The Boy's Voice / A Book of Practical Information on The Training of Boys' Voices For Church Choirs, &c.
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Photographed by Mr. George Hadley, Lincoln.
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
The boys rehearse in a small but lofty room.There is a double row of desks and seats down each side, facing each other.Dr. C.H.Lloyd sits at a small pianoforte, placed across one end of the seats, thus commanding all the boys with his eye.The "tuning-up" exercises lasted ten minutes, and began with this exercise to "ah":—
[Listen]
This exercise, begun in C, was carried up gradually to B♭ above. It was sung first with a dim. going down, and a cres. going up, and then the opposite. Then came an ascending, followed by a descending scale, similarly varied in key and expression. The next exercise was—
[Listen]
which was transposed gradually upwards, being sung to "ah."Next a triplet exercise—
[Listen] [Listen]
At the higher part the second trebles sang a third below. Then followed the chromatic scale, up and down. Dr. Lloyd is not troubled much with flattening; when it occurs the men are more likely to cause it than the boys.They habitually sing the Litany, which lasts fifteen minutes, unaccompanied, and if they flatten at all, it is not more than a semitone.There is an unaccompanied service once a week.I noticed that breathing-places were marked in the anthems, and notes likely to give trouble were marked with a circle.Dr. Lloyd was by no means tied to the pianoforte during rehearsal, and frequently left his seat, and paced up and down, beating time while the singing went on.Theoretical questions on the pieces in hand were addressed to individual boys.These boys are the sons of professional men, and come from all parts of the country.There are now three undergraduates at Christ Church, who have been choir-boys.In the choir, on the day of my visit, was a boy of seventeen, who had sung for nine years; his voice had not yet begun to go.The curious custom is observed here of dividing the Psalms (between Decani and Cantoris) at the colon, instead of at the verse.It requires great readiness, and for those Psalms which are written in parallelisms, it is most effective.
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
The boys here are divided into ten choristers and fourteen probationers.The choristers are on the foundation, and receive a stipend; the probationers get their schooling only.The choristers wear trencher caps and gowns; the probationers flannel caps, bearing the arms of the cathedral.The boys are nearly all from the city; there is no boarding-school.The lower floor of the choir-school is used for the ordinary instruction, which is conducted by Mr. Plant, an alto in the cathedral choir, and the upper floor is used as a music-room.Here the boys receive four or five lessons a week from Dr. Longhurst, and the probationers have also a lesson by themselves.All the choristers learn the violin; this has been the practice for many years.When, at festivals, there is a band in the cathedral, the strings are made up largely from old choristers, most of whom go into business in the city. A system of rotation is adopted; thus, although there are twenty-four boys, not more than fourteen sing at any one service, the rest are at work at their ordinary lessons. A considerable drainage of boys takes place to the King's School, the leading grammar school in Canterbury. The choristers often leave to enter this school when their voices are in their prime.
Dr. Longhurst takes the boys very young; as soon after seven as possible.In choosing a boy, he requires both voice and ear to be good.Sometimes a boy excels in the one direction and not in the other; he can sing sweetly, but cannot imitate notes struck at random on the pianoforte, or else he has a poor voice and a good ear.But both endowments are necessary for a chorister.Dr. Longhurst, who was himself a boy at Canterbury, had a compass at that time of two-and-a-half octaves.As his voice changed he passed from first to second treble, then sang alto for seven years, and at last settled to tenor.He does not regard boy altos as desirable in cathedrals, but in parish churches, where no adult male altos are to be had, they are, no doubt, in place.Dr. Longhurst tells me that as a result of forty-eight years' experience, he can tell by the look of a boy whether he will make a chorister.There is something about the brows and eyes, and general contour of the face which guides him.He is never mistaken.Some time since a clergyman with whom Dr. Longhurst happened to be staying, ridiculed the idea that the musical capability of boys can be judged by their looks.He took Dr. Longhurst into the village school, and invited him to pick out the boys of the choir as they sat among others at their lessons.This Dr. Longhurst did quite correctly.He has no knowledge of phrenology, and the faculty has come to him simply as the result of long experience.
On the day of my visit I heard the boys practise in their lofty music-room.Dr. Longhurst sat at the grand pianoforte, and the boys were grouped in fours or fives round four music-stands, on which the large folio voice parts, in type or MS., were placed.These desks stood on either side of the piano, so that the boys looked towards Dr. Longhurst. Not many voice exercises are used, nor is there any talk about the registers. Pure tone is required, and the boys have not "to reason why." Six or seven of the youngest boys took no part in the practice of the service music. When the elder boys had done, the younger came forward and sang some solfeggio exercises. As a help in keeping time the boys clapped their hands sometimes at the first of the bar, and beat the pulses of the music. In the single voice parts, with long rests, this is a help. The boys do not sing any secular music. At one time they did, but now, with the schooling, the ordinary practices, and the violin lessons, there is no time. Flattening does not often occur. As a rule, when they intone on G, the G remains to the end. The practice of singing the service unaccompanied on Fridays all the year round, and on Wednesdays in addition during Lent, must have a bracing effect on the choir. I was myself present on a Wednesday in Lent, and could detect no falling in pitch. The boys at Canterbury do not appear to receive much formal voice-training, and I attribute the excellent quality of their singing to two facts. First, Dr. Longhurst has evidently a knack of discerning a promising voice; and second, having established a tradition of good singing, the boys, entering at an early age, insensibly fall into it.
DR. BUCK'S BOYS AT NORWICH
I have gathered from Mr. A.R.Gaul, Mus.B., of Birmingham, some particulars of the work of Dr. Buck, organist of Norwich Cathedral, who was known forty or fifty years ago all over the country as a trainer of boys' voices.Mr. Gaul was a boy at Norwich under Dr. Buck, and underwent the Spartan training which produced such notable results."No chest voice above F or G" was his rule, and the flute-like voice, which goes by so many names, and is yet so unmistakable when heard, was developed in all the choristers.Dr. Buck had an endless number of contrivances for teaching his boys right ways.Each of them carried about him a pocket looking-glass, and at practice was taught to hold it in his hand, and watch his mouth as he sang. One finger on top of the other was the gauge for opening the mouth transversely, while nuts were held in the cheeks to secure its proper longitudinal opening. To look at the boys during this exercise, one might think they had the face-ache! However, no joking over these matters was allowed; there was a penny fine for forgetting the looking-glass once, and a twopenny fine for forgetting it a second time. To prevent the use of too much breath in singing, Dr. Buck would take a piece of tissue paper, the size of a postage stamp, hang it by a fine thread in front of the mouth, and make the boys sing to it without blowing it away. Tongue-drill consisted in regular motions of the unruly member, until the boys were able to make it lie flat down at the bottom of the mouth, and raise it to the upper teeth as required. It was a daily plan to practise certain passages with the lips entirely closed, this was done to prevent the objectionable quality of voice resulting from any stoppage of the nasal organs. There was no sol-faing; various words were used at scale-practice, chosen to develop the vowels, while a code of troublesome words and endings of words was drawn up, and repeated daily by the boys in the speaking-voice, so as to secure clear enunciation. I have more than once seen and heard it stated that Dr. Buck used to make his boys sing through the nose, with closed mouth, in order to get the higher register, but Mr. Gaul does not remember this. Dr. Haydn Keeton informs me that they had boy-altos at Norwich in Dr. Buck's time, so that he must have had more boys than usual to train.
