Jump to content

Boy soprano: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Citation bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
5,341,923 edits
Add: date, title. Changed bare reference to CS1/2. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by BrownHairedGirl | Linked from User:BrownHairedGirl/Articles_with_bare_links | #UCB_webform_linked 976/1799
→Origins: evidence that women didn't sing in pre-Christian religion needed!
Line 8: Line 8:
In the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] and English [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] liturgical traditions (in which girls and women did not sing in church choirs), young male choristers were normally referred to as "trebles" rather than as boy sopranos,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Eric| title=The AB guide to music theory |date=1991 |publisher=[[ABRSM|Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-85472-447-2 |page=106 |edition=Reprinted 2011 }}</ref> but today the term "boy trebles" is increasingly common (girls with high voices are trebles too). The term "treble" derives from the Latin ''{{lang|la|triplum}}'', used in 13th and 14th century [[motet]]s to indicate the third and highest range, which was sung above the [[tenor]] part (which carried the tune) and the [[alto]] part. Another term for that range is ''{{lang|la|[[superius]]}}''. The term "treble" itself was first used in the 15th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Westrup |first1=Jack |last2=Wilson |first2=F. Ll. Harrison ; revised by Conrad |title=Collins encyclopaedia of music |date=1985 |publisher=Chancellor |location=London |isbn=0-907486-50-9 |page=556 |edition=Completely revised [ed.] }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Skeat|first1=Walter W. |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language |date=2005 |publisher=[[Dover Publications]] |location=Mineola, N.Y. |isbn=0-486-44052-4 |page=662 }}</ref> Trebles have an average range of [[Scientific pitch notation|A<sub>3</sub> to F<sub>5</sub>]] (220–700 Hz).<ref>"Children Singing Voice - Youthful Voices!" Your Personal Singing Guide. http://your-personal-singing-guide.com/children-singing.html</ref>
In the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] and English [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] liturgical traditions (in which girls and women did not sing in church choirs), young male choristers were normally referred to as "trebles" rather than as boy sopranos,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Eric| title=The AB guide to music theory |date=1991 |publisher=[[ABRSM|Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-85472-447-2 |page=106 |edition=Reprinted 2011 }}</ref> but today the term "boy trebles" is increasingly common (girls with high voices are trebles too). The term "treble" derives from the Latin ''{{lang|la|triplum}}'', used in 13th and 14th century [[motet]]s to indicate the third and highest range, which was sung above the [[tenor]] part (which carried the tune) and the [[alto]] part. Another term for that range is ''{{lang|la|[[superius]]}}''. The term "treble" itself was first used in the 15th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Westrup |first1=Jack |last2=Wilson |first2=F. Ll. Harrison ; revised by Conrad |title=Collins encyclopaedia of music |date=1985 |publisher=Chancellor |location=London |isbn=0-907486-50-9 |page=556 |edition=Completely revised [ed.] }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Skeat|first1=Walter W. |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language |date=2005 |publisher=[[Dover Publications]] |location=Mineola, N.Y. |isbn=0-486-44052-4 |page=662 }}</ref> Trebles have an average range of [[Scientific pitch notation|A<sub>3</sub> to F<sub>5</sub>]] (220–700 Hz).<ref>"Children Singing Voice - Youthful Voices!" Your Personal Singing Guide. http://your-personal-singing-guide.com/children-singing.html</ref>


The use of trebles (and [[falsetto]]s) in Christian [[liturgy|liturgical]] music can be traced back to pre-Christian times. [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]]'s dictum that "women should be silent in churches" resonated with this tradition; the development of vocal [[polyphony]] from the Middle Ages through the [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] thus took place largely, though not exclusively, in the context of the all-male choir, in which all voice parts were sung by men and boys.
The use of trebles (and [[falsetto]]s) in Christian [[liturgy|liturgical]] music can be traced back to pre-Christian times{{Citation needed}}. [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]]'s dictum that "women should be silent in churches" resonated with this tradition{{Citation needed}}; the development of vocal [[polyphony]] from the Middle Ages through the [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] thus took place largely, though not exclusively, in the context of the all-male choir, in which all voice parts were sung by men and boys.


