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Barbershop
music, with its close, unaccompanied four-part
harmonies and ringing chords, is a uniquely American
folk art.
Although
no one can say exactly when or where barbershop
music began, the growth of the tradition was certainly
aided between the 1860s and 1920s by the types
of songs popular at the time - uncomplicated melodies
that could be harmonized with a variety of four-part
chords.
The
history
of barbershop music is rich and varied, from its
origins in 19th-century America to its present-day
status as a dynamic hobby that attracts over 30,000
women worldwide in 14 countries. While the Society
for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop
Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA)
was founded in 1938, it took until about 1945
for the women to get into the act, forming Sweet
Adelines International and later Harmony,
Inc.
Barbershop
harmony, traditionally a male hobby, lends the
men's part
names to women's groups -- tenor, lead, baritone
and bass. One of the distinctive qualities of
barbershop harmony is that the melody, sung by
the lead voice, is below the tenor harmony. This
follows the pattern of many early American hyms
written for men and women, with the melody in
the male tenor voice and the women singing harmony
above.
There
are many
criteria for "what makes it barbershop",
but the most recognizable one, and the one we
love as singers, is the characteristic of "chord
ringing" -- the creation of harmonic overtones
by perfectly tuning the four voices of the quartet.
Barbershop
harmony has timeless appeal, because it's music
by the people, for the people. It can take just
a few minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master.
Finally, you can do it anywhere...all you need
is three friends! |
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