sweet tone, and can reach F sharp, however faintly, I accept him, and
keep him on probation at the practices. About half-a-dozen are so kept,
and the best lad fills any vacancy occurring in the choir. I have no
trouble as regards discipline, as a fine, or the knowledge that their
places can be instantly filled by the probationers, keeps the choristers
well in their places. At the choir practices I begin with running up and
down the scales with their voices together, beginning soft, and allowing
the voices to increase as the scales ascend, and diminish on descending,
but holding on to the top-most notes whilst I play a chord or two on it.
Then with a nod of my head they descend. At times one note is given them
on which to _cres._ and _dim._, for breathing exercise. Not one lad
knows his notes except as to their rise and fall and values. They depend
on their ear entirely, even in the most difficult fugues."

At this church anthems and settings of the Canticles are sung every
Sunday evening. The men are voluntary; the head boys get from 30s. to
40s. a year, the solo boys receiving 3d. or 6d. as an encouragement
after rendering a solo or verse part.

* * * * *

In spite of all that can be written on the subject of voice-training,
the art is one most difficult to communicate. Some teachers succeed;
others fail. A remarkable instance of this came under my notice lately.
The headmaster of a school asked me to pay his boys a visit in order, if
possible, to discover the reason of the great falling-off in their
singing. His previous singing-teacher had brought the boys to a high
pitch of excellence. When he left, the singing was placed under the
charge of an undermaster, who had for a year or more heard all the
singing lessons given by his predecessor, who used the same voice
exercises with the same boys in the same room. Surely, one would have
thought the results must be the same. But the singing had deteriorated;
flattening, and a lifeless manner had overcome the boys. The causes, so
far as I could discover, were first that the new teacher wanted the
magnetic, enthusiastic way of the old, and second, that he had not so
quick an ear for change of register, and allowed the lower mechanism of
the voice to be forced up higher than its proper limits.

* * * * *

This chapter focuses a large amount of valuable experience, but amid the
many hints which are given, two w