Barbershop music
Barbershop harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era (1940s-present), is a style of unaccompanied
vocal music characterized by
consonant four-part
chords for every melody note in a predominantly
homophonic texture. Each of the four parts has its own role: the
lead sings the melody, with the
tenor harmonizing above the melody, the
bass singing the lowest harmonizing notes, and the
baritone completing the chord. The melody is not sung by the tenor or bass, except for an infrequent note or two to avoid awkward
voice leading, in tags or codas, or when some appropriate embellishing effect can be created. Occasional brief passages may be sung by fewer than four voice parts.
Barbershop music features songs with understandable lyrics and easily singable melodies, whose tones clearly define a tonal center and imply major and minor chords and barbershop (
dominant and
secondary dominant)
seventh chords that resolve primarily around the
circle of fifths, while making frequent use of other
resolutions. What sets barbershop apart from other musical styles is the predominant use of the dominant-type seventh chords, which are however not true dominant seventh chords, but justly tuned
otonal tetrads; where for example the voices are at frequencies in the proportion 4:5:6:7. Barbershop music also features a balanced, symmetrical form and a standard meter. The basic song and its harmonization are embellished by the arranger to provide appropriate support of the song's theme and to close the song effectively.
Barbershop singers adjust pitches to achieve perfectly tuned chords in
just intonation while remaining true to the established
tonal center. Artistic singing in the barbershop style exhibits a fullness or expansion of sound, precise intonation, a high degree of vocal skill, and a high level of unity of phrasing and consistency of tone within the ensemble. Ideally, these elements are natural, unmanufactured, and free from apparent effort.
The presentation of barbershop music uses appropriate musical and visual methods to convey the theme of the song and provide the audience with an emotionally satisfying and entertaining experience. The musical and visual delivery is from the heart, believable, and sensitive to the song and its arrangement throughout. The most stylistic presentation artistically melds together the musical and visual aspects to create and sustain the illusions suggested by the music.
Slower barbershop songs often eschew a continuous beat, and notes are often held (or speeded up) ad libitum.
The voice parts in men's barbershop singing do not correspond closely to the correspondingly-named voice parts in classical music. Barbershop singing is performed both by men's and women's groups; the elements of the barbershop style and the names of the voice parts are the same for both.
The defining characteristic of the barbershop style is the
ringing chord. This is a name for one specific and well-defined acoustical effect, also referred to as
expanded sound, the angel's voice, the fifth voice, or
the overtone. (The barbershopper's "overtone" is not the same as the acoustic physicist's
overtone).
The physics and psychophysics of the effect are fairly well understood; it occurs when the upper harmonics in the individual voice notes, and the
sum and difference frequencies resulting from nonlinear combinations within the ear, reinforce each other at a particular frequency, strengthening it so that it stands out separately above the blended sound. The effect is audible only on certain kinds of chords, and only when all voices are equally rich in harmonics and very precisely tuned and balanced. It is not heard in chords sounded on keyboard instruments, due to the slight tuning imperfection of the even-tempered scale. It is for this reason that barbershoppers typically use a
pitchpipe for tuning instead of keyboard instruments, though some are known to use a
tuning fork.
Gage Averill (2003) writes that "Barbershoppers have become partisans of this acoustic phenomenon" and that "the more experienced singers of the barbershop revival (at least after the 1940s) have self-consciously tuned their dominant seventh and tonic chords in
just intonation to maximize the overlap of common overtones."
What is prized is not so much the "overtone" itself, but a unique sound whose achievement is most easily recognized by the presence of the "overtone." The precise synchronization of the waveforms of the four voices
simultaneously creates the perception of a "fifth voice" while at the same time melding the four voices into a unified sound. The ringing chord is qualitatively different in sound from an ordinary musical chord e.g. as sounded on a keyboard instrument.
Most elements of the "revivalist" style are related to the desire to produce these ringing chords. Performance is a cappella to prevent the distracting introduction of even-tempered intonation, and because listening to anything but the other three voices interferes with a performer's ability to tune with the precision required. Barbershop arrangements stress chords and chord progressions that favor "ringing," at the expense of suspended and diminished chords and other harmonic vocabulary of the ragtime and jazz ages::The dominant seventh-type chord... is so important to barbershop harmony that it is called the "barbershop seventh..." [SPEBSQSA (now BHS)] arrangers believe that a song should contain anywhere from 35 to 60 percent dominant seventh chords to sound "barbershop."
Historically barbershoppers used the word "minor chord" in a way that is confusing to those with musical training. Averill suggests that it was "a shorthand for chord types other than major triads," and says that the use of the word for "dominant seventh-type chords and diminished chords" was common in the late nineteenth century. A 1900 song called "Play That Barber-Shop Chord" (often cited as an early example of "barbershop" in reference to music) contains the lines
Cause Mister when you start that minor part:I feel your fingers slipping and a grasping at my heart,:Oh Lord play that Barber shop chord!
