As a musician in old age I notice in great cathedral choirs the voices of boys are said to break suddenly during age 13 or 14 at which time the boys are promptly dismissed from the choirs. After the fact some choir masters have made the attempt to retrain exceptional boys for singing the counter tenor part or some lower part over a year or two while the voices continued to change.

My own experience as a treble was in a somewhat smaller choir. With support from my musical family my training for counter tenor began at age 11, a full two years before it was needed, while I continued to sing the treble parts as required. A lower range was developed while the upper range was still fully functional. By age 12, from old memories I was being trained for the tenor part while still singing treble and occasional counter tenor when required in the choir.

There was no sudden break in my voice. The adolescent change began during age 13 and continued gradually for two years as the training sequence added Baritone and Base ranges as capabilities developed. The choir master always had a part for me and never asked for a note higher or lower than I could sing. There was no mention of being thrown out. Two thirds of the treble range faded away note by note and half of the counter tenor range was eventually lost. Choir music continued as a hobby during my professional life.

In retirement after a long career in engineering I became the choir master with choices to make. It seems that the conventional wisdom is wasteful and cruel, if there is another choice.

Do the researchers have data or observations about the training that might bring a gradual change of voice?

Can Boy Choristers Transition Gradually From Treble To Counter Tenor? Or is my experience unique and depending on the family?