WHAT IS BARBERSHOP MUSIC?

HISTORY

Barbershop music, with its close, unaccompanied, four part harmonies, is a unique American folk art. It was taking form between 1860 and 1920. In the early years, singers would improvise the harmonies but when the printing press was adapted to produce musical notation, there was further advancement of the barber sharp idiom.

At the turn of the century, amateur singers, mainly men, were often heard singing improvised barbershop harmonies at parties and picnics. Minstrel shows often featured barbershop quartets.

The influence of barbershop music on other popular forms of singing is profound. "Old Blue Eyes" himself, the great Frank Sinatra, sang in a barbershop quartet before he became famous as a singer with the Tommy Dorsey band. The vocal quartets of bands such as Dorsey's and Glenn Miller's were also greatly influenced by the barbershop style. In the latter half of the 20th century, the close harmony style has been the hallmark of "pop"  and jazz groups such as the Beach Boys, The Four Seasons and the Four Freshmen. True barbershop lives on however, kept alive by dedicated barbershop choruses, groups and organisations that include Sweet Adelines International and its individual members.

The following characteristics of barbershop music are taken from media information published by Sweet Adelines International:

• It has four parts - no more, no less.
• It has melodies that are easily remembered.
• Barbershop harmonic structure is characterized by:
  • a strong bass line
  • melody in an internal part
  • complete chords without any non-chord tones
  • mostly major triads, dominant 7th chords and dominant 9th chords with other chords used in passing as demanded by the implied harmony
  • traditional harmonic movement and resolutions

• It has rhythmic interest as an important and vital part of an uptune.

• It has clear, recognizable form.
• It has lyrics that are clear and understandable.

• It is difficult to perform because:
  • it requires great vocal skill and is usually sung by amateur singers
  • all chords must be heard with clarity requiring singers to sing precise intervals

• Properly tuned barbershop chords are congruent with the physics of sound.

• Energy and physical involvement are required from the singer in a degree of intensity not usually found in other choral forms.

• The artistic potential is unlimited since we are not bound by the printed page.

• It is emotionally satisfying to both the listener and the performer.

• You can't do it alone.

If you would like to know more about barbershop harmony then take a look at the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), an all-male association of barbershop singers.

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