MUSIC : Turning Boys Into Kings (Choir, That Is)

Apart from buildings, art and theological arguments, little survives from the Middle Ages. One of the few musical holdovers from the period is the boys’ choir.

Because women in those days were forbidden to sing in church, boys were trained to sing the soprano and alto parts, while men would take the tenor and bass parts.

One such group, the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, will sing Friday at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. The choir traces its origins to 1441, when Henry VI, the ill-fated King of Shakespeare’s first history plays, ruled Britannia.

For the first 400 years of its existence, the King’s College choir sang at services in the mornings and the members doubled as waiters in the college dining room at night.

Today, despite competition from movies, rock music and television, however, the choir has no trouble recruiting youngsters, according to director Stephen Cleobury. In fact, competition for the choir is keen.

Only four places open up each year, those because boys’ voices change. Approximately 35 kids audition for these spots. The chorus is made up of 16 boys and 14 men.

“They audition, roughly, at 7 or 7 1/2 and (after being trained) come into the choir when they’re 9 1/2 and leave at 13 1/2,” Cleobury said in a recent phone interview from Charlotte, N.C., where the choir was singing as part of a 10-city U.S. tour. “That’s the average progression through the system.

“We take musical boys who naturally respond to good music. But that isn’t to say that they don’t also enjoy or listen to all sorts of things. Their own taste and what they listen to are fairly eclectic, just as anybody’s is these days.”

The director looks for “potential,” he said. “Our task is to help them to fulfill and realize that potential when they come to us.”

The singers are taught basic music theory and ear training, “which means they become absolutely adept sight readers.” They also all learn at least two instruments, “sometimes three.”

When their voices change, most of the boys win music scholarships to continue studying at other schools. A few come back to the choir later as “choral scholars” to sing the tenor and bass parts. Very few become professional musicians or singers, according to the director.

“It is a frustrating thing,” Cleobury said. “But that process has to happen. It’s always a challenge for me. I always have fresh new blood coming in. I can’t ever stand still.”

The program at the Crystal Cathedral will range from 16th- to 20th-Century British music and include Herbert Howells’ “Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing,” a motet on the death of former President John F. Kennedy.

Howells’ work contains serious lyrics, as does much of the boys’ repertory, which raises the question of how youngsters are taught to comprehend what they’re singing.

“The fact of the matter is, at different ages and stages of our lives, we appreciate things at different levels,” Cleobury said. “It’s perfectly possible to explain to a child of that age that here was a famous, esteemed leader of the United States who was murdered . . . and that this particular piece is one person’s expression of his grief of that (event).

“But you’re right to hone in on the importance of the text, which is something that any singer in whatever repertoire they happen to be tackling must consider. Part of the learning process is acquainting them with the meaning of the words.”

Because the choir is expected to sing during chapel services each day during the term, tours are restricted to vacation periods.

“We have more invitations to appear in America than we could possibly accept,” Cleobury said. But a tour does help to broaden the boys’ experience.

“We try to make it, obviously, a fun experience, with lots of sightseeing. We also try to make it a cultural experience, though that sounds like I’m making it too heavy.”

Asked whether there are problems maintaining discipline, Cleobury firmly responded, “No. There are too many things to do.”

Himself a product of the boys’ choir tradition, but trained at Worcester Cathedral, not King’s, Cleobury has directed the choir since 1982. But he also conducts and gives solo organ recitals.

“I find it quite therapeutic to give solo recitals,” he said, “because it’s a different thing from directing and motivating other people. You’re motivating yourself.”

* The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, will sing Friday at 8:15 p.m. at the Crystal Cathedral, 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove. Tickets: $8 to $12. Information: (714) 971-4000.