The term ''boy soprano'' originated with Dr Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902), choirmaster of the Cecilian Choir, New York, who used the term for both the choir members and soloists, who were church choristers, when giving concerts in public halls. The earliest use found can be traced to a choral festival at Irving Hall, New York, in May 1866.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory – Featured Boy Sopranos and Trebles |url=http://www.boysoloist.com/boysoprano.asp?VID=170 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530193703/http://www.boysoloist.com/boysoprano.asp?VID=170 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-05-30 |access-date=7 March 2008}}</ref>
The term ''boy soprano'' originated with Dr Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902), choirmaster of the Cecilian Choir, New York, who used the term for both the choir members and soloists, who were church choristers, when giving concerts in public halls. The earliest use found can be traced to a choral festival at Irving Hall, New York, in May 1866.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory – Featured Boy Sopranos and Trebles |url=http://www.boysoloist.com/boysoprano.asp?VID=170 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530193703/http://www.boysoloist.com/boysoprano.asp?VID=170 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-05-30 |access-date=7 March 2008}}</ref>

Revision as of 02:52, 27 August 2021

Voice type
Female
Male

A boy soprano (British[1][2] and especially North American English)[3] or boy treble (only British English)[4] is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America too) when talking about children.

Origins

In the Anglican and English Catholic liturgical traditions (in which girls and women did not sing in church choirs), young male choristers were normally referred to as "trebles" rather than as boy sopranos,[5] but today the term "boy trebles" is increasingly common (girls with high voices are trebles too). The term "treble" derives from the Latin triplum, used in 13th and 14th century motets to indicate the third and highest range, which was sung above the tenor part (which carried the tune) and the alto part. Another term for that range is superius. The term "treble" itself was first used in the 15th century.[6][7] Trebles have an average range of A3 to F5 (220–700 Hz).[8]

The use of trebles (and falsettos) in Christian liturgical music can be traced back to pre-Christian times[citation needed]. Saint Paul's dictum that "women should be silent in churches" resonated with this tradition[citation needed]; the development of vocal polyphony from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and Baroque thus took place largely, though not exclusively, in the context of the all-male choir, in which all voice parts were sung by men and boys.

The term boy soprano originated with Dr Henry Stephen Cutler (1825–1902), choirmaster of the Cecilian Choir, New York, who used the term for both the choir members and soloists, who were church choristers, when giving concerts in public halls. The earliest use found can be traced to a choral festival at Irving Hall, New York, in May 1866.[9]

Short-lived range

The general vocal range of an adult female soprano is C4–C6 (highlighted), with notes unreachable by an average Treble marked in red (B5–C6).

Most trebles have a comfortable range from the A below "middle C" (A3, 220 Hz) to the F one and a half octaves above "middle C" (F5, 700 Hz),[10] roughly corresponding to an adult male baritone range, up one octave. Some writing demands higher notes; the Anglican church repertory, which many trained trebles to sing, frequently demands G5 (784 Hz) and A5 (880 Hz).[11] Some trebles, however, can extend their voices higher in the modal register to "high C" (C6, 1109 Hz). The high C is considered the defining note of the soprano voice type. For high notes see, for example, the treble solo at the beginning of Stanford's Magnificat in G, David Willcocks' descant to Mendelssohn's tune for the carol Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, the even higher treble solo from Gregorio Allegri's Miserere, and the treble part in the Nunc Dimittis from Tippett's Evening Canticles written for St John's College, Cambridge. Many trebles are also able to reach higher notes by use of the whistle register but this practice is rarely called for[12] and writing above high C is very rare in choral music of any kind.

As a boy approaches and begins to undergo puberty, the quality of his voice increasingly distinguishes itself from that typical of girls.[13] The voice takes on a resonant masculine quality before its pitch drops, resulting in a liminal stage wherein the boy may sing in a high register with a unique timbre. This brief period of high vocal range and unique color forms much of the ground for the use of the boy soprano in both liturgical and secular music in the Western world and elsewhere. Occasionally boys whose voices have changed can continue to sing in the soprano range for a period of time. This stage ends as the boy's larynx continues to grow and, with the breaking of his voice, he becomes unable to sing the highest notes required by the pieces of music involved.[14]

The voice of the boy is subject to the effects of the dropping of the larynx, also known as the breaking of the voice.[15] The ultimate result of this profound change is that a new set of vocal ranges become available, for example bass, baritone, tenor, countertenor and sopranist.

It has been observed that boy sopranos in earlier times were, on average, somewhat older than in modern times.[16] For example, Franz Joseph Haydn was considered to be an excellent boy soprano well into his teens[17] and Ernest Lough was 15 when he first recorded his famous "Hear My Prayer" (on 5 April 1927), with his voice not getting deeper until sometime in 1929, when he was either 17 or 18 years old.[18] However, for a male to sing soprano with an unchanged voice in his mid-to-late teens is currently fairly uncommon.[19] In the developed world, puberty tends to begin at younger ages (most likely due to differences in diet, including greater availability of proteins and vitamins).[20] It is also becoming more widely known that the style of singing and voice training within cathedrals has changed significantly in the past century, making it more difficult for boys to continue singing soprano much beyond the age of 13 or 14,[21] with the raising of concert pitch being one factor.

