Collegiate a cappella
Encyclopedia
Collegiate a cappella ensembles are student-run and -directed singing
groups that perform entirely without instruments. Such groups can be found at many college
s and universities
in the United States, and increasingly worldwide.
(formerly known as the RPI Glee Club), established in 1873 is perhaps the oldest known collegiate a cappella group. However the longest continuously-singing group is probably The Whiffenpoofs
of Yale University
, which was formed in 1909 and once included Cole Porter
as a member. The Princeton Nassoons (c.1939-41), the Dartmouth
Aires (1946), the Harvard Krokodiloes
(1946), the Jabberwocks of Brown University
(1949), and the Columbia Kingsmen (1949), of which Art Garfunkel
was an alum, were the first a cappella groups at other of the American Ivy League
Universities. Featuring a particularly rich history of tradition in collegiate a cappella is The Colgate Thirteen, Colgate University's all-male group founded in 1942. The first all women's ensemble, the Smiffenpoofs
, was founded in 1936 at Smith College
, and the oldest continuously-singing female a cappella group, the Mount Holyoke College
V8s, was founded in 1942. The first co-ed group was the Trinity Pipes, founded first as an all mens group in 1938 but converted to co-ed in 1970 at the same time as the college.
College a cappella has grown tremendously since 1980 quadrupling in the number of active groups from roughly 300 focused in the New England
Region, to over 1,200 groups throughout the United States
and around the World. This growth was fueled in part by the style change popularized in the early 1990s by groups like the Beelzebubs of Tufts University
and the Boston University Dear Abbeys
. The new style, using voices to emulate modern rock instruments, marked a shift away from the more traditional sounds of the jazz or classical ensembles and glee clubs to contemporary a cappella, with groups focusing on modern pop music, complete with complex textures and a driving beat (see vocal percussion
). Today, even some glee clubs have by-and-large a pop-music repertoire supplemented only in small part by the traditional genres. The West Coast collegiate contemporary a cappella tradition is believed to have originated at UCLA in 1992, with the inception of the first a cappella group on campus, Awaken A Cappella.
Whether a group is all-male, all-female, or mixed/coed, most share similar traits. Collegiate groups usually perform with 8-16 members, unlike professional groups that usually consist of four to seven members; a full group roster, however, can measure up to 30 members. Their larger relative size is driven by necessity, as college groups tend to see high turnover year after year, due to graduation and other student commitments. The relatively large number of members allows groups to maintain continuity year after year. The larger size of these groups has an obvious effect on the aural aesthetic created: depending on levels of talent and cross-section blend, collegiate groups are able to perform arrangements with sometimes more than a dozen separate parts.
Collegiate groups are generally self-sustaining, often entirely run by students. Groups may or may not receive financial support from their institution. Many groups record albums of their music, usually every two or three years. The quality of such albums has recently improved markedly, due to an increased focus on elaborate multi-track recording and the emergence of professional a cappella production specialists, such as Gabe Mann in Los Angeles, Bill Hare and Deke Sharon
in San Francisco, Jeff Thacher and Ed Boyer in New York, Liquid 5th Productions (based in North Carolina with branches across the country), Freddie Feldman in Chicago, Ryan Wert in the Michigan area, Dave Sperandio with Diovoce and Mark Hines along with Nick Lyons in The Vocal Company in the southeast, James Gammon in Charlottesville, Virginia, Danny Ozment with Emerald City Productions in Washington, DC, and John Clark in Boston. Achievements in collegiate a cappella recording are recognized by awards programs (most notably the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, awarded by CASA
) and compilation albums, such as the long-running Best of College A Cappella series.
Many college groups compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
(ICCA), an annual nationwide competition in which groups compete to advance through several stages of competition.
The term a cappella is often treated within the college world as a noun, rather than an adjective, and generally refers to the music of pop-driven student groups. Thus, an ensemble singing unaccompanied classical music might be said to be performing a cappella (in the adjectival sense), but would not be considered an "a cappella group."
Live performances of collegiate a cappella would occasionally incorporate comedy for some songs by using choreographed movements.
College groups often benefit from the talent of non-music majors that have significant experience with music and/or choral singing. Participation in such groups provides both a social and creative output for students pursuing more technical fields.
The term "arch sing" refers to a type of performance put on by collegiate a cappella
ensembles. The casual, public performances are typically held in an arch
way for reasons of acoustics
and shelter from the weather. Typically, one or a small number of a cappella groups will perform for a small audience, often to publicize upcoming concerts, though arch sings are also frequently held simply for their own sake. The term is also sometimes used to describe similar casual, outdoor performances not held under arches.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
groups that perform entirely without instruments. Such groups can be found at many college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the United States, and increasingly worldwide.
