occurs, is due, he considers, to damp
weather, a cold church, &c. But he is rarely troubled with it. The boys'
voice exercises are taken at the harmonium, first slow notes to
"koo-ah," or to "oo-ay-ah-ee," or to a sentence containing consonants.
This exercise is done both ascending and descending, but especially
descending. He also uses the chromatic scale from B flat up to
F:--[Illustration: A music staff with a treble clef on the left. Two
quarter notes: B flat below the staff and F on the top line.] He tells
the boys nothing about the registers, but watches constantly against
shouting.

SALZUNGEN CHOIR.

This (Protestant) choir of men and boys is well-known in Germany, and
not only sings at Salzungen, but occasionally makes tours, and gives
concerts. Herr Muehlfeld, the trainer, tells me that he takes the boys
from 11 years of age upwards, and that before entering the choir they
have a fair knowledge of notes, and can sing at sight. The voices are
examined on entry, low ones being put to sing alto, and high ones being
put to sing soprano. The boys have two lessons of an hour each per week,
in which they practise exercises, _choraele_, school songs, and church
music. Flattening, according to Herr Muehlfeld, is due to (1) bad ear,
(2) imperfect training, (3) fatigue of the voice. The boys are taught to
listen to each note that they sing, and to make it blend with the
instrument or the leading voice. In order to do this they must sing
softly, and thus hear their neighbours' voices. The 3rd, 6th, 7th, and
8th tones of the scale are, says Herr Muehlfeld, often sung flat, and
exercises should be specially given to secure the intonation of these
sounds. The boys must also learn the intervals, and whenever they appear
to be tired a pause must be made.

UPTON CROSS BOARD SCHOOL.

This is not a church, but a boys' school, from which a good many
choristers are drawn, and where excellent results have been obtained.
The boys have often won prizes in choral competitions. Mr. H. A. Donald,
the headmaster, tells me that he examines the voices of the boys one by
one in his own room, once a year. Those who can take G and A
[Illustration: musical notation] sweetly and easily are put down as
first trebles. Those who can go below C [Illustration: musical notation]
are altos. The rest are second trebles. He finds that after a year a
boy's voice will often have changed--a treble become an alto, or vice
versa. In modulator practice