SALISBURY
A conversation with Mr. C.L.South, the organist and choirmaster, shows him to be a careful and able worker.The boys, who are boarded in the choir school, come from various parts.They are received at from 8 to 11 years; not over 11 unless the boy is very good and forward in music.The boys are chosen for their voices, but given two boys of equal voices, the one who knows most music would be selected.The music practice is an hour a day for five days of the week, under Mr. South himself. "I recognise," he says, "two registers in boys' voices, chest and head, and with careful practice you can get the voices so even that you can hardly tell where one ends and the other begins. The great thing, I believe, is to make the boys sing softly, and to get their register even throughout." Mr. South adds that the imitative power of boys is so strong that the younger ones fall into the habits of the elder ones, and thus make formal teaching about the registers less necessary. For vocal practice he uses Stainer's and Concone's Exercises, also solos like "Jesus, Saviour, I am Thine," and "Let the Saviour's outstretched arm" (both from Bach's Passion), as well as Handel's "Rejoice greatly," besides florid choruses from the Messiah. These are more interesting than formal studies, and they bring out the same points of breathing, phrasing, pronunciation, and expression. He sometimes introduces a song of this kind into the service as an anthem. On one occasion, when thirteen boys had sung one of the Bach songs in unison, a member of the congregation asked the name of the soloist. The voices were so perfectly blended that they sounded like one. The full number of boys is eighteen, of whom two at least sing solos. Mr. South does not use nor like boy altos. The service music is selected on eclectic principles, and covers the ground from Gibbons to Villiers Stanford. The boys sometimes give concerts, performing such cantatas as Smart's King Rene's Daughter, and Mendelssohn's "Two-part Songs."
CHAPTER XII.
NOTES ON THE PRACTICE OF VARIOUS CHOIRMASTERS IN PARISH CHURCHES.
In the course of journeys and interviews extending over many years I have gathered much experience from choirmasters, and have watched and noted their plans. Here follow some of the results of this work. The churches described are some of them small, and but little known. This fact, however, does not affect the value of the experience. The highest degree of credit is due to the choirmaster who obtains good results from poor materials, and this book is especially intended to help those who have to make the best of ordinary opportunities.
LEEDS PARISH CHURCH
This church has long been noted for its music, which is sung in cathedral style. There are about thirty boys, whose voices, even up to A, are round and clear, and throughout are big, true, and rich. Notable features of the style of the choir under Dr. Creser, are the long dimcadences in responses, and the independence which enables the singers to go on without the organ, if the expression suggests it.At the rehearsal in the parochial room Dr. Creser sits at the grand piano with the boys in their cantoris and decani places on each side of him just as in church.The boys rehearse five days a week after evensong, and the juniors have an additional practice.After Saturday evensong there is a full practice with the men.All the boys are trebles.Yorkshire is about the only district in England which produces adult male altos.The boys are chiefly promoted from district churches.They live at their homes, and receive a free education—the seniors in the Leeds middle-class school, and the juniors in the parish church school. There is also a small salary paid quarterly, and when a boy leaves he receives from £15 to £25 if an ordinary chorister, and £50 if a good solo boy. Fines are imposed by the precentor for misbehaviour or mischievous tricks in church or precincts, but not for mistakes in singing. Dr. Creser teaches sight-singing on the lines of Curwen's "How to Read Music." The boys use the old notation, but have learnt it through Tonic Sol-fa, using the course entitled "Crotchets and Quavers." Occasionally the whole rehearsal consists of sol-faing. In every difficulty as to key relationship the Sol-fa makes matters clear. Dr. Creser was first led to use Tonic Sol-fa by noticing how easy it made the minor mode. The junior boys are always taught by Dr. Creser. Until the voices settle he would on no account delegate them to an assistant. The two chief rules of voice-training are to forbid forcing the chest register above [Listen] and to begin scales at the top. Flattening takes place occasionally, but it is nearly always the fault of the congregation, who drag the pitch down. The arrangement of the music-library here is a model of order.
ST.PETER'S, EATON SQUARE, LONDON
Here, under the direction of Mr. de Manby Sergison, a very fine Anglican service is maintained.There are twenty boys, and a few probationers.The boys have an hour's practice every day, and sing the Psalms and a hymn at the daily choral service.Formerly a choir boarding-school was kept up, but this was abolished, being found to be too expensive.Now the boys are selected from schools in and near the parish, and Mr. Sergison finds the ordinary London boy equal to all the demands of the church.When the choir-school was given up he was able within a month to prepare an entirely new set of boys, so proficient that the congregation scarcely noticed a difference.The vocal practice of the boys includes "Concone's Exercises," and their phrasing in the service music is very good.The full choir sings on Sundays and Saints' Days, and their rehearsal takes place once a week in the church, Mr. Sergison being at the organ. In the chapter on the management of choir-boys I have quoted some wise remarks by Mr. Sergison, which explain his success as a choirmaster.
ST.MARK'S COLLEGE, CHELSEA
This is a Training College for schoolmasters, which has long been noted for its musical services. Mr. Owen Breden, the present organist and choirmaster, is the successor of Dr. Hullah, Mr. May, and the Rev. F. Helmore. The choir-boys, who number 26, only sing on Sundays. They are drawn from the practicing school, which contains 800 boys. They enter the choir at nine years of age, and there are always six or eight probationers, who attend the practices and are ready to fill vacancies. Thus a good style of singing is maintained. People say to Mr. Breden, "There is no telling one voice from another, your boys are so much alike." At the bi-weekly practice with Mr. Breden the boys have voice-training. They sing to la and sol-fa syllables scales gradually rising. They are not trained above G, but if a boy has a good G he can always go higher. The boys can all read from the Sol-fa modulator, and Mr. Breden gives them ear-tests. The alto part is taken entirely by boys at St. Mark's. The choir-boys, past and present, perform an operetta in costume every Christmas. Anthems like Macfarren's "The Lord is my Shepherd," Bennett's "God is a Spirit," Goss's "O Saviour of the world," &c. , are sung unaccompanied. In fact, whenever the organ part merely duplicates the voices, they take the opportunity at St. Mark's to enjoy the pure chording of human voices.
ST.MARY'S CHURCH, BERLIN
My friend, Herr Th.Krause, the organist and choirmaster of this church, allowed me to attend a rehearsal of the eighty boys and twenty men who form his fine choir.The large number of boys is explained by the fact that nearly half of them are altos. The motet of the Lutheran church is invariably unaccompanied. It closely resembles in form our anthem, but the German Protestants look upon the a capella style, which continues the tradition of the Sistine Chapel at Rome, as the purest and highest in church music. On no account would they use the organ to accompany a motet. This gives rise to elaborate compositions, often like Mendelssohn's "Judge me, O God," in eight parts. By treating the boys and men as separate choirs, each in four parts, and getting responses between them, a variety of tone colour, which is almost orchestral, is obtained; and when both choirs unite in solid eight-part harmony, the result is imposing. As the Germans are usually not sight-singers, the labour involved in learning these motets is immense. The higher register of the boys is well trained. They sing up to B flat without effort, and with purest tone. The same may be said of the Dom Choir, for which Mendelssohn wrote his motets. At my last visit to Leipzig, I carried an introduction to Dr. Rust, trainer of the Thomas Church choir, but I was there just after Whitsuntide, when the yearly shifting of classes had just taken place, and Dr. Rust, who wished me to hear his boys at their best, asked me not to come to a rehearsal. Speaking generally, the voices of German boys are thinner than those of English boys, more like fifes than flutes.