Early breaking of boys' voices due to puberty becoming earlier in recent times is causing a serious problem for choirmasters.[22]

On the other hand, some musicologists dispute that earlier onset of puberty occurs. They contend that there is no reliable evidence of any significant change in the age of boys' maturity over the past 500 years or even beyond that.[23][24]

Notable boy sopranos

References

  1. ^ "Boy soprano definition and meaning - Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. ^ BBC Bitesize - GCSE Music - Music for voices
  3. ^ Harvard Dictionary of Music, p.796 and 904
  4. ^ Due to the tradition of not using girls in church choirs, boy sopranos are often still simply called "trebles" even when the gender of the singers is not mentioned, but girls with high voices are trebles too. Even the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music makes this mistake on p. 689 (A boy soprano is known as a treble.) though it points out on p. 746 that all children wth high voices are known as trebles.
  5. ^ Taylor, Eric (1991). The AB guide to music theory (Reprinted 2011 ed.). London: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-85472-447-2.
  6. ^ Westrup, Jack; Wilson, F. Ll. Harrison ; revised by Conrad (1985). Collins encyclopaedia of music (Completely revised [ed.] ed.). London: Chancellor. p. 556. ISBN 0-907486-50-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (2005). An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications. p. 662. ISBN 0-486-44052-4.
  8. ^ "Children Singing Voice - Youthful Voices!" Your Personal Singing Guide. http://your-personal-singing-guide.com/children-singing.html
  9. ^ "The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory – Featured Boy Sopranos and Trebles". Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  10. ^ Willis, Elizabeth C.; Kenny, Dianna T. (2008). "Effect of Voice Change on Singing Pitch Accuracy in Young Male Singers" (PDF). Journal of Interdisciplinary Music Studies. 2 (1&2): 111–119. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Developing Voice presentation" (PDF). vocalprocess.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2008.
  12. ^ McKinney, James (1994). The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Genovex Music Group. ISBN 978-1-56593-940-0.
  13. ^ Matthew, Aaron. "Children's Singing Voices - Maintain that Youthfulness", Your-Personal-Singing-Guide.com.
  14. ^ Professor Martin Ashley. "Trebles Archived 3 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine", Martin-Ashley.com.
  15. ^ Doctor K. "Larynx Changes During Puberty Cause Boy's Voice to Crack". UEcpreess. 24 November 2015. http://www.uexpress.com/ask-dr-k/2015/11/24/larynx-changes-during-puberty-cause-boys
  16. ^ Diep, Francie. "Boys Now hitting Puberty earlier, reshuffling Boys' Choirs". http://www.popsci.com/article/science/boys-now-hitting-puberty-earlier-reshuffling-boys-choirs
  17. ^ Weil, Elizabeth. "Where Have All the Sopranos Gone"? The New York Times. 8 November 2013. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/magazine/where-have-all-the-sopranos-gone.html?pagewanted=all&referer
  18. ^ "Ernest Lough (b. November 17, 1911)". The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory. https://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?VID=360
  19. ^ "Boy Sopranos and Early Onset of Puberty". https://patrickcox.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/boy-sopranos-and-early-onset-of-puberty/
  20. ^ Chalabi, Mona. "Why is Puberty starting earlier"? The Guardian. 4 November 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/04/why-is-puberty-starting-younger-precocious
  21. ^ "Trebles". Professor Martin Ashley. http://www.martin-ashley.com/sound-archive/boys-keep-singing Archived 3 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Copping, Jasper; Mole, Graham (9 October 2010). "Choirs in deep trouble over voices breaking early". The Daily Telegraph.
  23. ^ Beet, Stephen R. (2005). The Better Land – Great Boy Sopranos of the 20th Century. Rectory Press. ISBN 1903698146. OCLC 654588629.[page needed]
  24. ^ Ashley, Martin (2010). How High Should Boys Sing? Gender, Authenticity and Credibility in the Young Male Voice. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9781409493914.[page needed]
  25. ^ "Hear 5-Year-Old Billie Joe Armstrong Singing 'Look for Love'".
  26. ^ "Green Day Rip into "Breakdown," Fan Favorites at NYC Club Show". 19 May 2009.
  27. ^ "Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones work magic on Everly Brothers tribute". 29 November 2013.
  28. ^ "George Graham Reviews Billy Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones' "Foreverly"".
  29. ^ a b Carpenter, Julie (26 December 2007). "Aled: Not such a choirboy". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  30. ^ a b c Ashley, Martin (29 April 2016). How High Should Boys Sing?: Gender, Authenticity and Credibility in the Young Male Voice. Routledge. ISBN 9781317120858. Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ a b c d "Justin Bieber and Other Famous Boy Sopranos". Itchy Fish. 17 August 2010. https://itchyfish.com/justin-bieber-and-other-famous-boy-sopranos/