Averill notes the hints of rapture, "quasi-religion" and erotic passion in the language used by barbershoppers to describe the emotional effect. He quotes Jim Ewin as reporting "a tingling of the spine, the raising of the hairs on the back of the neck, the spontaneous arrival of 'goose flesh' on the forearm.... [the 'fifth note' has] almost
mysterious propensities... It's the
consummation devoutly wished by those of us who love Barbershop harmony. If you ask us to explain ... why we love it so, we are hard put to answer;
that's there our faith takes over." Averill notes too the use of the language of addiction, "there's this great big chord that gets people hooked." An early manual was entitled "A Handbook for Adeline Addicts."
He notes too that "barbershoppers almost never speak of 'singing' a chord, but almost always draw on a discourse of physical work and exertion; thus, they 'hit,' 'chop,' 'ring,' 'crack,' and 'swipe....' ....vocal harmony... is interpreted as an embodied musicking. Barbershoppers never lose sight (or sound) of its physicality."
As a result of scholarship by Lynn Abbott and
Dr. Jim Henry it is now generally accepted that barbershop singing originated in
African-American communities in the U.S. around the turn of the century, where barbershops were, and remain today, social gathering places. The four-part harmony of the form has its roots in the
black church, where close harmony has a long tradition.[
1]
The first uses of the term were associated with African-Americans. Henry notes that "The
Mills Brothers learned to harmonize in their father's barber shop in Piqua, Ohio. Several other well-known black gospel quartets were founded in neighborhood barber shops, among them the New Orleans Humming Four, the Southern Stars and the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartette." [
2]. Although the Mills Brothers are primarily known as jazz and pop artists and usually performed with instrumental accompaniment, the affinity of their harmonic style with that of the barbershop quartet is clearly in evidence in their music and most notably, perhaps, in their best-known gospel recording, "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well", performed a cappella. Their father founded a barbershop quartet, the Four Kings of Harmony, and the Mills Brothers produced at least three records in which they sang a cappella and performed traditional barbershop material.
Barbershop harmonies remain in evidence in the a capella music of the black church. The popular,
Christian a capella group
Take 6[
3] started in
1980 as The Gentleman's Estate Quartet with the tight, four-part harmony by which barbershop music is known. Early on, the quartet added a fifth harmonic line, but the group's pedigree, like barbershop music, is traceable directly to the black church--and the jazzy renditions of artists like the Mills Brothers, as well.
* Abbott, Lynn.
Play That Barber Shop Chord: A Case for the African American Origin of Barbershop Harmony. American Music 10 (1992) 289-325.
* Henry, James Earl.
The Origins of Barbershop Harmony: A Study of Barbershop's Links to Other African American Musics as Evidenced through Recordings and Arrangements of Early Black and White Quartets. Ph.D diss., Washington University, 2000
Traditionally, the word "barbershop" has been used to encompass both men's and women's quartets singing in the barbershop style.
Harmony, Inc. calls itself "International Organization of Women Barbershop Singers" while
Sweet Adelines International calls itself "a worldwide organization of women singers committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony."
Some women's quartets, particularly in U. S. schools, have used the term "beautyshop quartets" for women's quartets singing in the barbershop style.
Notable female quartets include:
* The Cracker Jills [
4] with
Renee Craig* Ambiance [
5]
Notable female choruses include:
*Melodeers Chorus from Northbrook, IL [
6] Four time Sweet Adelines International Gold Medal winning chorus. Only Sweet Adelines Chorus ever to have won four gold medals in row. Jim Arns, Director; Reneé Porzel, Choreographer
Barbershop groups with both male and female members are known as
mixed barbershop groups. [
7]
Singing
a cappella music in the barbershop style is a hobby enjoyed by men and women worldwide. The hobby is practiced mostly within one of the three main barbershop associations, which have a combined membership in the neighborhood of eighty thousand.
The primary men's organization in the US and Canada is the
Barbershop Harmony Society, previously known as the
Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (
SPEBSQSA). Women have two organizations in North America,
Sweet Adelines International and
Harmony Incorporated.
SPEBSQSA was founded in 1938 by
Tulsa, Oklahoma tax attorney O. C. Cash. The name was a lampoon on the New Deal "alphabet agencies".
Sweet Adelines, Inc was founded in 1945 by Edna Mae Anderson, also of Tulsa.
Harmony, Incorporated split from Sweet Adelines in 1957 over a dispute regarding admission of black members. SPEBSQSA and Sweet Adelines at that time restricted their membership to whites, but both opened membership to all races a few years later.
