In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument
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Vocal Harmony Groups
Many a cappella singers have at some point harmonized in the style of this original American art form, which has grown to be a passion for more than 60,000 men and women around the globe. If you haven't heard any of these recordings, you've likely missed the evolution of the barbershop sound. As its best, today's barbershop is guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of even the most jaded a cappella fan. |
Harmony Sweepstakes National Champions
The nation's largest, oldest and most prestigious a cappella competition for all styles of unaccompanied vocal harmony music is now in its 4th decade of discovering and showcasing the most exciting and talented singing groups. Many of the winners have gone onto to successful careers in the music business with some still performing after 20 plus year together. Up and coming groups seeking exposure and opportunity are very much advised to participate in the annual event. More info at the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival web site.
Contemporary Male Groups
“Contemporary” a cappella is a broad term, and some contemporary groups are like a good recipe – a pinch of this (rock), a dash of that (pop), just a little shake of that (doo-wop), a teaspoon of this (R&B), a dollop of something spicy (jazz), mix it up in the blender for three minutes, and voila – a contemporary a cappella group! Whether your taste is a little more old-fashioned, four voices alone singing old favorites, or you like the hard-hitting, radio-ready sound of a vocal band doing original tunes, we’ve got the men’s groups doing that work, and particularly, men's groups doing that work well.
Contemporary Female Groups
Are you one of those people who get a kick out of it when someone blows stereotypes all out of the water? Good. So are we. And that’s why we get such a thrill out of our women’s contemporary groups – they challenge the stereotypes and throw them out on their ear, proving you don’t need a Y chromosome to rock the house and deliver a ballad with a punch. Heck, you don’t even need one for a floor-clearing bass line! Contemporary women’s groups are holding their own with the men’s groups out there – if you don’t believe us, take a listen!
Mixed Contemporary Groups
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again – mixed groups have all the advantages, and really are the best of both worlds. They can have a sound that hits the stratosphere and the basement all at once, and their blend conveys that little tingle to the listener that a single-gender group just can’t give. If you like the contemporary sound, and enjoy either male or female groups, we dare you to give our mixed groups a listen – you’ll find something (or quite a few somethings) to write home about, we promise!
Barbershop International Quartet Champions
Originally a uniquely American art form barbershop harmony singing has spread around the world with top notch groups performing all over. The joy of singing together helps create a camaraderie that's hard to beat and tens of thousands of men are participating in quartets and chorus. Here is a list of the gold medal winners of the annual competition.
Sweet Adelines Queens Of Harmony
There's something special about the sound of ladies voices raised in harmony and the fun can be infectious. These ladies know how to have fun as witnessed at the annual Sweet Adeline conventions where the joy of singing, performing, and being with friends is everywhere. Here is a list of all the gold medal winners who are called, quite rightly, The Queens of Harmony.
Vocal Jazz Groups
One of the most popular music forms of the last century, jazz comes in many styles, from the all-instrumental and accompanied to our favorite - vocal. It's an art form that is so identified with the United States, and yet so much great jazz Vocal Jazz Harmonycomes from talented groups around the world. Doesn't matter, though, because Jazz transcends language and national borders - warm, luscious tones, smooth sounds and powerful, emotive chords are great anywhere. And vocal jazz is just the icing on a very smooth and delightful cake.
Vintage Vocal Harmony Groups
In the pre- and post-WWII era, the term “popular” music took on a whole new meaning. Performing groups of that age were some of the first to have the mass commercial appeal the current generation is so accustomed to their stars having. And these vintage harmony groups deserved their status! They inspired generations of close harmony groups to emulate their sound, and current groups owe much of their history to these exquisite, talented singers who paved the way for them. Explore the history, and enjoy it, too. Consider these recordings museums on CD!
World Music Vocal Harmony Groups
Most every culture has a tradition of group harmony singing often with a unique sound developed over the centuries. There are many vocal harmony groups around the world that continue these traditions with some preserving the songs in their original forms while others groups explore new possibilities for traditional songs. These world music vocal harmony groups offer a wide and diverse selection of music that is bound to please the more adventurous listener.
Contemporary Christian Groups
Expressing Christian faith in music is an idea that goes back millennia, but contemporary Christian music is one of those art forms that is, if not uniquely American, certainly recognizably so. For nearly a century, singers have been performing and recording celebratory expressions of their faith in a modern fashion, usually in English, frequently in popular musical styles. Contemporary Christian music brings religious music to the general public in a totally new way, and makes it just plain fun. If you don't believe us, take a listen to some of these terrific groups!
The Gospel Groups
Gospel music, as it is known today, is one of those art forms that is almost uniquely American, with its origins stemming from the African-American musical traditions commonly seen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a lively, celebratory music that you just don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy – if you enjoy showing joy in music, showing joy through music, feeling the joy that happy, passionate music full of love conveys, you’ll enjoy the Gospel groups here.
Doo Wop Groups
Doo wop is another distinctively American style of a cappella singing whose popularity stretches from the 1950’s to today. Originating from the street corners of New York and New Jersey the tradition of doo wop singing has enduring popularity and there are still many doo wop groups performing today. Here is a list of acapella doo wop groups who have CD recordings available.
Men's Choral Groups
“Choral” is a broad umbrella term that covers a wide variety of groups singing a wide variety of music. “Excellent” is another broad umbrella term that covers this wide variety of male groups singing a wide variety of music. Whether it’s classical choral ensembles from the UK singing early Christian music, Americans singing Spirituals or Germans performing the works of Schubert, these groups bring a purity of sound, tone and spirit that makes the music a sheer pleasure to listen to. Surround yourself with the sound, drink it in, and see why some of these groups are known world-wide for their incredible music!
Female Choral Groups
Bulgaria. Slovenia. The UK. Canada. The U.S. Latvia. Spain. Finland. Norway. Women’s choirs come from all over the planet, and they sing music from around the world, too. Some of the groups are more traditional in their raison d’etre – simply to sing wonderful music – while others are a bit more specific, dedicated only to the works of women, to raising awareness of issues, or simply to celebrate their cultural origins. The diversity is great to see, and shows how much more there is to music than the sound of it – when paired with this lovely sound, it’s a two-fer you shouldn’t pass up!
Mixed Voice Choirs
A good mixed choral ensemble has the strengths of both male voice and female voice groups – and the mixed choral ensembles we carry are very good. With repertoires that run most of the way through the last 10 centuries, performing the works of some of the best choral composers throughout the ages, you’ll lose yourself in the sonorous, frequently haunting beauty of these international-caliber mixed-voice choirs from Denmark, the UK, Argentina, Cuba and Armenia and elsewhere, including a number of college-based choirs from right here in the U.S.
Circlesinging
Circlesinging can be described lots of ways - vocal improvisation, vocal jamming, add-or-change-a-part, vocal orchestra, voicestra, a drum circle for singers, or just plain make it up singing. It's done all over the world in countless different ways and it dates back to the earliest forms of human singing. Circlesinging is a mistake-free zone. A recent newcomer summed it up perfectly when she said, "It doesn't matter how you sound - the rest of the group makes you sound great! Come try it, it's fun!"