Singular Vectors of {cal W} Algebras via DS Reduction of A₂^(1)

The BRST quantisation of the Drinfeld - Sokolov reduction applied to the case of $A^{(1)}_2\,$ is explored to construct in an unified and systematic way the general singular vectors in ${\cal W}_3$ and ${\cal W}_3^{(2)}$ Verma modules. The construction relies on the use of proper quantum analogues of the classical DS gauge fixing transformations. Furthermore the stability groups $\overline W^{(\eta)}\,$ of the highest weights of the ${\cal W}\,$ - Verma modules play an important role in the proof of the BRST equivalence of the Malikov-Feigin-Fuks singular vectors and the ${\cal W}$ algebra ones. The resulting singular vectors are essentially classified by the affine Weyl group $W\, $ modulo $\overline W^{(\eta)}\,$. This is a detailed presentation of the results announced in a recent paper of the authors (Phys. Lett. B318 (1993) 85).