Acapella (also spelled a cappella and acappella) music is singing without instrumental accompaniment. When they think of this form of singing, most people usually think of doo wop, barber shop quartet, or acapella hymns. After the 1950s, acapella singing declined considerably. However, in the past decade, there has been a resurgence of acapella singing groups.
In fact, there is now even an iTunes radio station, A Cappella Always, that plays nothing but acapella music 24/7. There are also Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards that are given to the best a cappella singing groups in various categories. Some of the categories for awards are: Best Pop/Rock, Best Hip-Hop/R&B, Best Folk/World, Best Jazz, Best Religious, and Best Barbershop Quartet.
Some of the better known groups today in the pop/rock genre are Club for Five, Firedrill, Basix, Overboard, and Sonos. In the field of classical music, some of the prominent acapella groups today are Amarcord, The King’s Singers, and Lumen Valo. In the field of religious acapella music, some of the better known groups are Glad, First Call, Acappella, Undivided, Rochester Praise Team, and Praise Apella.
Although acapella singing is having a rebirth today, it is hardly a new form of music. In fact, it’s the oldest type of music in existence. As Jason Caffarella of the group, Rezonate, put it, “The first instrument anyone ever had was their voice. Sometimes, people think a cappella singing is something fresh and different, but it’s not really fresh and different at all.”
For centuries, only acapella hymns were allowed in the church. It wasn’t until the time of the Renaissance, that musical instruments began being used in religious music. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a cappella singing in various forms, such as barbershop quartet, was quite popular. The new sound of acapella singing is different, but it carries on a long tradition.
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