What is barbershop?

 

Barbershop is four-part a cappella harmony 

The Tenor has a range is similar to a first soprano. Her part is almost always above the melody. She sings with lightness and bell-like clarity -- and with no vibrato.

 

The LEAD generally sings the melody, in about the same range as an alto. The melody in women's barbershop music is pitched a little lower than that of regular choral music. A lead must sing with musical authority, moving smoothly and consistently through her range.

 

The BARITONE sings a harmony part which is in the same voice range as  the lead. A baritone's voice must be flexible, singing with 

 

 strength and fullness when her notes are below the melody and with a lighter quality, more like a tenor, when her notes are above the lead's.

The BASS is the lowest voice in the chord. Her range is similar to that of a second alto or contralto. She sings with authority, fullness and strength. Her part is the foundation for the  barbershop sound

 

Pitch Pipe Magazine

If you want to stay informed of the all the happenings of the female barbershop music scene, subscribe to Pitch Pipe, which is put out by Sweet Adelines International each quarter. It's full of news, reviews, and previews of coming events and competitions.

 

 

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.

 

 

History of Sweet Adelines International

After World War II, barbershop singing was growing increasingly popular for men. In 1945, a small group of women wanted to participate in the chord-ringing, fun-filled harmony that the men were singing. So these women organized "Sweet Adelines in America." From its humble beginnings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sweet Adelines International, as it is now called, has grown to a membership of almost 30,000 women in countries all across the globe.

 

© 2010 Jacksonville Harmony Chorus