ST.CLEMENT DANES, STRAND
The choirmaster here, Mr. F.J.Knapp, is also master of the parish day school.Here he insists on quiet singing, and stops coarseness directly.The boys are taught on the Tonic Sol-fa system, which, says Mr. Knapp, has alone enabled him to produce his results.Some time ago at St.Stephens, Walworth, he was called upon to produce a choir in a week, and he did this, by nightly rehearsals, to the satisfaction of everyone.Complete oratorios, with band, were frequently given by this choir of sol-faists.At St.Clement Danes he had to produce a choir in five days, and here again he succeeded by the use of Tonic Sol-fa."Our choir-boys," he says, "can now sing at sight almost anything I put before them. We never have more than two or three practices (one only, full) for the most difficult anthems we do. There is an anthem every Sunday, a choral communion once a month, offertory sentences on alternate Sundays, cantatas and oratorios at Festivals." Mr. Knapp adopts the useful plan of "tuning-up" his boys before the morning service. Flattening, when it occurs, is due, he considers, to damp weather, a cold church, &c. But he is rarely troubled with it. The boys' voice exercises are taken at the harmonium, first slow notes to "koo-ah," or to "oo-ay-ah-ee," or to a sentence containing consonants. This exercise is done both ascending and descending, but especially descending. He also uses the chromatic scale from B flat up to F:— [Listen] He tells the boys nothing about the registers, but watches constantly against shouting.
SALZUNGEN CHOIR
This (Protestant) choir of men and boys is well-known in Germany, and not only sings at Salzungen, but occasionally makes tours, and gives concerts. Herr Mühlfeld, the trainer, tells me that he takes the boys from 11 years of age upwards, and that before entering the choir they have a fair knowledge of notes, and can sing at sight. The voices are examined on entry, low ones being put to sing alto, and high ones being put to sing soprano. The boys have two lessons of an hour each per week, in which they practise exercises, choräle, school songs, and church music.Flattening, according to Herr Mühlfeld, is due to (1) bad ear, (2) imperfect training, (3) fatigue of the voice.The boys are taught to listen to each note that they sing, and to make it blend with the instrument or the leading voice.In order to do this they must sing softly, and thus hear their neighbours' voices.The 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th tones of the scale are, says Herr Mühlfeld, often sung flat, and exercises should be specially given to secure the intonation of these sounds.The boys must also learn the intervals, and whenever they appear to be tired a pause must be made.
UPTON CROSS BOARD SCHOOL
This is not a church, but a boys' school, from which a good many choristers are drawn, and where excellent results have been obtained. The boys have often won prizes in choral competitions. Mr. H. A. Donald, the headmaster, tells me that he examines the voices of the boys one by one in his own room, once a year. Those who can take G and A [Listen] sweetly and easily are put down as first trebles. Those who can go below C [Listen] are altos. The rest are second trebles. He finds that after a year a boy's voice will often have changed—a treble become an alto, or vice versa. In modulator practice, and as far as possible in pieces of music, he keeps the trebles above . [Listen] Below this they get coarse. He never gives on the modulator an ascending passage which begins below this G. One may leap up, and come down by step, but not ascend by step. He uses Mr. Proudman's "Voice-training Exercises" (J. Curwen & Sons) for first trebles, and his contralto exercises for contraltos. Coarseness he checks at once, and he silences boys whose voices are breaking.
CHAPTER XIII.
ALTO BOYS.
How is the alto part, in a church choir consisting of males, to be sung? In our cathedrals this part has been given, ever since the Restoration, to adult men, generally with bass voices singing in their "thin" register. For this voice our composers of the English cathedral school wrote, carrying the part much lower than they would have done if they had been writing for women or boy-singers. For this voice, also, Handel wrote, and the listener at the Handel Festival cannot but feel the strength and resonance which the large number of men altos give to the harmony when the range of the part is low. The voice of the man alto, however, was never common, and is becoming less common than it was. It occupies a curious position, never having been recognised as a solo voice. I have heard of an exceptionally good man alto at Birmingham who was accustomed to sing songs at concerts, but this is an isolated case. The voice seems to have been generally confined to choral music.
This voice is entirely an English institution, unknown on the continent.Historians say that after the Restoration, when it was very difficult to obtain choir-boys, adult men learned to sing alto, and even low treble parts, in falsetto, in order to make harmony possible.
Let us concede at once that for music of the old cathedral school this voice is in place.The churches are, however, getting more and more eclectic, and are singing music from oratorios, cantatas, and masses that was composed for women altos, and is far too high in compass for men.We may admit that because the alto part lies so much upon the break into the thick or chest register of boys, it is very difficult to get them to sing it well. The dilemma is that in parish churches, especially in country places, the adult male alto is not to be had, and the choice is between boy altos, and no altos at all.
There is no doubt, moreover, that the trouble of voice-management in boy altos can be conquered by watchfulness and care.At the present time there are, as the information I have collected shows, a number of very good cathedral and church choirs in which the alto part is being sustained by boys.
The following is from Mr. James Taylor, organist and choirmaster of New College, Oxford:—
"New College, Oxford, Dec. 13, 1890.
"Dear Sir,—In reply to your letter, I can confidently recommend boy altos in parish or other choirs, provided they are carefully trained. We have introduced them into this choir for more than two years, and the experiment has fully come up to my expectations. We still retain two men altos in our choir, which now consists of the following:—Fourteen trebles, four boy altos, two men altos, four tenors, and four basses. I find boy altos very effective in modern church music, such as Mendelssohn's anthems, &c. , where the alto part is written much higher than is the case in the old cathedral music.
"Yours very truly,
"James Taylor."
Dr. Garrett, organist of St.John's College, Cambridge, writes:—
"5, Park Side, Cambridge, Dec. 12, 1890.
"Dear Mr. Curwen,—I have had boy altos only in my choir for some years.I introduced them of necessity in the first instance.The stipend of a lay clerk was too small to attract any other than a local candidate, and no suitable man was to be found.If I could have really first-class adult altos in my choir I should not think of using boys' voices.At the same time there are some advantages on the side of boys' voices.
"I.Unless the adult alto voice is really pure and good, and its possessor a skilled singer, it is too often unbearable.
"II.Under the most favourable conditions it is very rare, according to my experience, to find an alto voice retaining its best qualities after middle age.
"III.The alto voice is undoubtedly becoming rare.
"On the other side you have to consider:—
"I.The limitation of choice in music, as there is a good deal of 'cathedral music' in which the alto part is beyond the range of any boy's voice.
"II. A certain lack of brightness in the upper part of such trios as those in 'By the waters of Babylon' (Boyce) 'The wilderness' (Goss), and many like movements.
