‘Messiah’ sopranos getting younger

When Handel wrote the “Messiah,” he could count on boys singing the soprano parts at the age of 15 or even later. But for modern choir directors, such as Paulist Choristers’ Martin Neary, when you say boys’ choir you mean little boys.

That’s because boys’ voices break much sooner these days. So in order to have boy sopranos for his “Messiah” concert Friday at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westwood, Neary started working with 7 1/2-year- olds a year ago.

“I haven’t worked before with quite this young an age group,” Neary said. “One has got to capture their imaginations and latch onto them.”

Why puberty for boys and girls occurs “much earlier now than it did even 50 or 100 years ago” has not been fully established, says Dr. Hans von Leden, professor emeritus at USC and founder and honorary president of the Collegium Medicorum Theatri, an international organization of physicians that focuses on singers and actors. He suggests the use of antibiotics and better nutrition might play a part.

But why does Neary need boy sopranos -- why not just use girls? “You have the tremendous advantage of a bell-like quality in the top line,” said Neary. In fact, Neary also has included girls in his group, who sing along with 12 adults: “Both should have this opportunity,” he said. “Are we authentic? Is the sound the same? Who’s to say what the authentic sound was? There are so many different sounds of boys’ choirs. We have about 12 boys and eight girls, but nonetheless it is a cohesive sound.”

-- Chris Pasles