From the Archives (Voice Trials) 

 Last week saw the wonderful production of Handel's Messiah at Durham Cathedral, which saw Durham and Chorister School students old and new come together to perform not only one of the finest oratorios in the English language but also many moving pieces composed by members of the wider DCSF community. As the concert opened, and the silence and stillness of the darkened Cathedral gave way to the sound of the Choristers, bathed in something not unlike candlelight, the importance of voice and song in the history of the Chorister School struck me. 

Until fairly recently, all pupils at the Chorister School had to be admitted through voice trials and, when they could inevitably no longer sing treble, they would be removed. An early explanation of this comes from Maria Hackett (1783-1874), a philanthropist who campaigned throughout her life for better standards of living and education for choristers. Her investigation of life within the Durham Chorister School, and her interview with the Dean and Chapter, comes in her book A Brief Account of Cathedral and Collegiate Schools (1827). Towards the end, she explains that "they are generally admitted very young; that is, as soon as it can be ascertained that they have an accurate ear and a good voice, and are of course discharged as soon as the voice breaks. There is no provision for them afterwards, though such of them as have behaved well are not neglected by the Chapter." It was a long tradition for boys whose voices had broken to cease being Choristers but remain within the Cathedral as organists, lay clerks, or instrumentalists. 

Certain incentives were given to the pupils who performed well in their voice trials. In 1897 an advertisement circulated stating that the four most promising Choristers would be offered free education, board, and lodging, while the remaining three would be charged only £15 per year, which is about £1654 in today's money. 

Chorister student Charles Pattinson, whose 1959 Memoire of a Choir School is stored in manuscript form in the Palace Green Library, would later recall his experience of his Chorister Voice Trial in the Summer of 1913. Competition to enter the Choir was severe, and at that point it was particularly difficult. 99 students applied for a place, and out of these only nine were selected. Students sang in front of a judging panel of Arnold Culley, the Organist and Master of the Choristers here fulfilling his role as Chief Inquisitor; Assistant Organist William Ellis; Archdeacon Watkins; Canon Cruickshank, and Minor Canons Hughes and May. Pattinson discussed the event as follows: 

"It was a gruelling experience – scales up to top C, aural tests of some complexity, elementary theory, sight reading (I think a chant was written on the black-board). Eventually our numbers were reduced to about 24, and a combined operation then took place to ascertain how our voices blended. My recollection is that this took place after lunch, for I have a vivid memory that, whilst others of my rivals gorged themselves after their morning's ordeal, I was allowed to partake only of the most meagre fare, my father being persuaded that over-indulgence would cause me to sing flat—probably he was right! At this stage a few more were declared insufficient, and they departed in some distress. The rest of us were dismissed and told to parade at the Choristers School for a further sample of third degree! This was not so formidable. Each boy was given a slip of lined paper about 3'' by 10'', on which we recorded our answers to the somewhat elementary questions (I recall even now a certain dubiety as to how the gentlemen who entered the Ark spelled his name!)" 

The results were declared later in the afternoon, and Pattinson was indeed selected to be a Chorister, but the stressful experience clearly stayed with him. For the nine Choristers selected, each was sent a letter to their parents stating that they would be contacted when a place opened up for them- or, in other words, when one of the present Choristers' voices had broken. The boy whose voice had changed would leave immediately, with the Headmaster arranging for another school to take them. They would be quickly replaced by the waiting candidate on very short notice; frequently, the parents would be notified on Tuesday to have their children ready to enrol on Friday. 

This occasion, where 99 candidates applied for the chorister positions , was an outlier, demonstrating the high demand of that era. Through the 1960s and 1970s there was normally a steady stream of people attending voice trials, but from the 1980s recruitment became more difficult. An advert in The Musical Times dated to January 1984 reads: "Have you a son aged 7-9 who likes singing? If so, why not enter him for the Durham Cathedral Chorister Voice Trial February 1984 (October 1984)." By that point, choristers were educated at only a 1/3 of normal boarding fees, and there was a growing number of non-singing students at the school. 

The competitive nature of the chorister position in 1913 shows how highly the Chorister School prizes music. Perhaps it is because of this musical tradition that last Saturday's concert was such a success.