"As regards the break question, the advantage, in my experience, is wholly on the boys' side.A well-trained boy will sing such a solo as 'O thou that tellest,' or such a passage as the following without letting his break be felt at all:
[Listen]
This passage,{*} which is from the anthem, 'Hear my crying,' by Weldon, I have heard sung by an adult alto, who broke badly between E flat and F. The effect was funny beyond description. In fact, if a boys' break is about C or D (3rd space or 4th line), and he [Listen] is never allowed to practise above that, there will be no question of break arising. My alto boys can get a good round G, and five out of the six can go up without break to C. [Listen] The advantage of this in chanting the Psalms is obvious. What can an adult alto be expected to do in a case where the reciting note is close to his break? These are considerations which may fairly be taken into account even when the decision is to be made between possible courses; when there is a choice. In many cases there is none. It must be (as you say) boy alto, or no alto. I am quite sure that careful training is all that is needed to make boy altos most efficient members of a choir. Or rather, I ought to say that careful selection and training are both needed. To take a young boy as an alto because he happens to have three or four raucous notes from, say, B flat to E flat [Listen] while he has a bad break between E flat [Listen] and F is, of course, to court failure. I prefer taking a boy whose break lies higher, and training his voice downwards. If, as a probationer, he can get a fairly good round B natural [Listen] or B flat; lower notes can certainly be produced as he grows older.]
"Yours very truly,
"George Garrett."
{*} I have transposed the passage from the alto clef.—J.S.C.
A remark may be interposed here that from a physiological point of view we must expect voices of different pitch in boys, just as in girls, women, and men.Boys differ in height, size, and in the pitch of the speaking voice, which is a sure guide to the pitch of the singing voice.There is thus no physiological ground for supposing all boys to be trebles.
The following letter is from the Rev.W.E.Dickson, Precentor of Ely:—
"The College, Ely, October 30th, 1890.
"Dear Sir,—I have much pleasure in replying to your note.If I resolved to do so in a few words I should be obliged to say that seldom indeed do I hear boy altos sing with sweet voices and true intonation, either in my own country, or in those foreign countries in which I am in the habit of taking my holidays.
"But I should like to be allowed to explain that, in my opinion, the coarseness (at any rate) of boy-altos in English choirs is due to mismanagement by the choirmaster.His usual plan is to turn over to the alto part boys who are losing their upper notes by the natural failure of their soprano voices. This saves trouble, for such boys probably read music well enough, and they are simply told to 'sing alto,' and are left to do so without further training, until they can croak out no more ugly noises. Surely this is quite a mistake. Am I not right in maintaining that a perfect choir should consist of
| First Trebles | Tenors |
| Second Trebles | Basses |
well balanced as to numbers, and all singing with pure natural quality?If I am, then it follows that the second trebles should be precisely equal to the firsts in number and strength, and should include boys of various ages, as carefully selected and as assiduously trained as the others.I cannot but think—and, indeed, I perfectly well know—that where this has been done by a skilful teacher, whose heart is in his work, boy altos have been made to sing with sweetness and accuracy.
"You will probably agree with me—though this is quite by the way—that secular music should be largely used by such a teacher.The part-songs of Mendelssohn, for instance, should be trolled out by the two sets of boys, who may even interchange their parts at practice with the best results.But of course this is said only in reference to choirs of a high class.
"I do not deny that even the best teaching and the best management will not secure quite the same timbre which you get in choirs with falsetti in the alto part. A certain silvery sweetness is obtained from these voices to which our English ears have become accustomed, and which we should miss if boys, however well-trained, took their places. In the Preces, Versicles, Litany, &c. , of the English Choral Service, we should be conscious of a loss. In cathedrals, too, the complete shelving of some or even many compositions, favourites by long association, if not by intrinsic merit, would be inevitable. But I am unable to doubt for a moment that when the change had been made, and time had been given for the new order of things, under a thoroughly competent musician, we should not regret it.
"At Ely we have ten men in daily attendance; fourteen on Sundays. We keep twenty boys in training. If this vocal body were thus distributed:—
| 10 | First Trebles | 5 | Tenors (6 on Sunday) |
| 10 | Second Trebles | 5 | Basses (8 on Sunday) |
we should certainly be stronger and healthier in tone and quality than we are now, with a disproportionate number of trebles, thus:—
| 20 Trebles | 3 | [4] Tenors |
| 3 [4] Altos | 4 | [6] Basses |
As to rustic choirs in village churches, I fear the case is hopeless, and I myself should be glad to see editions of well-known hymn-tunes and chants in three parts only—treble, tenor, and bass.Handel wrote some truly grand choruses in three parts in his 'Chandos Anthems.' But his tenor part is not for every-day voices!
"Believe me, truly yours,
"W.E.Dickson."
The following, from Dr. Haydn Keeton, organist of Peterborough Cathedral, is against boy altos:—
"Thorpe Road, Peterborough, December 12th, 1890
"Dear Sir,—I have had about eighteen years' experience with alto boys, and although I have had some exceedingly good ones, one or two as good as it is possible, I think, to have, yet I must say that, in my opinion, it is a bad system to substitute boys for men, especially in cathedral music.The reason why the change was made here was that about the year 1872 three of our men altos were failing, and I happened to have three boys with good low voices, who took alto well.In consenting to this change I had no idea of its being a permanent one, but owing to the agricultural depression our Chapter have been quite prevented doing what they would like to do with the choir.The general effect of the change has been this—that I have been always weak in trebles.We are limited to Peterborough for our choristers, and, as a rule, there is not one boy in a hundred who knows even his notes when he enters the choir. It takes from eighteen months to two years for a boy to learn his work, and it is not until a boy is at least twelve that one can turn him into an alto. The result is that four of my senior boys have to be turned into altos, and I am left with a preponderance of young, inexperienced boys as trebles. At the present time I have twelve trebles, eight of whom are quite young.
"In addition, see what extra work is involved in teaching the boys to sing alto.Some boys do not take to alto very easily, and the extra work given to the altos means that quantity taken from the trebles.I am unable, in consequence, to give the necessary time to the elementary work that one ought to give.We can only get one hour's practice in the day, owing to the boys going to school.
"Then, again, as to tone.The tone of a choir with men altos, if they are at all fairly good, is so much superior to one with boy altos.In cathedral music so many anthems and services have trios for A.T.B.There is not one boy in a thousand who can sing the trio in 'O where shall wisdom' (Boyce) with a tenor and bass effectively.And how many there are similar to that!
"I do not see how boys could work at all in ordinary parish choirs, for here there are not the opportunities of teaching boys to read well at sight.It is only by daily practice that one can make anything of boys.
"Yours faithfully,
"H.Keeton."
Dr. Frank Bates, organist of Norwich Cathedral, has favoured me with a copy of a paper on the boy's voice, in which he says:—
"The compass of a boy's voice when properly developed is from
[Listen]
The chest or lower register extends from
[Listen]
The head or upper register extends from
[Listen]
[Listen]
No fixed compass can possibly be given to the different registers, as the older a boy becomes the lower the change occurs; the head register often being used as low down as A."
In a letter to me Dr. Bates says:—
"I quite think that, for ordinary parish church services, the effect of boy altos, if properly taught, is all that one can desire."
In reply to my remark that the break comes in so awkwardly for boy altos, Dr. Bates says:—
"I fail to understand the reason you quote for the non-usage of boy altos. There is no change whatever in a boy's voice, in its normal state, until [Listen] is reached. If the change is made lower down all the brilliancy is taken out of a boy's voice. As a boy gets older he uses the upper register much lower down. I have known boys at the age of eighteen with lovely top notes but very poor chest register. In such cases, when a boy's top register commences at [Listen] I can quite understand the difficulty."