All three organizations comprise choruses and quartets that perform and compete regularly throughout the US and Canada, and Sweet Adelines International also has a portion of its membership outside North America. Organizations affiliated with the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony Incorporated exist in the
United Kingdom,
The Netherlands,
Germany,
Ireland,
South Africa,
Scandinavia,
New Zealand,
Australia,
Japan, and elsewhere. Some national and regional barbershop groups include:
*
Sweet Adelines International (SAI) [
8]
*
Barbershop in Germany (BinG) [
9]
*
British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) [
10]
*
Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS) [
11]
*
Dutch Association of Barbershop Singers (DABS) [
12]
*
Ladies Association of Dutch Barbershop Singers (Holland Harmony) [
13]
*
Society of Nordic Barbershop Singers (SNOBS) [
14]
*
Southern Part of Africa Tonsorial Singers (SPATS)
*
New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers (NZABS) [
15]
*
Australian Association of Men's Barbershop Singers (AAMBS) [
16]
*
Irish Association of Barbershop Singers (IABS) [
17]
A worldwide association for mixed groups, the
Mixed Harmony Barbershop Quartet Association [
18], was established in
1995 to reflect the growing popularity of male-female barbershop singing.BHS (Barbershop Harmony Society) Districts:
|
Barbershop Harmony Society Districts. |
*
Cardinal District(CAR), Kentucky & Indiana
*
Central States District(CSD), Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota
*
Dixie District(DIX), Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Carolinas
*
Evergreen District(EVG), Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, western Canada
*
Far Western District(FWD), California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and Southern Utah
*
Illinois District(ILL), the entire state of
Illinois*
Johnny Appleseed District(JAD), Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania
*
Land-O-Lakes District(LOL), Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan UP, central Canada
*
Mid-Atlantic District(MAD), Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York City Metro/Long Island
*
Northeastern District(NED), eastern New York, all of New England, eastern Canada
*
Ontario District(ONT), the Canadian province of
Ontario (east of Thunder Bay)
*
Pioneer District(PIO), lower
Michigan and
Windsor, ON*
Rocky Mountain District(RMD), Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah
*
Seneca Land District(SLD), most of New York, northwestern Pennsylvania
*
Southwest District(SWD), Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico
*
Sunshine District(SUN), Florida
Quartets
*
Acoustix, 1990 international quartet champions
*
Bluegrass Student Union, 1978 international quartet champions
* The
Buffalo Bills, 1950 international champions, appeared in stage and screen productions of
The Music Man, frequently appeared on
Arthur Godfrey's radio show
* The
Chordettes, women's quartet, recorded a number of mainstream popular hits during the 1950s, notably
Mr. Sandman* The
Dapper Dans of Disney, who regularly sing to visitors at Disneyland, and who sang as
The Be Sharps in a Simpsons episode, and, more recently, as the Singing Busts in Disney's 2003
Haunted Mansion movie
* The
Gas House Gang, 1993 international quartet champions from St. Louis, Missouri
*
Four Voices, 2002 international quartet champions
*
FRED, 1999 international quartet champions, comedy quartet
*
Gotcha!, 2004 international quartet champions
*
The Haydn Quartet, early 1900s quartet
*
Michigan Jake, 2001 international quartet champions
*
Platinum, 2000 international quartet champions
*
Power Play, 2003 international quartet champions
*
Realtime, 2005 international quartet champions
*
The Singing Senators, a quartet of Republican U.S. Senators
*
The Suntones, 1961 international quartet champions
*
Vocal Spectrum[
19], 2004 collegiate champions and 2006 international quartet champions
Choruses
* The
Vocal Majority [
20], based in
Dallas, TX, eleven-time international champions (1975, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006)
*
Oshkosh West Barbershop Ensemble, based in
Oshkosh, WI, The only student-run High School Barbershop Choir in the
United States* The
Louisville Thoroughbreds [
21], seven-time international champions
* The
Masters of Harmony [
22], six-time international champions (1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005)
* The
New Tradition Chorus [
23], based out of
Northbrook, IL, in the
Chicagoland area. They are the 2001 International Chorus Champion and current 3rd place bronze medalist. Won a record eight consecutive silver medals.
*
Toronto Northern Lights [
24], five-time international silver medalist (2001-2005) chorus from Toronto, Ontario, and 3rd place bronze medalist (2006).
*
The Midwest Vocal Express [
25], perennial international top 10 chorus, based in the Milwaukee, WI area. Known for innovative and creative performances, directed for years by Russ Forris, and currently directed by Chris Peterson. They have earned three fifth-place bronze medals in the last five years (2002, 2003, 2006)
* The
Big Apple Chorus [
26], based out of
Manhattan has competed internationally, performed in Russia, and makes up the "Singing Chorus Tree" at
South Street Seaport every holiday season.
