Morris tribune., 1898-03-09
BOY cHolRs.
Difaculties In Training. That Suggest
School For Choir Masters.

y
for many years has been a trainer
of boy choirs in England, Germany
and America, says that there is {
prejudice against such choirs in thi;
country for which there is GOOD
ground In The Church Eoonomist
he says:
''The choirs are termed harsh il
vocal effort, insufficient in culture,
incapable of the spirit of true wor.
ship and churchliness, while the
boys voices are termed immature,
This feeling is almost entirely due
to the woeful lack of educated boy
choir masters-men who understand
boy nature and the boys voice.
Many capable choir masters who
have come to much success with the
adult voice ruin the boys voice by
training it by adult methods.
1.-THE cultivation Of the boys voice
is special art, and most delicate
one Case after case has come to
my notice of choir masters, with lit
tie or no knowledge assuming di-
rection Of a boy choir. The newly
engaged choir master may be an ad-
mirable organist -once in awhile a
capable boy choir master-but how
rarely is he bothl This state of af-
fairs is not entirely due to oversight
or ignorance. Thirty years ago
there was but one boy choir in New
York city, and so years ago the fea-
ture was a rarity in England. The
innovation would seem to have been
a curse as we'll as blessing. In
America the average country town
cannot afford to hire boy ohoristers,
or, as is more often the case, boys
with good voices are not to be had.
In the suburban town the boy choir
is received with fair favor, as rule,
and in the city there is abundant
opportunity for we'll organized and
we'll trained choirs. There is a
wealth of material from which to
choose and wide open purse with
which to procure that material So
it is small wonder that the opulent
Episcopal churches in New York
city, with their daily rehearsal, have
notable choirs.
In England no choir master is
considered capable who has not long
been under the shadow of a church
as chor1ster. In America the rec
ords of the choir masters are scant
indeed. What is needed is choir
masters school-rather boy choir
masters school,
Nov as to the grade of music,
sung by the average American boy
choir; it is too often the up to date,
modern church music, anthems in
particular. Some of these are IN
speakably crude and unchurchly
and insult the sanctuary in which
they are sung. How many parish
toner's are even specifically ac-
quainted with the glorious compost
tons of the old masters of church
music-Purcell, Crotch and a dozen
others9 have brought to perfect
test in my own choir the efficacy of
the work of these old composers
Their compositions are not beyond
the scope of the boy choir It is all
a matter of constant and unrenit-
ting training. Again, the chanting
of the psalms, in itself a difficult
feat, by whatever method of point
ing, is often disregarded, producing
the most wretched results, whereas
all that is needed is careful training
at every rehearsal. My boys chant
any psalm at sight, merely because
of endless going over at the rehear-
sails, he'd not every day, but three
times a week.
1.-The boy choir is essentially suit
ed to the rendering of church music,
and, in my judgment, is to be pre-
ferred to an adult quartet or chorus.
Boy choirs in this country are grow
ing in number, and, alas. their
merit is not growing in proportion !
The almost appalling question,
What theni cannot be answered.
1.-THE boy choir master must be the
most tactful kind of disciplinarian.
There is everything in securing a
refined class of boys. The choir |
must have distinct moral tone, and
that once gone there is little hope.
The outsider little appreciates the
task of keeping up the given stand
ard which the successful choir mas
ter must constantly impose upon
himself. If the better class of lads
are secured, they may or may not |
be amenabie. They do not work so
heartily for the pay given as do the
poorer boys. but, on the other hand,
hey are more likely to reverence
he sanctuary"