Boys' choir
Encyclopedia
A boys' choir is a choir
primarily made up of choirboy
s who have yet to begin puberty
or are in the early to middle stages of puberty
and so retain their more highly pitched childhood voice type
. Members of a boys' choir are technically known as trebles and often termed boy soprano
s," although some boys typically sing in the alto
range. Some boys' choirs are further supported by older male voices singing tenor
and bass
; these singers are often former choirboys.
Boys' choirs, as a Euro-American cultural tradition, developed in the Middle Ages
. Boys were then responsible for contributing a treble sound to church music
, since women were typically barred from the performance of sacred music in a public (gender mixed) context. Some of the oldest existing boys' choirs—such as the Vienna Boys' Choir
—trace their roots back to this time.
, Orthodox
and Lutheran churches) continue to host many boys' choirs. The Anglican church is particularly well known for its contributions to choral works
and arrangement
s for boys' voices. However, the general inclusion of female voices in church music since the mid-1800s has significantly reduced the importance of boys' choirs as church institutions. Many present boys' choirs were either founded or reconstituted during the first half of the 20th century as independent concert choirs. In 1917 an article in the The Musical Quarterly
identified - and criticized - a trend toward the foundation of many boys' choirs in the USA, which the author derided as the "boy choir fad."
in some choirs and choir schools. Moreover, since the age of onset of puberty has sunk, boys' choirs can no longer expect to retain a majority of their singers through the age of 16 or 17—as was the case when Bach
wrote complex cantata
s for the male treble. Boys' voices now break, on average, by the age of 13.5, leading to higher choir turnover rates and limiting the complexity of a choir's musical repertoire. This (early) loss of the singer's treble voice has proven frustrating for successful boy singers and contributes to negative perceptions of the boys' choir experience, for example as popularized by the 1960s Disney film Almost Angels
.
Nonetheless, boys' choirs still offer boys and their families with an active point of entrance into music and vocal training
. They can also help to foster discipline, high standards and cultural awareness, as well as providing strong peer group
s oriented around children who identify themselves with a choir's cultural and ethical values. A greater awareness of the value of gender-specific youth work may also support the positive contributions of boys choirs.
Many contemporary choirs have also developed proactive strategies to safeguard the well-being of young singers, ensuring transparent public relations and background checks, encouraging parental involvement (and oversight) and avoiding situations that could allow for abuse
. Likewise, many choirs also provide choir alumni with extensive opportunities - often coupled with continued vocal coach
ing - to support their vocal transition to tenors and basses and to stimulate their continued artistic development.
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
primarily made up of choirboy
Choirboy
A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble.As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" refers to someone who is considered honorable or conscientious.- History :The use of choirboys in Christian...
s who have yet to begin puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
or are in the early to middle stages of puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
and so retain their more highly pitched childhood voice type
Voice type
A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types...
. Members of a boys' choir are technically known as trebles and often termed boy soprano
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
s," although some boys typically sing in the alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
range. Some boys' choirs are further supported by older male voices singing tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
; these singers are often former choirboys.
Middle ages & early development
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Boys were then responsible for contributing a treble sound to church music
Anglican church music
Anglican church music is music that is written for liturgical performance in Anglican church services.Almost all of it is written for choir with or without organ accompaniment...
, since women were typically barred from the performance of sacred music in a public (gender mixed) context. Some of the oldest existing boys' choirs—such as the Vienna Boys' Choir
Vienna Boys' Choir
The Vienna Boys' Choir is a choir of trebles and altos based in Vienna. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries....
—trace their roots back to this time.
In 1498, more than half a millennium ago, Emperor Maximilian I moved his court and his court musicians from InnsbruckInnsbruck- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
to ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He gave specific instructions that there were to be six boys among his musicians. For want of a foundation charter, historians have settled on 1498 as the official foundation date of the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle and—in consequence—the Vienna Boys' Choir. Until 1918, the choir sang exclusively for the court, at mass, at private concerts and functions and on state occasions.
20th century
Today, church traditions with strong roots in the Middle Ages (in particular, Anglican, CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Orthodox
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
and Lutheran churches) continue to host many boys' choirs. The Anglican church is particularly well known for its contributions to choral works
Work of art
A work of art, artwork, art piece, or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation.The term "a work of art" can apply to:*an example of fine art, such as a painting or sculpture*a fine work of architecture or landscape design...
and arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s for boys' voices. However, the general inclusion of female voices in church music since the mid-1800s has significantly reduced the importance of boys' choirs as church institutions. Many present boys' choirs were either founded or reconstituted during the first half of the 20th century as independent concert choirs. In 1917 an article in the The Musical Quarterly
The Musical Quarterly
The Musical Quarterly is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928...
identified - and criticized - a trend toward the foundation of many boys' choirs in the USA, which the author derided as the "boy choir fad."
Contemporary developments
Various factors contributed to a subsequent decline of boys' choirs. A general societal tendency away from choral singing was certainly a contributing factor. More specifically, gender inclucivism has led to certain reservations about "males only" choirs— as have instances of sexual misconductSexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature. The term may be used to condemn an act, but in some jurisdictions it has also a legal meaning....
in some choirs and choir schools. Moreover, since the age of onset of puberty has sunk, boys' choirs can no longer expect to retain a majority of their singers through the age of 16 or 17—as was the case when Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
wrote complex cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s for the male treble. Boys' voices now break, on average, by the age of 13.5, leading to higher choir turnover rates and limiting the complexity of a choir's musical repertoire. This (early) loss of the singer's treble voice has proven frustrating for successful boy singers and contributes to negative perceptions of the boys' choir experience, for example as popularized by the 1960s Disney film Almost Angels
Almost Angels
Almost Angels is a 1962 Disney film about a group of boys in the Vienna Boys' Choir....
.
Nonetheless, boys' choirs still offer boys and their families with an active point of entrance into music and vocal training
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
. They can also help to foster discipline, high standards and cultural awareness, as well as providing strong peer group
Peer group
A peer group is a social group consisting of humans. Peer groups are an informal primary group of people who share a similar or equal status and who are usually of roughly the same age, tended to travel around and interact within the social aggregate Members of a particular peer group often have...
s oriented around children who identify themselves with a choir's cultural and ethical values. A greater awareness of the value of gender-specific youth work may also support the positive contributions of boys choirs.
Many contemporary choirs have also developed proactive strategies to safeguard the well-being of young singers, ensuring transparent public relations and background checks, encouraging parental involvement (and oversight) and avoiding situations that could allow for abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. Likewise, many choirs also provide choir alumni with extensive opportunities - often coupled with continued vocal coach
Vocal coach
A vocal coach is a music teacher who instructs singers on how to improve their singing technique, take care of and develop their voice, and prepare for the performance of a song or other work. Vocal coaches may give private music lessons to singers, or they may coach singers who are rehearsing on...
ing - to support their vocal transition to tenors and basses and to stimulate their continued artistic development.
External links
- Boy Choirs website, hosts several articles or interest.
- The boy soloist website currently lists over 700 boys' choirs throughout the world.
- The Boy Choir and Soloist Directory
- JSTORJSTORJSTOR is an online system for archiving academic journals, founded in 1995. It provides its member institutions full-text searches of digitized back issues of several hundred well-known journals, dating back to 1665 in the case of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society...
article: Recording Bach's Early Cantatas - discusses the significance of the earlier onset of puberty. - Florida Boychoir