Cavities in the sinuses, the nose, and the back of the throat grow bigger, thus creating more space within the head to allow the voice to resonate. Occasionally, voice change is accompanied by unsteadiness of vocalization in the early stages of untrained voices. Due to the significant drop in pitch to the vocal range, people may unintentionally speak in head voice or even strain their voices using pitches which were previously chest voice, the lowest part of the modal voice register. History
Historical changes in the average age of puberty have had profound effects on the composing of music for childrens voices. The composer Joseph Haydn was known for typically singing parts in high pitches throughout his 17th year. Unchanged voices were in high demand for church choirs, which historically excluded women. The British cathedral choir ideal remains based on boy sopranos (or trebles), with the alto part executed by adult countertenors. In German-speaking countries, however, the alto parts are also sung by boys. Historically, a strategy for avoiding the shift altogether was castration. Castrati are first documented in Italian church records from the 1550s. Mozarts Exultate Jubilate, Allegris Miserere and parts of Handels Messiah were written for this voice, whose distinctive timbre was widely exploited in Baroque opera. In 1861, the practice of castration became illegal in Italy, and in 1878 Pope Leo XIII prohibited the hiring of new castrati by the church. The last castrato was Alessandro Moreschi, who served in the Sistine Chapel Choir.
Singing
Children are able to sing in the same octave as women. When the voices of male teenagers break, they are no longer able to sing in the same octave. For music sung in the same key as women, they can sing in falsetto or drop an octave. See also
Puberty
Voice masculinization and feminization


== References ==