You are the best singer in the world!

I received two unsolicited compliments today. Walking through the corridors of High Oakham School after waving the choir off to Young Voices a small child stood in front of me and said "You are the best singer in the world". Later, when walking home after Evensong in a grump because of yet another out of routine service, a lady stopped me and said "I was showing a friend round the Minster the other day during Evensong. Your voice is beautiful". I pursued the conversation further to make sure that she hadn't confused me with someone else, that she wasn't deaf and didn't want me to contribute to some obscure charity. It's a long time since someone has genuinely commented positively about my singing, so why two on the same day?

At last night's Choral Society I wondered as I listened to a tenor section singing really well and several sopranos not quite getting up to some, not unreasonably, high notes how do we decide which part to sing, and do we ever question it? The throw away line that triggered it was "Altos are sopranos that can read music". I was put onto the alto line at school, and because I could do it quite well stayed there. Male altos are a bit of a novelty and I suppose that I quite liked that idea too. If I wasn't an alto what would I have become? There is quite a wide range of notes that all men can sing so how do some become tenors and some basses? Similarly with women. If anyone is reading this I would be interested to know how you became the singer that you are.