There is evidently some conflict of nomenclature here, as the limits of the registers as given by Dr. Bates differ considerably from those which are usual.I am glad to learn that Dr. Bates is writing a book on "The Voices of Boys," which will no doubt clear up the subject.In the paper before me he recommends practice of the scales to such syllables as La, Fa, Ta, Pa, in order to bring the tone well to the front of the mouth, and reinforce it by means of the soft upper palate. He recommends the teacher to train the boys to use the upper register by making them sing over and over again, very softly, the following notes:—
[Listen]
Here again the transition seems to me to be taken much too high.
Mr. Frank Sharp, of Dundee, trainer of the celebrated children's choir, which has sung the treble and alto parts, both solos and choruses, of Messiah, St.Paul, and many cantatas, writes to me:—
"In part-singing where there are boy trebles, the adult male alto voice has its charms. The contrast in quality between the open tone of the boys' voices and the condensed, sometimes squeaky sweetness of the man alto does not affect the blending, and helps the distinctness of parts. Considering the growing scarcity of this latter voice, why not use boy altos? They can be made as effective as ordinary women altos, but they are as short-lived and need more attention than the boy trebles. Their chief drawback is a tendency to produce tone without the least attention to quality or effect save that of noise. Nevertheless, there is nothing to hinder boy altos doing all that is necessary, or, indeed, all that can be done by the adult male alto. I have trained boys to sing alto in Messiah, St.Paul, and equally trying music, during the past twenty years, and anyone else who keeps the girl's alto voice before him as a model can do the same.The boy alto voice may be said to have a husk and a kernel: the one strident, harsh, and overpowering; the other sweet, and, with use, rich and round.The average healthy boy, with his exuberant love of noise, will naturally give the husk, but the skilful voice-trainer will only accept the kernel, evolved from right register, good timbre, and proper production.Seeing and hearing a process in voice-training is, however, more satisfactory than much writing and the reading thereof."
Mr. W.W.Pearson, master of a village school in Norfolk, who is well-known by his excellent part-songs, writes to me:—
"I succeed very well in getting boys to sing alto because I always use a large number of exercises in two parts, making each division of the class in turn take the lower part.I do not choose boys for altos on account of age.That, in my opinion, has nothing to do with it.I choose them by quality of voice.There is no break in the voice of the natural alto between— [Listen] I find altos out generally when they are novices, by hearing them trying to sing with the others, and dropping down an octave in high passages."
The following interesting notes are by Mr. W.Critchley, organist, choirmaster, and schoolmaster in the village of Hurst, near Reading:—
"I do not choose the elder boys as altos, as I find that treble boys, as a rule, are at their very best just before the change of voice.And moreover, when that change begins, the voice is so uncertain in its intonation that if the boy were put to sing alto he would be certain to drag the others down.At present I have one or two boys with round, mellow voices, who are very effective.Unfortunately, most of the alto parts in hymn-tunes and chants hover about the place where the break in the voice occurs, and it requires a lot of practice to conquer the difficulty.As a rule, I get the alto boys to sing in the lower register.It is very seldom they get a note which they cannot take in this register, so I train it up a little, thus—
[Listen]
I do not see any other way of getting over the uncertainty in the boy alto voice.It is merely a matter of time and trouble."
Mr. J.C.E.Taylor, choirmaster of St.Mary's, Penzance, and head-master of the National School, says:—
[Listen]
"I have had one or two pure alto voices, and these are the best, but very rare. Good voices of trebles unable to take (D) have often become fair alto voices, and my present solo alto boy is one of these. The trios in the anthems are taken by boy alto, tenor, and bass. These alto boys are practised from lower G to C— [Listen] up and down, minding their p's and f'sMy trebles, as a rule, last until fifteen years of age, and altos until sixteen, and even seventeen."
Mr. A.Isaac, choirmaster of a church in Liverpool, says:—
"For the last twenty years I have been continuously engaged with male voice choirs in connection with churches too poor to pay for adult help, and, as you may readily guess, I have never yet had the good fortune to secure, for any length, the services of gentlemen who could sing falsetto effectively. I have had, therefore, to rely solely upon my boys for the alto part. At the present time my choir, which is allowed to be up to the mark amongst local Liverpool churches, is made up of 22 boys (18 treble and 4 alto) paid, and 14 adults (5 tenors and 9 basses) voluntary. There is, I find, no royal road to the alto part. My course is as follows. I obtain my boys as soon as they are eleven, by which age they have been made fairly familiar at my school with the old notation on the movable do plan. Theoretical instruction is continued side by side with special voice-training exercises. Occasionally I meet with a boy who has a true mezzo-soprano voice, and he is a treasure, but in the main my selections are boys with treble voices. As soon as a treble shows signs of voice breaking, I let him down into the alto part. The transition is not very difficult, for by this time the boy has become a fairly good Sol-faist and reader. I have but to adapt the voice-training exercises to him in company with his fellows, and I have no reason to regret the issue. I take my boys always together, with two-part exercises."
Mr. Stocks Hammond, organist and choirmaster of St.Barnabas, Bradford, in a published paper on "Boys' Voices," says:—
"During many years of choir training, I have experienced very great difficulty in supplying the alto parts with good men's falsetto voices (especially in voluntary choirs), and I have therefore been compelled to have that part sung by boys, and experience leads me to prefer the boys' voices to men's, unless, indeed, they are real alto voices, which are seldom to be met with. I have never yet had any great difficulty in finding boys' voices capable of sustaining that part, and can always fill up any gaps that occur by the following means. Whenever I find a treble begins to experience a difficulty in singing the upper notes, and that in order to sing them he must strain his voice, immediately he is put to sing alto, which he is in most cases able to do for one or two years, and during that time he is thus retained as a useful member of the choir; for otherwise he would very soon have been lost to it entirely, for nothing hastens so much the breaking of the voice as the habit of unduly straining it."
Mr. T.H.Collinson, Mus.B., organist of St.Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, writes to me:—
"Boy altos are a fraud and a deception, as a rule, though occasionally one meets with a natural contralto at an early age.Even then he can generally be worked up to treble by gentle treatment, developing the middle and falsetto registers."
In order to get to the bottom of this subject, I invited correspondence in the Musical Standard (until recently the organ of the College of Organists), and several interesting letters were the result. Mr. R. T. Gibbons, F. C. O. , organist of the Grocers' Company's Schools, where excellent performances of operettas are given, wrote:—
"As soon as a boy's voice reaches only E♭ he is drafted into the altos, and that preserves his voice much longer."
To this statement Mr. Fred.Cambridge, organist of Croydon Parish Church, took exception.He said:—
"I do not wish to appear to dogmatise, but I should say 'as soon as a boy's voice reaches only E♭,' it is quite time he left off singing altogether, i.e., if his voice has previously been a treble.I know it is the custom in some choirs to make a boy sing alto as soon as his voice begins to break.In my opinion, such a course is utterly wrong.It is not only injurious to the boy's voice, but very unpleasant for those who have to listen to it.
"In a school of 500 boys, there ought to be no difficulty in finding sufficient natural altos, without having to rely on broken-voiced trebles.
"In my own choir I frequently admit altos at 10 or 11 years of age, with the result that I get five or six years' work out of them, and the latter part of their time they are available for alto solos.
"I think (and I speak from upwards of 30 years' experience) that if Mr. Gibbons will try this plan, he will find it much more satisfactory than drafting his trebles into the altos as soon as their voices begin to break.
