The Better Land
(Stephen R Beet)
The Better Land is a hymn to the golden notes of boys who committed their singing voice to wax throughout the 20th century. It is, of course, also the title of the famous hymn written by Felicia Hemans. The book was years in the writing -- in fact, as long as it took author, Stephen R Beet to locate some of the erstwhile choirboys, now old men and near the end of their days. It is poignant, enlightening, full of feeling and observation -- an appreciation of the former Boy sopranos still living, and an elegy for those who have passed on. By the time the book was completed, several of the surviving ''boys'' had passed away. There is a poignant sense of the book''s having been written just-in-time. The book grew ''organically''. The world it describes, grows and expands as one reads it. The interaction between the narrative and the lives of the boys is often profound and moving. News of the death of one former choirboy arrived as the book was being prepared for the printing-presses, and necessitated a hurried updating of the section in which the erstwhile boy soprano had featured. By the time the book was published by Rectory Press, in 2005, The Better Land had become something of a cause celebre within choir circles throughout the United Kingdom. The book tells about the lives of famous boy sopranos such a Ernest Lough and Billy Neely, as well as the lesser-known boys. Stephen Beet''s odyssey had begun with a ground-breaking series of CD Albums, featuring some of the greatest boy singers of the 20th century, the earliest example dating to 1914 and featuring the ethereal voice of Master Walter Lawrence, the soloist of All Angels'' Choir, New York City, singing "A Spring Morning". The Better Land evolved from the author''s journey in search of the golden voices that had been committed to vinyl and wax; and from his contact with many of the surviving ''boys''. It is a slice of history that sings the praises of those who sang with such unfettered force and feeling. It is a paen of praise to the half-forgotten boys who sang their hearts out for choir and country.
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