Figure 1.--This cabinet card portrait is of Sidney Lowell. We believe he is a choir boy rather than an altar boy. The portrait is undated, but the style of the grey card looks like the early-20th century to us, probably about 1905. |
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The boy choir tradition is a European tradition originating in the needs of the medieval Catholic church for litugical music. Many countries of Western and Central Europe, have long choral traditions. The Western choral tradition is based on that of the medieval Catholic church. The role of the choir was one of the issue in the refomation. Following the Reformation it was the English Anglican Church which maintained the strongest coral tradition. Only in the 20th century were choirs founded by other Protestnt and Catholic churches. merica developed a srong boy choir movement in the late 19th century. I do not know of any residential choirs, but many churches in large cities had very substantial boy choirs. As far as I know, all of these notable early choirs were church choirs. Soloists at those choirs received considerable notice. American boy choirs as not as strongly associated with the Catholic church as those in Europe. Many American choirs are associate with protestant churches or are secular in nature.
The boy choir tradition is a European tradition originating in the needs of the medieval Catholic church for litugical music. Many countries of Western and Central Europe, have long choral traditions. The Western choral tradition is based on that of the medieval Catholic church. The role of the choir was one of the issue in the refomation. Following the Reformation it was the English Anglican Church which maintained the strongest coral tradition. Only in the 20th century were choirs founded by other Protestnt and Catholic churches. It was at this time that boy choirs began to appear in America. In part because of the protestant establishment of colonial and early independent America, the boy choir religious tradition is primarily Protestant. Cathloics only began arriving in America during the 1840s when the Potato Famine began driving the Irish from their homeland. Many American choirs, however, in contrast to Europe had secular foundations. Unlike many European choirs, there is no tradition of choirs associated with boarding schools in America. There is, however, one residential boarding choir in America--the American Boychoir runs its own boarding choir school for the choirboys.
America developed a srong boy choir movement in the late 19th century. I do not know of any residential choirs, but many churches in large cities had very substantial boy choirs. As far as we know, most of these notable early choirs were church choirs, but there some Anglican cathedrals by the late-19th century. The Episopal Church with its connections to England played a major role in popularising boy choirs in America. An early example was the Denver Cathedral and the St. John's Boy Choir it sponsorted. The congregation which still a church had a boys' choir in the early 1870s. Soloists at those choirs could receive considerable notice. We noticenewspaper articles about them. One such solist at the Grace Church in Chicago was Blatchford Kavanagh. American boy choirs as not as strongly associated with the Catholic church as those in Europe. Many American choirs are associate with protestant churches or are secular in nature. This distinguishes the American choirs with European ones as there are few secular boy choirs in Europe. This is interesting, because Ameicans attend church in much larger numbers than is common in virtually any European countries. American boy choirs, as in England, but not so much on the continent, are being criticzed in some feminist quarters for excluding girls. Churches and other groups sponsoring the choirs are now considering establishing girl choirs or mixed choirs.
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