Boy soprano
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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[edit]
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 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[edit]
![](http://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20220619022721im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Range_of_soprano_voice_vs._boy_soprano_marked_on_keyboard.png/220px-Range_of_soprano_voice_vs._boy_soprano_marked_on_keyboard.png)
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[edit]
- Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day frontman) recorded a song titled "Look For Love" at the age of five.[25] He is now a tenor.[26][27][28]
- Peter Auty sang the original version of the Howard Blake song "Walking in the Air" for the 1982 animated film The Snowman.[29][30]
- Justin Bieber first became popular as a boy soprano with a "female" sounding voice.[31] In early 2011, his voice deepened from the high-pitched treble he had as a child[32] to the lyric baritone voice that he currently has as an adult.
- Daniel Furlong won the third and final season of The All Ireland Talent Show and afterwards released an album called Voice of an Angel.
- Roy Goodman became famous as the 12-year old treble soloist in the March 1963 recording of Allegri's Miserere with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, under the direction of David Willcocks.[33]
- David Hemmings started his career as a boy soprano for Benjamin Britten and is best known for originating the role of Miles in Britten's Opera The Turn of the Screw.[34][35]
- Michael Jackson rose to fame as a child alongside his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5.[36] Between 1971 and 1975 his voice descended from boy soprano to dramatic tenor.[37]
- Andrew Johnston became famous while singing on season 2 of Britain's Got Talent and afterwards releasing an album called One Voice. He is now a tenor / high baritone opera singer as a result of his voice getting deeper.[35]
- Aled Jones, a world famous Welsh boy soprano, sang a cover version of "Walking in the Air" in 1985 for a Toys "R" Us commercial in spite of being mistaken for the original singer heard on the animated movie The Snowman.[30][35] He now sings in the baritone vocal range.[29]
- Frankie Lymon became a famous singer when he recorded "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" with 1950s boy band The Teenagers[31][38] and remained popular after 1957 as a solo artist. As he matured into adulthood by the 1960s, his voice changed to a deep tenor.[39][40]
- Bruno Mars performed as an Elvis impersonator as a child.[41][42][43] He is now a lyric tenor.[44]
- Jean-Baptiste Maunier starred as Pierre Morhange and sang in the 2004 French film Les Choristes, which is also known as The Chorus.[45][46]
- Joseph McManners first became known when he played in a local production of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! as the title character. He then won the BBC competition to portray the title character in Rachel Portman's The Little Prince. He is also known for his renditions of Mike Batt's "Bright Eyes", "Circle of Life" from The Lion King and Howard Shore's "In Dreams".[47]
- Liam McNally became famous when he made it to the Top 10 on season 4 of Britain's Got Talent after he wowed audiences and impressed strict judge Simon Cowell.[48] He is now a baritone singer who, as of 2015, is studying at the Royal Northern College of Music.[49]
- Paul Miles-Kingston's claim to fame was when he sang as one of the soloists in Andrew Lloyd Webber's choral work Requiem with female soprano Sarah Brightman and tenor Plácido Domingo. As of 2010, Miles-Kingston worked as a music teacher.[31][50][51]
- Paul Phoenix sang the theme song to the BBC Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as a St. Paul's Cathedral chorister and is now a tenor singer who was in the a cappella group The King's Singers for 17 years.[35][52]
- Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) sang as a choirboy in a trio of boy sopranos for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in the 1950s.[31][53]
- Andrew Swait has done touring, live performances and studio recordings both as a chorister for The Choirboys and as a solo artist. He now sings in the bass vocal range.[53]
- Anthony Way starred as Henry and sang in the miniseries The Choir, which is based on the novel of the same name by Joanna Trollope.[30]
- James Westman is known as being the first boy to ever perform the song "Child's View of Heaven" from Gustav Mahler's 4th Symphony. He had also toured as a boy soprano with Three Boys Choirs (Paris, American, and Vienna). He is now a successful baritone opera singer.[54][55]
- Max Emmanuel Cenčić became famous in his native Croatia at the age of six after singing the Queen of the Night's coloratura aria "Der Hölle Rache" from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute in on Zagreb television in 1982. In 1987, Cenčić sang the notably difficult Frühlingsstimmen in Belgrade at the age of 11.[56] Cenčić worked as a male soprano for a short time even after his voice broke, but he ultimately retrained as a countertenor and found success.[citation needed]
- Aksel Rykkvin was considered by critics to be among the finest boy sopranos, famous for his renditions of baroque arias as well as his chart-topping albums Aksel! (2016) and Light Divine (2018). Rykkvin performs as a baritone as of 2018.[57]
- Bobby Breen was an American child actor who first became famous for singing around 1935, aged 9. He sang in several Hollywood films, including Let's Sing Again and Rainbow on the River. He retired as a teenager in the late 1930s, but resurfaced as a tenor in the 1950s and 60s.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ "Boy soprano definition and meaning - Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ BBC Bitesize - GCSE Music - Music for voices
- ^ Harvard Dictionary of Music, p.796 and 904
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Skeat, Walter W. (2005). An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications. p. 662. ISBN 0-486-44052-4.
