xcellent part-songs, writes to me:--

"I succeed very well in getting boys to sing alto because I always use a
large number of exercises in two parts, making each division of the
class in turn take the lower part. I do not choose boys for altos on
account of age. That, in my opinion, has nothing to do with it. I choose
them by quality of voice. There is no break in the voice of the natural
alto between]--[Illustration: G and C] I find altos out generally when
they are novices, by hearing them trying to sing with the others, and
dropping down an octave in high passages."

* * * * *

The following interesting notes are by Mr. W. Critchley, organist,
choirmaster, and schoolmaster in the village of Hurst, near Reading:--

"I do not choose the elder boys as altos, as I find that treble boys, as
a rule, are at their very best just before the change of voice. And
moreover, when that change begins, the voice is so uncertain in its
intonation that if the boy were put to sing alto he would be certain to
drag the others down. At present I have one or two boys with round,
mellow voices, who are very effective. Unfortunately, most of the alto
parts in hymn-tunes and chants hover about the place where the break in
the voice occurs, and it requires a lot of practice to conquer the
difficulty. As a rule, I get the alto boys to sing in the lower
register. It is very seldom they get a note which they cannot take in
this register, so I train it up a little, thus--

[Illustration: KEYS B to F[#].

d_1 t_2 l_2 t_2 d_1 r_1 m_1]

I do not see any other way of getting over the uncertainty in the boy
alto voice. It is merely a matter of time and trouble."

* * * * *

Mr. J. C. E. Taylor, choirmaster of St. Mary's, Penzance, and
head-master of the National School, says:--

"I have had one or two pure alto voices, and these are the best, but
very rare. Good voices of trebles unable to take [Illustration: musical
notation] (D) have often become fair alto voices, and my present solo
alto boy is one of these. The trios in the anthems are taken by boy
alto, tenor, and bass. These alto boys are practised from lower G to
C--[Illustration: musical notation] up and down, minding their _p's_ and
_f's_. My trebles, as a rule, last until fifteen years of age, and altos
until sixteen, and even seventeen."

* * * * *

Mr. A. Isaac, choirmaster of a churc