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I have looked at the soprano lines in SATB arrangements and found something that seems a bit strange.
I'm referring to, for example, arrangements of Silent Night in Bb, with the sopranos singing the tune. If I as a tenor had to sing it in Bb it would not work at all. Tenors usually sing it in D. But based on this, sopranos don't want to sing a full octave higher than a tenor would.
This is why I must ask: Do sopranos find is easier to sing Silent Night in Bb than in D?
Probably the main point is that most "SATB arrangements" are from hymnbooks, and these are designed primarily for congregational singing. The pitch of the melody line is determined more by what's suitable for the congregation than by what's suitable for a trained soprano section. Taking Silent Night much higher than Bb will result in top notes which are uncomfortable for many members of the congregation.
If you find an arrangement that is specifically written for a choir rather than for congregational singing, you might find that it's pitched higher. But also of course, in a choral context it's very usual for a director to adapt whatever materials are to hand, especially by choosing a different pitch from the one written. If it suits the choir better, they can sing it up a tone, or whatever.
Silent Night is also a special case in various ways. It has a large range, and is also generally sung quite quietly. When singing quietly rather than loudly, many singers find low notes become relatively easier to achieve convincingly, and high notes become relatively more difficult. This might push one in the direction of a lower pitch, while a more strident tune with a similar span might benefit from being pitched higher.
There's also an issue about solo vs choral singing. For a solo tenor, D major might indeed be a reasonable key for Silent Night. For a tenor section with many singers together, that penultimate line with the top G might be much harder to pull off convincingly. A soloist has lots of leeway in terms of timbre, volume, timing, etc, but for a choral tenor section, achieving a good blend and ensemble in a quiet high passage can be tough unless they are very good.
In Bb, the range is Bb to Eb. (@harry jansson, I don't see how this would be a problem for a tenor?) The end of the melody is low for sopranos, but it IS meant to be 'silent' :-)
In D, the sopranos will shine out (maybe too much?) on a high G. Likewise, tenors might sound a bit strident, particularly as choral tenors are often baritones who can hit high notes (and, let's be honest, the soprano section often includes lower voices who don't want the bother of learning harmonies :-) And don't even go there if a congregation is involved!
But are we looking at just the melody, or at the SATB parts? The question is a bit confusing.
Having worked with lots of children's choirs, I found that the main melody worked best in key A, with, if I felt like it, a key change to B♭, and with a good choir, again, up to key C. But that was in unison, but I imagine that would be a good range for sopranos - as children have around the same range.
I have this theory that some word sounds are more difficult to sing high, than others. Don't believe it's so in this case.
And - When accompanying choirs, I used to sometimes change key on the fly to accommodate those I heard were 'out of their range' - down or up. (responding to a comment).
As others have pointed out Silent Night is unusual for a congregational hymn as it covers more than an octave. I am a high soprano and find I prefer to sing it in the key of D. However, for most people who do not sing regularly a lower key is probably more comfortable and I guess a key of Bb is a reasonable compromise.
