nthems with a verse for A.T.B., such as 'Rejoice in the
Lord' (Purcell), 'The Wilderness' (Goss), &c."

Mr. C. E. Juleff, organist of Bodmin Parish Church, wrote:--

"Allow me to say that I have found men altos infinitely preferable to
those of boys. In short, one good man alto I have experienced to be
equal to half-a-dozen boy altos as regards tone; and in respect to
phrasing and reading I have found men altos decidedly superior. The two
gentlemen altos who were in my choir at SS. Michael and All Angels,
Exeter, were acknowledged by London organists to be 'second to none' in
the provinces."

* * * * *

On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Ely, F.C.O., of St. John's College,
Leatherhead, gave a warm testimony to boy altos:--

"I may say that in my choir at this College I have four or five very
good boy altos. One is exceptionally good, possessing a natural alto
voice of remarkable richness and beauty. In our services and anthems he
takes the solo alto parts, and in my opinion he is far superior to a man
alto, except in such anthems as Wesley's 'Ascribe unto the Lord'
(expressly written for choirs possessing men altos), in which he cannot
take some of the lower notes. The compass of his voice is from F to
E[b]."

* * * * *

In these letters and experiences there are evidently two underlying
ideas. First, that the boy alto has a naturally low voice; second, that
the boy alto is a broken-down soprano. For both these notions there is
some physical foundation, because there is no doubt that the lower notes
of boys of 12 to 14 are rounder and fuller than those of boys of 9 to
12. Herr Eglinger, of Basel, to whose mastery of the subject in theory
and practice I can testify, from personal intercourse, distinctly
recognises this. He says:--

"It is only when boys and girls approach the period of change, say a
year or two before the voice begins to break, that a clear chest-voice,
corresponding to that of women, is perceptible. In boys at this stage,
the head-voice rapidly declines in volume and height; and what there is
of middle register is not much, nor of great service much longer. On the
other hand, the chest-tones acquire a resonance, and in boys a certain
gruffness, which, mixed with other voices, imparts a peculiar charm to
the chorus."

Thus although here and there a boy may be found with a naturally low
voice from the first, the majority of altos will be