  32. ^ Roberts, Soraya. "Justin Bieber Voice Drop OK with record label...". Daily News. 9 February 2011. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/justin-bieber-voice-drop-record-label-idj-thanks-usher-puberty-crisis-1994-article-1.135827
  33. ^ Suzy S. "It’s a Tenor’s World". Take Lessons. 16 June 2015. https://takelessons.com/blog/baritone-pop-songs-z02
  34. ^ Roy Goodman, et. al. "Evensong for Ash Wednesday". Eloquence via Arkiv Music. 31 May 2011. http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=587807
  35. ^ Pound, Jeremy. "The Best Recordings of Allegri’s Miserere". Classical-Music.com. 18 February 2015. http://m.classical-music.com/article/bbc-music-best-recordings-allegri-miserere
  36. ^ Bridcut, John. "The End of Innocence". Independent. 5 June 2006. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/the-end-of-innocence-481089.html
  37. ^ a b c d "Voices of Angels: Child Stars". The Telegraph. 17 November 2010. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/8141074/Voices-of-angels-child-stars.html
  38. ^ "Remembering Michael Jackson at his best, as a young soprano". 14 July 2009.
  39. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Fireside. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  40. ^ Sullivan, Denise. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love". Rolling Stone. 7 May 2012. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-do-fools-fall-in-love-frankie-lymon-and-the-teenagers
  41. ^ "Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, Had Original Hit Before Diana Ross to". blackthen.com. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  42. ^ Ward, Brian (6 July 1998). Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations. University of California Press. p. 83. Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Internet Archive. frankie lymon deep tenor.
  43. ^ "Bruno Mars: The Golden Child". 10 May 2013.
  44. ^ http://archives.midweek.com/content/story/midweek_coverstory/Bruno_Mars_Nothin_On_You/
  45. ^ "Little 'Bruno' rocked the Aloha Bowl in 1990".
  46. ^ "Bruno Mars, 'Unorthodox Jukebox' (Atlantic)". 12 December 2012.
  47. ^ "Les ChoristesLes Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc; Nicolas Porte, director; Jean-Baptiste Maunier, soloist". Billboard. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  48. ^ Thomson, Desson. "‘Chorus’ Strikes a Personal Chord". Washington Post. 28 January 2005.
  49. ^ Kreindler, William. "Joseph McManners - In Dreams". MusicWeb International. July 2006. http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/July06/McManners_82876726092.htm
  50. ^ "Why Liam McNally is Looking Forward to his Big Break". Manchester Evening News. 22 April 2011. Updated 11 January 2013. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-and-tv/why-liam-mcnally-is-looking-forward-to-his-big-859086
  51. ^ Kehoe, Michael. "Young Singer wows talent judges...". Ireland Calling. 16 November 2015. http://ireland-calling.com/lifestyle/young-singer-wows-talent-judges-with-performance-of-danny-boy/
  52. ^ Shales, Tom. "Respectful ‘Requim’". The Washington Post. 5 April 1985. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/04/05/respectful-requim/21c5fd6f-963a-4e2c-8ea9-ca5e84088bdd/
  53. ^ Snelson, John. "Andrew Lloyd Webber". Yale University Press. 2004, 2009. https://books.google.com/books?id=RRFx7fFsi0AC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=paul+miles-kingston+boy+soprano&source=bl&ots=i5hYdUmyt8&sig=Wx_h4foup0NzqDWctdH7lUHCnVM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0qbqbmr_bAhXo1IMKHTaDD1E4ChDoATAIegQIARAB#v=onepage&q=paul%20miles-kingston%20boy%20soprano&f=false
  54. ^ "Paul Phoenix is MC's 2016 Artist-in-Residence". Maryville College: MC News. 16 December 2015. https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/news/2015/2391/paul-phoenix-is-mc-s-2016-artist-in-residence/
  55. ^ a b Dan-Dailey. "Andrew Swait: Looking Back". Wandervogel Diary. 8 April 2011. https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/andrew-swait-looking-back/
  56. ^ "Baritone James Westman hosts This Is My Music". CBC Music. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  57. ^ "'Canadian baritone [James Westman] has made the opera his own after many performances". bowmanmedia.ca. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  58. ^ Max Emanuel Cencic (18 March 2016), MAX EMANUEL CENCIC boy soprano - Frühlingsstimmen, retrieved 6 June 2019
  59. ^ Lewis, Sean (26 April 2018). "Aksel Rykkvin - from Boy to Man". Fjord Classics (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 6 June 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Boy_soprano&oldid=1040856828"