Some boy (soprano)s never grow up

[dude]

[Merkin]

Wow.

[Cole Parker]

I like the first one best. He had more timbre in his voice, more depth of tone, less of a falsetto sound. He was extremely impressive.

C

[Chris James]

​These men would have been prized singers in Italy a few hundred years ago when castrati were given a stage to sing. These days I imagine the high range of these voices is not caused by a medical procedure too ugly to contemplate. No matter how lovely the young voice of a boy, to surgically alter his testicles is tantamount to child abuse. Eh, but when did the Italians ever worry about something like that.

Each of these three young men is a caricature, the first two more so than the last boy. I doubt if a young man with the singing ability of a female soprano would ever be considered normal in society today. No doubt they are talented, but the oddity of that talent may not serve them well as performers. Society is so judgmental, what a shame.

[Cole Parker]

It's also possible the 15-year-old will lose this ability very shortly.

C

[ChrisR]

No doubt they are talented, but the oddity of that talent may not serve them well as performers. Society is so judgmental, what a shame.

Au contraire, mon ami. I, for one, am thankful that society is so judgmental or we would still be singing Gregorian Chant accompanied by ill-tuned reed flutes. Or even bagpipes! It is societal discernment that offers us an enormous variety of music to choose from, whether Wagner or hip-hop, Paganini or Janis Joplin, Beethoven or Queen.

It is true that there is not a great deal of music for the contemporary male coloratura over the age of about 12. There are also not a lot of performers who can present it either. Supply and demand work here just as fine coachwhip manufacturers and their clientele. Yes, they can still be found - the singers, that is - in places like St. John the Divine Episcopal Cathedral (NYC) for special events. But they are oddities, and frankly presented as such.

If you choose to attend and voice your request for more of the same, then more power to you. It is, after all, your judgment call.