Boy choirs are one of the oldest musical traditions in the Western world. Known as “unchanged trebles” in the choral world, these groups have historically included biologically male singers who sing soprano notes until they go through puberty. But what does this mean in a culture that increasingly sees gender as an individual choice, rather than a fixed, biological category? And is this tradition, which is rooted in exclusion of girls and women, one that is even worth saving?
In Unchanged Trebles, sociologist Rebekah Peeples charts an unexpected, thought-provoking, and deeply personal journey into the peculiar world of contemporary boy choirs, where boys learn to do something together that they’re often embarrassed to do alone: sing in their soprano voices. Considering her experience as the unlikely mother of a boy soprano alongside dozens of interviews with current directors and former choristers, she argues that some of the tools for creating a more gender-inclusive future can be found in an ancient tradition that has long recognized gender fluidity within the pre-pubescent male body. With humor, insight, and the voice of a gifted storyteller, Unchanged Trebles explores a cultural tradition in which singing and expressing emotion are encouraged for boys, showing them a more expansive form of masculinity as they transition from boyhood to manhood.
Introduction
1 Do You Know a Boy Who Loves to Sing?
2 It’s Like a Finishing School for Boys
3 Unchanged Trebles
4 Don’t You Want to See the World?
5 Draw the Circle Wide
6 Closets
7 A Ceremony of Discipline
8 Mother Nature Has Them by the Throat
9 The Child is Father of the Man
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
