Wales prides itself on the depth of its singing talent, and nowhere has this been more true than in the wealth of boy trebles produced over the past fifty years. For the first time ever, the voices of Wales’ leading treble singers will be heard on a new compilation CD to be released by Sain this month. Said a Sain spokesman: “From the 50s through the golden days of Aled Jones to the present day, this CD is testimony to the enormous contribution of Welsh boy singers over the years.”

It is difficult to accurately define the appeal of the boy soprano, or treble, voice, but at its best it has a purity of tone and quality which can transport one to the heights of musical pleasure. On this unique collection we can hear the best of Welsh boy singers over the past half century. Emyr Wyn and Philip Watkins were the first to make their mark as recording artists, but the tradition pioneered by them is continued into the 21st century by talents such as Steffan Rhys Hughes and Rhys Meilyr.

Outside Wales, the treble voice is mostly associated with church choirs, but although that is also partly true here in Wales, it is the Eisteddfod which gives these young singers the best platform to develop their talents. And as Aled Jones, probably the most famous of them all, readily testifies, the Eisteddfod stage allows the young singer to perform in front of audiences large and small, and gather the confidence which can be the foundation of a wider career.

The voice of a boy treble has naturally a limited time span, and there has been a constant demand for a digital compilation of this kind for some years, and it is Sain’s pleasure to respond to this demand by bringing this wealth of talent to to the attention of the world.