* The
Singing Buckeyes [
27], based in
Columbus, Ohio, are eleven-times Johnny Appleseed District (Ohio, the western part of Pennsylvania and most of West Virginia) Chorus Champions. They have competed many times at the international level, achieving a highest finish of third place. The chapter hosts the
Buckeye Invitational each August.
* The
MegaCity Chorus [
28], based out of
Toronto, On. International Chorus Contest competitor, formerly directed by June Dale and currently under the direction of Chris Arnold.
*
The Academy [
29], a small chorus with big goals in Tampa, FL, under the direction of Drew Kirkman.
*
Cambridge Chord Company, twice European champion barbershop chorus and British Association of Barbershop Singers gold medalists, "Choir of the World" International Eisteddfod 2004, based in England
*
North Metro Chorus, three-time Sweet Adelines International chorus champions from Toronto, OntarioDirected by June Dale.
* The
Great Northern Union [
30], perennial international top 10 chorus, based in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area
*
The Rich-Tone Chorus[
31], three-time Sweet Adelines international chorus champions from Richardson, Texas
*
Pacific Coast Harmony[
32], two-time International competitor from La Jolla, California, in the greater San Diego area.
* Voices In Harmony[
33], a brand new chorus developing in California's Bay Area, under the direction of Dr. Greg Lyne.
* The
Westminster Chorus [
34], a Youth barbershop chorus in California started by young members of the Masters of Harmony, and silver medalist (2006).
* The
Ambassadors of Harmony[[
35], based in St Charles, MO, 2004 International Champions.
* Capital City Chorus
http://www.capitalcitychorus.net, two-time Sweet Adelines International competitor from Indianapolis, IN.
*
Surrey Harmony Chorushttp://www.surreyharmony.com, Five-time Sweet Adelines Region 31 UK Gold Medal Champions.
*Melodeers Chorus from Northbrook, IL [
36] Four time Sweet Adelines International Gold Medal winning chorus. Only Sweet Adelines Chorus ever to have won four gold medals in row. Jim Arns, Director; Reneé Porzel, Choreographer
Barbershop Harmony Society "Polecats" — songs which all Barbershop Harmony Society members are encouraged to learn as a shared repertoire — all famous, traditional examples of the genre:
* "
Down Our Way"
* "
Down by the Old Mill Stream"
* "
Honey/Li'l Lize Medley"
* "
Let Me Call You Sweetheart"
* "
My Wild Irish Rose"
* "
Shine on Me"
* "
The Story of the Rose" ("Heart of My Heart")
* "
Sweet Adeline"
* "
Sweet and Lovely"
* "
Sweet, Sweet Roses of Morn"
* "
Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie"
* "
You Tell Me Your Dream (I'll Tell You Mine)"
There are also several other well-known songs in the genre. Some are considered standards, such as "From the First Hello" and "Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby", while others are well-known because notable quartets are associated with them. An example of the latter is "Come Fly with Me", which gained popularity through association with the 2005 international quartet champion, Realtime.
Examples of other songs popular in the barbershop genre are:
* "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
* "Bright Was the Night"
* "From the First Hello"
* "Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby"
* "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"
* "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby"
* "Come Fly with Me"
* "When My Baby Smiles at Me"
* "Fly Me to the Moon"
* "Hello Mary Lou"
* "Goodnight Sweetheart (It's time to go)"
"Lida Rose" is a song beloved to barbershoppers from
Meredith Willson's musical comedy
The Music Man. A barbershop quartet forms an integral part of the story, and was played by the
Buffalo Bills onstage and in the screen adaptation. Barbershoppers love the show's flattering portrayal of the barbershop spirit: four bickering school-board members become inseparable singing comrades once the Music Man shows them how to ring one perfect chord. Purists complain about inauthenticities in Willson's own arrangement, which is often modified slightly for barbershop quartet performances.
*
A cappella*
Barbershop arranging*
Doo-wop*
List of quartet champions by year*
List of chorus champions by year*
List of BABS quartet champions by year*
List of LABBS quartet champions by year*
*
Barbershop Harmony Society home page*
Sweet Adelines home page*
Sweet Adelines UK home page (Sweet Adelines UK - Region 31)
*
Harmony Inc. home page*
LABBS home page (Ladies' Association of British Barbershop Singers)
*
Realtime A Capella Quartet*
Metropolis Barbershop Quartet*
Max Q Quartet*
BABS website (British Association of Barbershop Singers)
*
Harmony Hall Museum—The historical section of the SPEBSQSA website, with information on quartets, choruses, and competitions since the Society's inception.
*
Barbershop in Germany website*
N.Z.A.B.S. Website (N.Z.A.B.S. = New Zealand Association of Barbershop Singers Inc.) — The official homepage of male barbershop in New Zealand
*
Present at the Creation: Barbershop Quartets from
NPR
