Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29

Better Supply and Larger Opportuni-
ties for practice ACrOss Muier.

bettcr supply ana Larger OppOrtuni-
ties for Practice Across Water.
The choirmaster of church in one of the
largest cities in this country has Just re-
turned from visit to England, during
which he listened to choral services in sew
enteen cathedrals and learned for the first
time that there is uniform method OF train
| ing the boy chors in England or of teach
| ing the individual members of them how
to sing. The question of producing the
| tones in the best way Is no more settled
| there than in the United States, although
| England Is supposed to be the home of the
| boy choir Some masters teach the youthful
singers that their voices should come from
| the head, while others say that chest tones
produce the best effects.
| This American choirmaster reports the
| New York Sun, found that the three best
choirs in England were at Magdalen college,
Oxford; at St. Paul's cathedral in London,
and at Kings college, Cambridge. These
are said to represent in their services the
most that can be accomplished by the chors
of men and boys voices. The choir of Mag
dalen college consists of sixteen boys and
ten men. There are two daily services and
rehearsal also daily for the boys in the
| choir school, The music is without accom-
paniment and was praised by the American
expert, chiefly for the beautiful quality of
the boys voices. This is said to be the re-
suit of the choirmaster's method, which in
sists on the use of the head tones and also
on softness in singing. BY the observance
, of this second rule the harshness likely tc
, | come into a boys voice, when he forces it
may be avoided and one Of the most serious
drawbacks to the enjoyment of the average
q boy choir is overcome. No more painful us,
, Of music in divine service be imagined
, | than the effect created by two dozen sturd!
. boys singing as hard as they can with NJ
a | apparent idea OF anything but volume o
tone and zeal of execution.
St Paul's in London has a choir OF thirt,
, | boys and eighteen men. The enormous build
!, ing demands that the maximum of ton
shall be produced, but that is never accom-
. plshed at the cost of good music. TIL
- choristers are made to sing. They are no
= allowed to shout. whatever the require
- volume of sound may be. The boys an
men rehearse daily and, as in other cathedra
. choirs, there is a school especially for then
- Such an advantage exists in none of tn
"a churches here which have boy choirs. Hea
,s tones are also insisted upon at the S
l. Paurs.
e The choir at Kings college, Cambridg,
IS consists OF sixteen boys and ten men, an
s- they are trained by their masters to us
IN their head tones exclusively and never sin
from their chest. The singing Of thes
SO boys in it's delcacy. shading and attack
said to be superior to that of any choir
es England. These choirs possess advantage
= for rehearsal never found in this counti
lie and their skill is never likely to be equall'
'u here In most of the English choirs Il
~ entire tenor is sung by the men, as the
~ are said to be only two boys in Englar
49, who Sing alto. They are at Peterboro al
~ at Wells The st. Paul's cathedral cho
,h rejoices in the possession of two SOLOS
cd who are said to possess the finest voices
RS England.
ed The choir at Westminster abbey is sa
he to be inferior. in view OF the position
us the church, although some of the small
at churches in London possess the most high
ne trained choirs. 1t seems to be the opini
X! Of this authority that the best results we
of obtained from the use of the head tom
he Here the number of boys available for su
nd chairs is small and there are no che
he schools. In England there are not OF
plenty of singers TO be had, but there a
on also ample opportunities to train them
' daily rehearsas.