"I do not enter into the question of men versus boy altos, because it is my experience that in a voluntary choir, especially in the country, a really good adult alto is such a rara avis, that one is obliged to rely on boys, and if they are carefully chosen and trained, they are, I think, quite satisfactory.The only place when one misses the man alto voice is in anthems with a verse for A.T.B., such as 'Rejoice in the Lord' (Purcell), 'The Wilderness' (Goss), &c."
Mr. C.E.Juleff, organist of Bodmin Parish Church, wrote:—
"Allow me to say that I have found men altos infinitely preferable to those of boys.In short, one good man alto I have experienced to be equal to half-a-dozen boy altos as regards tone; and in respect to phrasing and reading I have found men altos decidedly superior. The two gentlemen altos who were in my choir at SS. Michael and All Angels, Exeter, were acknowledged by London organists to be 'second to none' in the provinces."
On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Ely, F.C.O., of St.John's College, Leatherhead, gave a warm testimony to boy altos:—
"I may say that in my choir at this College I have four or five very good boy altos.One is exceptionally good, possessing a natural alto voice of remarkable richness and beauty.In our services and anthems he takes the solo alto parts, and in my opinion he is far superior to a man alto, except in such anthems as Wesley's 'Ascribe unto the Lord' (expressly written for choirs possessing men altos), in which he cannot take some of the lower notes.The compass of his voice is from F to E♭."
In these letters and experiences there are evidently two underlying ideas.First, that the boy alto has a naturally low voice; second, that the boy alto is a broken-down soprano.For both these notions there is some physical foundation, because there is no doubt that the lower notes of boys of 12 to 14 are rounder and fuller than those of boys of 9 to 12.Herr Eglinger, of Basel, to whose mastery of the subject in theory and practice I can testify, from personal intercourse, distinctly recognises this.He says:—
"It is only when boys and girls approach the period of change, say a year or two before the voice begins to break, that a clear chest-voice, corresponding to that of women, is perceptible.In boys at this stage, the head-voice rapidly declines in volume and height; and what there is of middle register is not much, nor of great service much longer.On the other hand, the chest-tones acquire a resonance, and in boys a certain gruffness, which, mixed with other voices, imparts a peculiar charm to the chorus."
Thus although here and there a boy may be found with a naturally low voice from the first, the majority of altos will be obtained from older boys, who are approaching the period of change.It is, however, of much importance to watch these boys, and stop their singing when their voice really gives way, because it then becomes uncertain in its intonation, and is apt to spoil the tuning of the choir.
The idea that boys must not use the thick or chest register is also a mistake.It is the straining of this register, which produces a hard, rattling sound, that is objectionable.Boy altos have as much right to use the chest register, in its proper place and with proper reserve of power, as women altos.
CHAPTER XIV.
SCHOOLS FOR CHORISTERS.
Music is now recognised as one of the professions, taking its place by the side of Law, Medicine, and Divinity. Parents who have boys to start in life look for avenues of entrance to these various occupations. And there can be no doubt that to be a chorister-boy is one of the very best ways of serving an apprenticeship to music. Hear what the late Sir George Macfarren says on the subject:—
"A cathedral choir is the best cradle for a musician our country affords.I say this from the conviction, many times confirmed, that, as an average, by very far the best practical musicians, those I mean whose musical readiness gives them the air of having music as an instinct or of second nature, those who are ever prompt with their talent to produce or to perform without preparation at the requirement of the moment; those whose ears are quick, whose wits are sharp, and whose utmost ability is ever at their fingers' ends—are they who have passed their art infancy in one of our ecclesiastical arenas for constant practice.The very early habit of hearing and performing music stimulates the musical sense, and gives musical tendency to all the youthfully supple faculties which bear upon the use of this sense.The habit in almost first childhood of associating sight with sound, written characters with uttered notes, the office of the eye with that of the ear or of the voice, which is the ear's agent, does more in favourable cases to develop some of the best essentials in an artist, than can be accomplished by the unremitting study of after life.I say this feelingly: I had not the advantage to which I refer, but I observe its influence upon the majority of others whose talent claims my best respect."
These words put the case with emphasis and truth.A list of former choir boys in the musical profession, if it could be compiled, would afford further evidence in this matter.Among composers the list would include Arthur Sullivan, Alfred Cellier, John Stainer, and Alfred Gaul; among singers, Edward Lloyd and Joseph Maas, while the ranks of the teaching profession are largely recruited from this source."Literature," says Mr. Herkomer, "does not help art much.Art is learnt by doing."You cannot become a musician by reading the matter up, or listening to lectures.Musicianship is imparted more after the style of a moral than of an intellectual power—like good breeding rather than like arithmetic.
A striking proof of the fact that the chorister boy gravitates easily into the musical profession, and makes his mark there, is afforded by the history of Rochester Cathedral boys.These include the late Mr. Joseph Maas, the tenor singer, and the following organists of cathedrals, all of whom are living:—Dr. Armes (Durham), Dr. Crow (Ripon), Dr. Bridge (Westminster), Dr. J.C.Bridge (Chester), and Mr. Wood (Exeter).
These facts make parents anxious for information as to how to get their sons into church and cathedral choirs.Enquiries of this kind are constantly reaching me.I have therefore thought it well to add to the completeness of this work by collecting information from all available sources, and I have to express my thanks to the Rev.Precentors who have so readily responded to my circular of appeal.
The result is in some respects disappointing. Choir boarding schools are not numerous, and are not increasing in number. The agricultural depression has reduced the revenues of cathedrals and colleges, and they are likely in the future to seek out cheaper rather than more expensive modes of working. A few town churches which place music in the front, have started boarding schools, but, as a rule, the choristers live in their homes. I have no desire for these boarding schools in the abstract. I question if the boys get more musical education by living together than they do by coming for it day by day. But the boarding school affords the only opportunity for parents who do not live in a cathedral town to get their boys educated as choristers. The day schools suit the townspeople well enough, and here and there a boy from a distance may board with relatives or friends and get into the choir, but this is exceptional.
I now give the results of my enquiries.
CHOIR BOARDING SCHOOLS.
Worcester Cathedral Choir School.—A preparatory school for the sons of professional men.Boys admitted as probationers nine to eleven, on passing examination.The ten choristers and eight probationers are lodged, boarded, and taught together at the Choir School.Charge £26 per annum for probationers, and £16 for choristers, plus 7s.6d.a quarter for washing.Pianoforte lessons 15s.per quarter.Boys can compete, when their voices break, for a scholarship at the Cathedral Grammar School.Several have done this with success.Apply Rev.H.H.Woodward, M.A., Mus.B.
Westminster Abbey Choir House.—Candidates must produce certificate of baptism and be at least eight years of age.Expected to possess good voice, moderate knowledge of rudiments, to be able to read and write fairly, and to pass medical examination.All boys taught vocal music, and facilities given for learning instruments.Master of choir house responsible for their general education, which includes English subjects, French, German, and drawing.Parents must supply clothing, and usual appointments, school books, pocket money, travelling expenses, and medical attendance.All other fees paid by the Chapter.
Exeter Cathedral Choir School.—Fourteen choristers are boarded and educated for £10 a year, and provided with a suit of clothes each year.There are always two probationers in the school from eight to ten years of age paying £35 exclusive of usual extras.Vacancies in choristers usually filled by probationers, but no pledge given.Possible grants to deserving choristers when they leave; school fees sometimes paid for six months or so after the voice has failed. Head master and experienced matron.
