I'm sure they'll figure something out.
In all seriousness, SATB is mostly a constraint because of how choral composers write their music, not because good music demands it. You can produce beautiful music without all four voice parts being equally represented.
But yeah tenors right -- matches my experience.
crazygringo•1h ago
It's not clear what the evidence is that the problem is getting worse though? Or why it would be?
klooney•1h ago
klipt•1h ago
mqus•1h ago
bluGill•1h ago
I don't know how much this is a factor, but...
lbeckman314•54m ago
Damn those big-voiced basses — they're stealing all our love interests :p
nozzlegear•34m ago
I liked choir and stayed in it for all four years, but I was never particularly good at it so what the hell did I know anyway.
pclmulqdq•56m ago
Amateur-level choirs tend to have a lot more basses than tenors because it is easier to sing bass without effort spent on vocal training.
delecti•52m ago
FTA:
> When men do join singing groups, they often avoid the tenor section. The tenor voice is “a cultivated sound”, says John Potter, author of a book on the subject. A man with no vocal training is more likely to have the range of a baritone (a high bass). It does not help that the tenor voice is associated with operatic stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, who could powerfully sing high notes that no amateur can easily reach. And the tenor line in classical choral music can be difficult, with many unexpected notes and alarming leaps.
bluGill•1h ago
Finally, there are a lot of bad teachers. They are so interested in winning competition and teaching perfection - but for most music will never be anything other than a fun hobby and so they are getting the wrong teaching which turns many students off. I've seen a lot of award winning school choirs, and the next town over with the same number of students has twice the students in choir despite not winning awards - communities need to pick and often don't realize this.
IsTom•52m ago
moomin•1m ago