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Barbershop
music, with its close, unaccompanied four-part harmonies
and ringing chords, is a uniquely American folk art.
It evolved in much the same way as other forms of vocal
music. Although no one can say exactly when or where
barbershop music began, the growth of the tradition
was certainly aided between the 1860s and 1920s by the
types of songs popular at  the time - songs characterized
by sentimental lyrics and uncomplicated melodies that
could be harmonized with a variety of four-part chords.
In
the
early
years
of
American
barbershop
music,
singers
improvised
harmonies.
When
the
printing
press
was
adapted
to
produce
musical
notation,
there
was
further
advancement
of
the
barbershop
idiom.
Many
early
pieces
of
sheet
music
were
printed
with
standard
vocal
line
and
piano
accompaniment,
and
with
an
additional
quartet
arrangement
on
the
final
page.
At
the
turn
of
the
century
amateur
singers,
usually
men,
could
often
be
heard
singing
improvised
barbershop
harmony
at
parties
and
picnics.
Minstrel
shows
also
featured
barbershop
quartets,
who
sang
in
front
of
the
curtain
as
an
"olio"
act
while
performers
and
stage
hands
prepared
for
the
next
act.
It
was
convenient
to
use
a
quartet
for
this
purpose,
since
no
props
or
instruments
were
required.
Barbershop
harmony's
four
voice
parts
are
still
called
by
their
traditional
names
-
tenor,
lead,
baritone
and
bass
-
whether
referring
to
men's
or
women's
vocal
groups.
One
of
the
distinctive
qualities
of
barbershop
harmony
is
that
the
melody,
sung
by
the
lead
voice,
is
below
the
tenor
harmony.
This
follows
the
pattern
of
many
early
American
hyms
written
for
men
and
women,
with
the
melody
in
the
male
tenor
voice
and
the
women
singing
harmony
above.
The
barbershop
harmony
of
today
is
a
highly
stylized
art
form
requiring
the
same
high
degree
of
singing
skill
as
other
types
of
choral
music.
As
the
popularity
of
barbershop
harmony
has
grown,
so
has
the
type
of
participation.
Barbershop
singing
is
no
longer
restricted
to
male
quartets;
there
are
many
women's
quartets,
and
both
men's
and
women's
choruses
now
enjoy
this
unique
art
form.
Choruses
ranging
in
size
from
15
to
150
or
more
members
have
found
this
singing
style
a
challenging
and
exciting
musical
experience.
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