All Saints, Margaret Street, London, W.—Twelve choir boys and two accepted boys waiting for vacancies live in west wing of vicarage under care of one of the clergy, who gives them lessons each morning, a certificated master taking them in the evenings.Afternoon, cricket and football in Regent's Park.Whole holiday Saturdays, and those who live near enough can go home.Vacations—a week in January and at Easter, and 34 days in August and September.Each boy separate cubicle in dormitory.Boys have meals in dining hall with clergy (but at separate table).Each boy pays £12 in first year, £8 in second year, and nothing afterwards.Gratuity of £10 when voice breaks.Probationers pay £5 per quarter, and do everything except sing in church.No boy received unless parents wish him to be brought up in Church of England.Correct ear and brilliant voice count more at examination than knowledge of music.Apply Vicar.
Chapel Royal, St.James's Palace.—The ten choristers reside with Master, who is a priest of the Chapel Royal.Free board and education and greater part of clothing.Grant of from £30 to £40 on leaving choir if conduct good.Latin, French, Mathematics, and usual English subjects.
Oxford, Magdalene College School.—Sixteen choristers, board and education free.Admitted by open competition.The school is not confined to choristers; it contains at present 70 boys, many of whom pass on to the University.
Oxford, New College.—Eight senior and eight junior choristers take part in the services.These all receive free education at the College School, but provide their own books.They are prepared for Oxford Local Examinations, the College paying fees.Twelve choristers are boarded in the School House with the master.These are arranged in two divisions according to musical ability.The first division boarded free, the second division pays about 6s.a week for the 40 weeks of the school year. Some fees paid to senior boys and boys of special value as soloists. Choristers whose parents reside in Oxford receive from 10s. to £5 a year according to merit and seniority. Gratuity or apprentice fee not exceeding £40 occasionally given.
Frome, Somerset.—St.John Baptist College.Founded by late Rev.W.J.E.Bennett 36 years ago.Number of boys usually 15; maintained, clothed, and educated on payment of 7s.a week under twelve, and 8s.above.No regular holidays.Boys not allowed to leave till they have made their first communion.
Lincoln Minster.—Boys boarded and educated at Northgate Schools at expense of Chapter.English subjects, French, Latin, German, Drawing, Shorthand, Chemistry.All school books found.Parents pay travelling, clothing, and washing only.Small allowance of pocket-money.Four weeks' holiday in the year.
Eastbourne, St.Saviour's Church Choir School.—Established 1878.Boys admitted as boarders or day pupils from eight years of age, choristers (boarders) pay 32 guineas a year, day choristers 14 guineas.Instrumental music, German, and Drawing are extras.Other subjects as for Cambridge local exams. Ten weeks' holiday in the year.Scholarships of from £5 to £15 a year are awarded to efficient choristers.
Ripon Cathedral Choir School.—Day boys under 14, £6 per annum; over 14, £8.Boarders under 12, £40 per annum; over 12, £45.Laundress, £2.Usual subjects, including modern languages and science.Instrumental music extra.Four choral scholarships at £30, eight at £25, and six for probationers at £20.Pupils prepared for University Local Examinations, Preliminary Law, and Medical, &c.Playground, workshop, cricket field, library, school magazine.
St.Paul's Cathedral Choir School.—Board and education free: parents provide clothes, travelling, and pocket money.Good voices and musical talent necessary.Easy preliminary examination in Scripture, three R's, and Latin. Candidates must be between 8 and 10. Two or three examinations are held each year according as there are vacancies. Course of study as usual for public schools. Piano and violin extra. Holidays at Christmas, Easter, and Summer. Weekly half-holiday. Private field in suburbs for games. Rev. W. Russell, Succentor, is head master.
Salisbury Cathedral.—Boarding school for choristers in the Close.Eighteen boys.Parents pay £15 a year.School has also some pupils who are not choristers.Usual subjects of secondary school.One ex-chorister is now a scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge.The master is a Minor Canon.Boys admitted by competition; those from neighbourhood of Salisbury preferred.Endowment of nearly £1,000 a year for the choir.
All Saints, Clifton.—Choir school for the choristers of All Saints Church, who can be prepared for public schools or commercial life.There are twenty choir scholarships, ranging in value from £10 to £25 a year.A boy holding a junior scholarship may at any time be elected to one of higher value.School fees for choristers 7 to 10 guineas a term.Choristers may remain at the school after voice breaks at discretion of head-master.Holidays at Summer, Christmas, and Easter.The school is open to boys generally, whether choristers or not.
The Vicar's Choir School, Hull.—Intended for the choristers of Holy Trinity Church.School fee, £10 10s.per annum.Boarders £40 per annum.Ten scholarships of the value of £10 10s., ten value £8 8s., and twenty value £5 5s.Amount of scholarship deducted from boarding fee in case of those who are admitted into choir.Thirteen weeks' holiday during the year.
Oxford, Christ Church Cathedral School.—Boys are all sons of clergymen or other professional men.Eight choristers educated, boarded, and lodged free of expense.Eight probationers, who, if approved, become choristers as vacancies occur.Probationary period usually from 2 to 2-½ years. Probationers pay £25 a year. A few extras, and fee of £3 3s. on election of probationer to choristership. Every boy is, if possible, passed through the Oxford Local Examinations. Month's holiday in summer, and short leave of absence either at Christmas or Easter, if particularly desired. Election by competition after trial of voice and ear.
Winchester Cathedral.—Sixteen choristers sing in the services.These receive education free, a clothing gratuity of £5 a year, and a leaving gratuity of from £5 to £20, according to merit and length of service.There are four boarding scholarships, which leave the parents only £5 a year to pay.Six of the choristers are foundation boys.Of these, the two seniors receive £4 a year, and the two juniors £2 a year, but boarding scholarships and foundation money are not given to the same boys.There are also four to eight probationers who supply vacancies, if on second trial their voices are approved.These receive free education.There are sixty boys in the school.
Tenbury, St.Michael's College.—Founded by the late Rev. Sir Frederick Gore-Ouseley in 1856. There are eight choristers, boarded and educated free. Also eight probationers, from whom the choristers are selected, who pay 40 guineas a year. Commoners, i.e., boys who do not hold scholarships, and are not probationers, pay 60 guineas a year; two or more brothers 55 guineas a year.Preference is given in all elections to the sons of clergymen.Thirteen weeks' holiday in the year.Sound classical and mathematical education, to fit for scholarships and the higher forms at public schools.Healthy situation, in country.
EDUCATION ONLY.
Bristol Cathedral.—Boys attend Cathedral Grammar School, where there are 100 boys.
Gloucester Cathedral.—Boys educated and paid up to £10 per annum.
St.Asaph.—Boys educated at Grammar School.
Wells.—Boys educated at Cathedral Grammar School.
York.—Boys sent to Archbishop Holgate's School.
Truro.—Probationers, after serving at least three months, may be admitted choristers, and receive small quarterly payment.From these are elected the "choir scholars," of whom there are now ten.These receive free education and a quarterly gratuity.One boy, with remarkable contralto voice, comes from a distance, and is boarded and educated at expense of Dean and Chapter.Enlarged number of boarders contemplated.
St.Peter's, Eaton Square, London, W.—Special day school with master.Boys have midday dinner, with tea on practice and late service nights.Boarding school formerly existed, but is given up.
Durham Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Ely Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Bangor.—Choristers brought up in National or Grammar School.
Temple Church, London.—Boys attend Stationers' School.
Peterborough Cathedral.—Boys educated at King's School.
