The times., 1899-10-21
The following are the appointments
made in the Second Battalion, Eastern
High School:
CHOIR BOYS IN ENGLAND.
Plenty of Singers for the Churches
and CathedraTs.
CFrom the New York sun. }

lFTOm the New Ork SUM-
The choir master of the church in one of
the largest cities of this country has just
returned from a visit to England, during
which he listened to choral services in sew
enteen cathedrals and learned for the first
time that there is no uniform method of
training the boy choir in England or of
teaching the individual members of them
how to sing. The question of producing the
tones in the best way is 10 more settled
there than in the United States, although
England is supposed TO be the home of the
boy choir. Some masters teach the youth
ful singers that their voices should come
from the head, while others say that chest
tones produce the best effects.
This American choir master 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 accom-
plished by the choirs of men and boys
voices. The choir of Magdalen College con-
sists of sixteen boys and ten men. There
are two daily services and a rehearsal also
| daily for the boys in the choir school The
music is without accompaniment and was
| praised by the American expert, chiefly for
the beautiful quality of the boys voices
| This is said to be the result of the choir
masters method, which insists on the use
| of the head tones and also on softness in
| singing BY the observance of this second
| rule. the harshness likely to come into a
| boys voice when he forces it, may be
| avoided and one of the most serious draw
| backs to the enjoyment of the average boy
| choir is overcome. No more painful use OF
| music in divine service can be imagined
| than the effect created by two dozen sturdy
! boys singing as hard as they can, with nc
apparent idea of anything but volume of
! tone and zeal OF execution.
St Paul's in London has choir of thirty
! boys and eighteen men. The enormous
| building demands that the maximum of
tone shall be produced, but that is never
| accomplished at the cost of good music.
| The choristers are made to sing. They are
not allowed to shout whatever the re
| quired volume of sound may be. The boys
and men rehearse daily. and, as in other
cathedral choirs. there is a school espe-
| cially for them. Such an advantage exists
! In none of the churches here which have
boy ChoirS. Head tones are also insisted
upon at the st. PauIs.
The choir at Kings College. Cambridge
| consists of sixteen boys and ten men. and
they are trained by their masters to use
their head tones exclusively and never t
sing from their chest The singing OF these
| bON5 IN us uEilCdCNr SldulLSs anu at idCh
is said to be superior to that of any chOil
in England These chOirs possess advan-
tages for rehearsal never found in this
country, and their skill is never likely tC
be equaled here. In most of the English
choirs the centre tenor is sung by the men
as there are said to be only two boys il
England who sing alto. They are at Peter.
boro and at Wells. The St PauTs Cathe.
draI choir rejoices in the possession Of two
soloists who are said to possess the fines
voices in England.
The choir at Westminster Abbey is sale
to be inferior, in view of the position o
the church. although some OF the INHALER
churches in London possess the most high
" trained choirs. 1t seemed TO be tn,
opinion of this authority that the best re
suits were obtained from the use of thu
head tones. Here the number OF boy
available for such choirs is small and ther
are no choir schools. In England ther
are not only plenty of singers to be had
but there are also ample opportunities Il
train them by daily rehearsals.