The Evolution of A Cappella
.jpg)
History of A Cappella
Before the 20 century a cappella had a whole different meaning, “the Italian alla cappella, meaning "in chapel style." (Pingel). Josquin Des Prez played a big role in a capella and is considered by some the founder of this genre. An example of one of his compositions is Ava Maria, Virgo Serena. In this song there are multiple harmonies being sung. Charlie Pingel describes this as “multiple independent melodies intertwine in harmony.” The song has lots of variations in dynamics. It is constantly shifting from being sung softly to more powerful.
Later on, during the 1900’s a capella slowly made its way to what we know now. During barbershop quartets in the first decade of the 20th century. This style had four part harmonies that involved: lead, tenor, baritone, and brass voices. During the Mid 1900s Doo-wop and Motown became popular. Groups often had singers make sounds from instruments in the songs. All of these changes made a cappella into what it is today.
A Cappella Today
A capella today is defined as, “music performed without instrumental accompaniment”(Pingel). Modern A capella generally uses trending genres and makes them into a a capella style by mimicking the sounds the instruments produce. Beat boxing has become a new addition to a cappella music. SoCal Vocals is the oldest a cappella group at the University of Southern California. They perform in competitions like the ICCA. Here's an example from their 2018 ICCA Set. This set features many harmonies used and put together. There is a lot of dynamic in this song. It starts upbeat and toward the middle slows.
A Cappella is not a style of music I would listen to very much. Although I do think that I am more inclined to listen to the older style of a cappella because it is arranged very beautifully.
Sources
Pingel, Charlie. “Where Did the Instruments Go? A Brief History of a Cappella Music.” Wisconsin Union, 25 Mar. 2024, union.wisc.edu/visit/wisconsin-union-theater/the-green-room/a-cappella-music.
Wikipedia. “A Cappella.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Feb. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_cappella.
I grew up going to church and hearing similar a cappella melodies to the Ava Maria cover embedded in your blog. However, I guess it never even crossed my mind that it was all a cappella, as I thought I hadn’t heard of it before “Pitch Perfect” and the Pentatonix. I also don’t typically listen to a cappella but the Pentatonix actually have a decent Christmas album titled “That’s Christmas To Me”. My favorite song on their album is “White Winter Hymnal”. My aunt and I think there’s a weird, dark underlying meaning to the song, as the lyrics are kinda odd.
ReplyDeleteHello Emma, I enjoyed how you explained the historical meaning of a cappella and how it originally referred to music performed in a chapel style. Your discussion of Josquin Des Prez and the layered harmonies shows how complex music could be even without instruments. One thing that stands out in modern a cappella is how groups use beatboxing and vocal percussion to recreate rhythm sections that instruments would normally play!
ReplyDeleteThe history in your blog was really interesting, especially how you explained that a cappella originally meant “in chapel style.” I didn’t realize that the style started so much in religious settings before becoming what we hear today. Early forms like Gregorian chants and Renaissance choral music focused on voices alone because instruments weren’t commonly used in church music. I also liked how you connected older styles to modern a cappella groups that use beatboxing and vocal effects to mimic instruments. It shows how much the genre has evolved while still relying completely on the human voice. Even if someone doesn’t listen to a lot of a cappella, it’s pretty impressive how singers can create rhythm, harmony, and melody all at once with just their voices.
ReplyDeleteHello Emma, I think your information on the background of the a cappella genre is very interesting. I have listened to a decent amount of a the more modern a cappella style but I don't not know about the traditional version of the genre. The example that you included was very cool to listen to in it own right, and also cool to compare it some more modern songs. I am a big fan of the "Pitch Perfect" movie trilogy, although it is a bit of a humorous spin off of the musical, I think it signs a cool and fun light on an a cappella genre that is under-appreciated. Nice Blog
ReplyDelete