- ^ "Children Singing Voice - Youthful Voices!" Your Personal Singing Guide. http://your-personal-singing-guide.com/children-singing.html
- ^ "The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory – Featured Boy Sopranos and Trebles". Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Developing Voice presentation" (PDF). vocalprocess.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2008.
- ^ McKinney, James (1994). The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Genovex Music Group. ISBN 978-1-56593-940-0.
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- ^ Professor Martin Ashley. "Trebles Archived 3 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine", Martin-Ashley.com.
- ^ 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
- ^ Diep, Francie. "Boys Now hitting Puberty earlier, reshuffling Boys' Choirs". http://www.popsci.com/article/science/boys-now-hitting-puberty-earlier-reshuffling-boys-choirs
- ^ 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
- ^ "Ernest Lough (b. November 17, 1911)". The Boy Choir & Soloist Directory. https://www.boysoloist.com/artist.asp?VID=360
- ^ "Boy Sopranos and Early Onset of Puberty". https://patrickcox.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/boy-sopranos-and-early-onset-of-puberty/
- ^ 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
- ^ "Trebles". Professor Martin Ashley. http://www.martin-ashley.com/sound-archive/boys-keep-singing Archived 3 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Copping, Jasper; Mole, Graham (9 October 2010). "Choirs in deep trouble over voices breaking early". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Beet, Stephen R. (2005). The Better Land – Great Boy Sopranos of the 20th Century. Rectory Press. ISBN 1903698146. OCLC 654588629.[page needed]
- ^ Ashley, Martin (2010). How High Should Boys Sing? Gender, Authenticity and Credibility in the Young Male Voice. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9781409493914.[page needed]
- ^ "Hear 5-Year-Old Billie Joe Armstrong Singing 'Look for Love'". Loudwire.
- ^ "Green Day Rip into "Breakdown," Fan Favorites at NYC Club Show". Rolling Stone. 19 May 2009.
- ^ "Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones work magic on Everly Brothers tribute". 29 November 2013.
- ^ "George Graham Reviews Billy Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones' "Foreverly"".
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- ^ 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.
- ^ 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/
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ "Remembering Michael Jackson at his best, as a young soprano". 14 July 2009.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Fireside. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, Had Original Hit Before Diana Ross to". blackthen.com. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bruno Mars: The Golden Child". Rolling Stone. 10 May 2013.
- ^ http://archives.midweek.com/content/story/midweek_coverstory/Bruno_Mars_Nothin_On_You/
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- ^ "Bruno Mars, 'Unorthodox Jukebox' (Atlantic)". 12 December 2012.
- ^ "Les ChoristesLes Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc; Nicolas Porte, director; Jean-Baptiste Maunier, soloist". Billboard. 8 January 2005. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Thomson, Desson. "‘Chorus’ Strikes a Personal Chord". Washington Post. 28 January 2005.
- ^ Kreindler, William. "Joseph McManners - In Dreams". MusicWeb International. July 2006. http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/July06/McManners_82876726092.htm
- ^ "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
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- ^ "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/
- ^ a b Dan-Dailey. "Andrew Swait: Looking Back". Wandervogel Diary. 8 April 2011. https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/andrew-swait-looking-back/
- ^ "Baritone James Westman hosts This Is My Music". CBC Music. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "'Canadian baritone [James Westman] has made the opera his own after many performances". bowmanmedia.ca. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Max Emanuel Cencic (18 March 2016), MAX EMANUEL CENCIC boy soprano - Frühlingsstimmen, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 6 June 2019
- ^ Lewis, Sean (26 April 2018). "Aksel Rykkvin - from Boy to Man". Fjord Classics (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 6 June 2019.