whom he loves like a mother and who might also come under suspicion, Toni admits to a theft he did not commit. The orphan boy has to leave the choir and runs away. An accident occurs on a rotten footbridge spanning a mountain stream. Toni first falls into the depths and then slips into a coma. Meanwhile, the 1,000-schilling note has turned up again: it was in another bundle of money that had also been in the cash safe. When Toni awakens after a long period of unconsciousness, Maria and the choirboys, whom he will now finally join, are standing before him.