Barbershop songs are sung a cappella - unaccompanied. There are four voice parts. The lead usually sings the melody, with the tenor harmonising on the line above and the baritone and bass completing the chord structure underneath.
It is believed that the style of music we now know as barbershop singing had it's beginnings in the barber shops of the mid 1800's. Of course the roots of the style stretch farther back than that. As with many other musical styles the African influence is acknowledged in the inflections of the harmonic make-up.
The 'barbershop quartet' was first to become an important feature in the production of the Minstrel Shows of the 1850's and subsequently in the popular variety shows known as Vaudeville. However, post World War 1 and the influence of radio in disseminating the popularity of new and other musical styles, brought about a wane in barbershop music. Then in 1938 there was a rebirth when S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America) was formed to preserve that music known as Barbershop Harmony.
In a bygone era barbers, or rather barber surgeons, cut hair and performed dental surgery and bloodletting. The bloodied bandages from bloodletting operations entwined on a staff became the symbol red and white barber pole for the barber profession. In time, barbershop singers began to use the barber pole logo which identified the music's place of origin.
It is a combination of these special characteristics and others, which make barbershop singing such a captivating and emotional entertainment.
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