Boys' choirs - how are they different from girls' choirs?

[Alinestra Covelia]

Can somebody who's more familiar with music explain this to me?

It seems like there's a market for choirs that are made up of children in the early teens or younger, but specifically male. Why's this? I hadn't realized there was much of a difference between boys' voices and girls' voices (before adolescence at least).

Is it just the church tradition? Or is there some actual musical qualitative difference between having a load of children singers of both genders, vs. having a load of children singers who are all male?

[Verto]

Is it just the church tradition?

In the Catholic Church, yes, for obvious reasons.

[Saras]

There is a difference, boys choirs sound more, how to say, angelic? I sang in one of the best boys choirs in Europe for 10 years, so I know this stuff.

[Lancer]

Saras

[Deity Dude]

Boy's choirs have a lot more balls.

[Colonâ„¢]

Girls' choirs are smelly.

[Deity Dude]

Originally posted by Colonâ„¢
Girls' choirs are smelly.

They're also a bunch of pussies.

[Alinestra Covelia]

*tsk*

Honestly, I can't leave a thread alone with you guys for an hour without you lot going off and making all sorts of smutty jokes.

*tsk*

Frankly, it's great.

[Elok]

BTW, your new avatar pic looks cute.

[TCO]

yup...girls just seem drawn to girl/boy stuff instead of useful things like football and quiditch and flat deck aircraft carriers.

But, why don't you listen to the Vienna boys choir? Do you have an ear for music?

[Saras]

Vienna > Windsbacher Knabenchor > Azuoliukas (my choir)> the rest.

[b etor]

at my school there were a max of 5 boys in our choir at a time. and like 25 girls. the boys didn't want to get made fun of for singing.

EDIT: my 'pre-adolescent' school.
at my high school it was pretty much 50/50 and they sound amazingg.

[Alinestra Covelia]

I know that genetically, tone deafness occurs less frequently in girls than in boys. (I'm not sure if this is something that is literally only for children and somehow the tone deafness "goes away" once they become men.)

So it's looking like the main differentiation may have more to do with tradition than actual qualitative difference?

When I was in high school and prep school in the UK the choirs were completely co-ed. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between when a pre-adolescent boy is singing, vs. when a pre-adolescent girl is singing.

After adolescence the difference does get slightly more noticeable though.

[Asher]

Originally posted by b etor
at my school there were a max of 5 boys in our choir at a time. and like 25 girls. the boys didn't want to get made fun of for singing.

EDIT: my 'pre-adolescent' school.
at my high school it was pretty much 50/50 and they sound amazingg.

All of those boys are gay. I'm gay and I'm not even gay enough to join a choir.

[Omni Rex Draconis]

"As a boy approaches and begins to undergo puberty, the quality of his voice increasingly distinguishes itself from that typical of girls. Before and as the voice drops, a uniquely rich tone develops. This brief period of high vocal range and unique color forms much of the ground for the use of the boy soprano in both liturgical and secular music in the Western world and elsewhere."

- Wikipedia, Boy Soprano

I would tend to agree, although the effect is definitely subtle.