Chichester Cathedral.—Boys taught at Prebendal School.
Inverness Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Armagh Cathedral.—A day school for the choir boys.
Hampton Court, Chapel Royal.—No boarding school.
Newcastle-on-Tyne Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Manchester Cathedral.—A special day school for the choir boys, taught by a lay clerk.Eighteen to twenty boys receive education free, and four foundation boys receive £20 per annum.The Precentor likes to have the boys at nine.
Lichfield Cathedral.—Day school taught by a deputy lay clerk, the succentor taking Latin, English, and Divinity.
Dublin, St.Patrick's Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Perth Cathedral.—No school.
Lincoln's Inn.—Choristers educated, but not boarded.
Norwich Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Carlisle Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Rochester Cathedral.—Boys live at home, and attend Cathedral School, which is not especially for choristers.
Liverpool Cathedral.—No boarding school.
Southwell Minster.—No boarding school.
St.Alban's Cathedral.—No boarding school.
From these particulars it will be gathered that the prevailing custom is for chorister boys to live at home and give their voices in return for free education.The various boarding schools described differ much in the terms they offer, and it may be said generally that only an exceptionally good voice and a personal introduction are likely to succeed in those cases where free board and education are given.The number of candidates is so large that selection is difficult.
CHAPTER XV.
CONCERT SONGS FOR BOYS.
In this list I have included songs with innocent, hopeful, joyous words such as boys may honestly sing. Words dwelling with sadness on the past, or speaking of life as bitter, I have excluded. Convivial and amatory sentiments have also been ruled out. As to the music, I have excluded songs with difficulties of vocalisation. The keys chosen are those best suited to treble boys, bringing the melody as nearly as possible between F and F1, with an occasional G1The list is by no means exhaustive, and must be regarded merely as a dip in the ocean of ballads.I shall be much obliged to correspondents who will suggest suitable additions.
INDEX.
- Abuse of the voice, 1
- Agricultural districts, 49
- Alto boys, 75
- Altos, Adult male, 75
- Balance of parts, 16
- Barnes, Rev. W. M. , 23
- Barnicott, Mr., 15
- Bates, Dr. Frank, 81
- Behnke, Mr., 14, 17
- Berlin, St. Mary's, 71
- Boarding Schools, Choir, 92
- Breaking of the boy's voice, 3
- Breath, Management of the, 6, 67
- Breden, Mr. Owen, 71
- Bridge, Dr., 60
- Brooks, Mr. Walter, 15, 34
- Cambridge, Mr. F. , 87
- Canterbury Cathedral, 64
- Cathedral choirmasters, 59
- Change to man's voice, 3
- Chanting, 62
- Chapel Royal, St. James's, 59
- Chest voice, 24
- Choir Guild, 9
- Choosing boys, 21
- Choristers, Schools for, 90
- Churchill, 52
- Clement Danes, St. , Strand, 72
- Clergyman's daughter, The, 55
- Cold, Singing during a, 2
- Collar-bone breathing, 6
- Collinson, Mr. T. H. , 17, 86
- Concert songs for boys, 99
- Consonants, 27
- Country boys, 49
- Creser, Dr., 69
- Critchley, Mr. W. , 49, 84
- Curwen, John, Register names, 12
- Day Schools, Choir, 96
- Deacon, Mr. H. , 27
- Demack, Miss, 52
- Diaphragm breathing, 6
- Dickson, Rev. W. E. , 25, 78
- Discipline, Preserving, 8
- Donald, Mr. H. A. , 33, 74
- Dunn, Sinclair, Voice exs. , 13
- Edinburgh, St. Mary's, 17, 86
- Eglinger, Herr, 15, 35, 88
- Ely, Mr. Thomas, 88
- Ely, The choir at, 78
- "E," The vowel, 17
- Evans, Mr., 50
- Feeble voice, A, 1
- Fines, 17
- Flattening, 31, 32
- Garrett, Dr., 76
- Gaul, Mr. A. R. , 66
- Gibbons, Mr. R. T. , 86
- Gilbert, Mr. Bernard, 3, 16
- Girls, Imitating, 50, 53
- Hammond, Mr. Stocks, 16, 86
- Health and singing, 2
- Helmore, Rev. F. J. , 23
- Helmore, Rev. Thomas. , 59
- Hibberd, Mr. C. , 34, 57
- Hopkins, Dr. E. J. , 61
- Husband, Rev. E. , 10
- Indistinctness, 27
- Infant School, The, 42
- Intoning, 17, 52
- Isaac, Mr. A. , 85
- Juleff, Mr. C. E. , 87
- Keeton, Dr. Haydn, 67, 80
- Knapp, Mr. F. J. , 72
- Lady teachers, 52
- Leeds Parish Church, 69
- Lincoln Cathedral, 62
- Lincoln's Inn Chapel, 61
- Lloyd, Dr. C. H. , 63
- Longhurst, Dr., 65
- Long services, 8
- Macfarren, Sir George, 90
- Mackenzie, Sir Morell, 3
- Managing choir boys, 8
- Mann, Rev. W. , 24
- Mark's, St. , Chelsea, 71
- Martin, Dr. G. C. , 2
- Mental effects, 32, 34
- Mixed schools, 32
- Mühlfeld, Herr, 73
- Norfolk voices, 56
- Norwich, Dr. Buck at, 66
- O'Rell, Max, 8
- Oxford, Christ Church, 63
- Parbery, Mr. George, 53
- Parish church choirmasters, 69
- Paul's, St. , Cathedral, 59
- Pearson, Mr. W. W. , 33, 56, 84
- Peter's, St. , Eaton Square, 9, 70
- Pianoforte for rehearsal, 32
- Prizes for choir boys, 9
- Pronunciation in singing, 27, 46
- Puberty, Age of, 3
- Registers, The, 12
- Rib breathing, 6
- Richardson, Mr. W. H. , 35, 40
- Roberti, Signor, 36
- Roney, Mr. H. B. , 9, 16
- Rural districts, 49
- Salisbury Cathedral, 67
- Salisbury Diocese, 23
- Salzungen Choir, 73
- Saxton, Mr. R. H. , 3, 19
- Schools for choristers, 90
- School teacher, The, 41
- Sentiment about choir boys, 11
- Sergison, Mr. de Manbey, 9, 70
- Sharpening, 35
- Sharp, Mr. Frank, 83
- Sight-singing, 30
- Singing by ear, 29
- Singing by note, 29
- Singing out of tune, 31
- Songs for boys, 99
- South, Mr. C. L. , 67
- Stainer, Sir John, 13
- Steggall, Dr., 61
- Stewart, Rev. C. H. , 25
- Stone, Alfred, 29
- Strakosch, M. , 15
- Swanley boys, 35, 40
- Taylor, Mr. James, 76
- Taylor, Mr. J. C. E. , 20, 85
- Temper, Uncontrolled, 10
- Temple Church, 61
- Thick register, 12, 89
- Thin register, 12
- Tonic Sol-fa certificates, 9, 20, 29, 47
- Tonic Sol-fa system, 30, 50, 51, 53, 57, 70, 73
- Training of boys' voices, 40
- Tuning boys up, 16, 73
- Upton Cross School, 74
- Voice training, 12
- Weekes, Rev. W. J. , 35
- Westminster Abbey, 60
- Working class boys, 10
- Yorkshire voices, 14
- Young, Mr. J. W. M. , 26, 62