A cappella facts for kids

A cappella music is when people sing without any musical instruments. It's all about using your voice to make all the sounds!

In a singing group, or choir, there are usually five main voice parts: soprano (highest female voice), alto (lower female voice), tenor (highest male voice), baritone (middle male voice), and bass (lowest male voice). A cappella groups also use these same voice parts.

One cool difference in a cappella is how they do percussion. Usually, percussion means hitting instruments like drums. But in a cappella, a person makes all those drum sounds with their voice! This is called beatboxing. Beatboxers can make sounds like electric drums, synthesizers, and even electric guitars. They can also make classic drum sounds to keep the beat.

The words "a cappella" come from Italian. They mean "in the manner of the church" or "in the manner of the chapel." This is because this style of singing first started in religious music. An old example is Gregorian chant, which is a type of a cappella singing.

History of A Cappella

For the first 1,000 years of Christianity, all the songs in church were sung without any instruments. This way of singing became known as a cappella. It literally means "of the church" or "in the style of the church."

Kinds of A Cappella Music

There are many different kinds of a cappella music. Some popular types include barbershop, classical, contemporary, gospel, doo-wop, jazz, and world music.

Barbershop Music

A barbershop group usually has four singers. This style got its name because men used to gather in barbershops and sing together without instruments. A barbershop quartet can have four male voices or four female voices. You can also find mixed barbershop quartets, usually with two male and two female voices.

The four voice parts in barbershop are bass, baritone, lead, and tenor. In barbershop music, the lead singer sings the main melody, which is the "tune" of the song.

Classical A Cappella

In classical a cappella, singers perform classical pieces. This can include famous songs like 'A Turkish March' or parts of the 'William Tell Overture.' They also sing older styles like madrigals.

Contemporary A Cappella

Contemporary a cappella is very popular today. In this style, the bass line is often very strong. The "chorus" (all the singers except the bass, percussion, and solo singer) has many different sounds. The percussion often sounds very much like real drums. This type of a cappella is similar to 'doo-wop,' but the chorus parts are more complex and use a wider variety of sound effects.

Doo-wop A Cappella

Doo-wop music is also becoming more popular because it has a simple style. Even though it has a simple "moto" (which means the "progression of music" in Italian), it can be very interesting with great singing and chorus parts.

Images for kids

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  The Hullabahoos, an a cappella group at the University of Virginia, were featured in the movie Pitch Perfect

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  The Oxford Alternotives, the oldest a cappella group at the University of Oxford in the UK

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  The Sweet Nothings are one of the University of Exeter's eight a cappella groups. They are one of the oldest and most successful girl groups in the UK

See also

In Spanish: A capela para niños