History
It is not clear exactly where collegiate a cappella began. The Rensselyrics of Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
(formerly known as the RPI Glee Club), established in 1873 is perhaps the oldest known collegiate a cappella group. However the longest continuously-singing group is probably The Whiffenpoofs
The Whiffenpoofs
The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song", based on a tune written by Tod Galloway and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode & George S Pomeroy , the group comprises college...
of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, which was formed in 1909 and once included Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
as a member. The Princeton Nassoons (c.1939-41), the Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
Aires (1946), the Harvard Krokodiloes
Krokodiloes
The Harvard Krokodiloes are Harvard University's oldest a cappella singing group, founded in 1946. Four members of the Hasty Pudding Club at 12 Holyoke Street, popular for its all-male, burlesque musical theatre productions, began singing popular hits of their time in four-part harmony...
(1946), the Jabberwocks of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
(1949), and the Columbia Kingsmen (1949), of which Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
was an alum, were the first a cappella groups at other of the American Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
Universities. Featuring a particularly rich history of tradition in collegiate a cappella is The Colgate Thirteen, Colgate University's all-male group founded in 1942. The first all women's ensemble, the Smiffenpoofs
Smiffenpoofs
Formed in 1936 at Smith College, the Smiffenpoofs are the oldest all-female collegiate a cappella group in the nation. The group's founding came shortly after a group of Smithies attended a picnic with students from their brother school, Yale University, in Northampton, MA, where the Yale...
, was founded in 1936 at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, and the oldest continuously-singing female a cappella group, the Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
V8s, was founded in 1942. The first co-ed group was the Trinity Pipes, founded first as an all mens group in 1938 but converted to co-ed in 1970 at the same time as the college.
College a cappella has grown tremendously since 1980 quadrupling in the number of active groups from roughly 300 focused in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Region, to over 1,200 groups throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and around the World. This growth was fueled in part by the style change popularized in the early 1990s by groups like the Beelzebubs of Tufts University
Beelzebubs
The Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", are an all-male a cappella group from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song." They have toured in Europe, Asia, and North America, and they competed in...
and the Boston University Dear Abbeys
Boston University Dear Abbeys
The Boston University Dear Abbeys, or Dear Abbeys, are an all male a cappella group from Boston University. Since their founding in 1992, the singers have gained a reputation in the Boston area for "their energetic style of live performance, which blends musical precision with a lighthearted stage...
. The new style, using voices to emulate modern rock instruments, marked a shift away from the more traditional sounds of the jazz or classical ensembles and glee clubs to contemporary a cappella, with groups focusing on modern pop music, complete with complex textures and a driving beat (see vocal percussion
Vocal percussion
Vocal percussion is the art of creating sounds with one's mouth that approximate, imitate, or otherwise serve the same purpose as a percussion instrument, whether in a group of singers, an instrumental ensemble, or solo.-In Western music:...
). Today, even some glee clubs have by-and-large a pop-music repertoire supplemented only in small part by the traditional genres. The West Coast collegiate contemporary a cappella tradition is believed to have originated at UCLA in 1992, with the inception of the first a cappella group on campus, Awaken A Cappella.
Style and culture
Collegiate a cappella spans multiple genres and styles: alternative and hard rock; comedy; Jewish, including mostly Yiddish or Hebrew songs; Christian, including Christian pop and rearranged hymns; South Asian fusion (mainly composed of youth of South Asian origin or heritage); jazz-influenced pop; fusion groups; barbershop; Rhythm & Blues; madrigals; and jazz. Music style and individual group preference mandate a great variety in both in how groups arrange and perform the music.Whether a group is all-male, all-female, or mixed/coed, most share similar traits. Collegiate groups usually perform with 8-16 members, unlike professional groups that usually consist of four to seven members; a full group roster, however, can measure up to 30 members. Their larger relative size is driven by necessity, as college groups tend to see high turnover year after year, due to graduation and other student commitments. The relatively large number of members allows groups to maintain continuity year after year. The larger size of these groups has an obvious effect on the aural aesthetic created: depending on levels of talent and cross-section blend, collegiate groups are able to perform arrangements with sometimes more than a dozen separate parts.
Collegiate groups are generally self-sustaining, often entirely run by students. Groups may or may not receive financial support from their institution. Many groups record albums of their music, usually every two or three years. The quality of such albums has recently improved markedly, due to an increased focus on elaborate multi-track recording and the emergence of professional a cappella production specialists, such as Gabe Mann in Los Angeles, Bill Hare and Deke Sharon
Deke Sharon
Deke Sharon is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders of the contemporary a cappella community and a pioneer of the contemporary a cappella style, referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" by some...
in San Francisco, Jeff Thacher and Ed Boyer in New York, Liquid 5th Productions (based in North Carolina with branches across the country), Freddie Feldman in Chicago, Ryan Wert in the Michigan area, Dave Sperandio with Diovoce and Mark Hines along with Nick Lyons in The Vocal Company in the southeast, James Gammon in Charlottesville, Virginia, Danny Ozment with Emerald City Productions in Washington, DC, and John Clark in Boston. Achievements in collegiate a cappella recording are recognized by awards programs (most notably the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, awarded by CASA
Contemporary A Cappella Society
The Contemporary A Cappella Society , or CASA, is a 501 charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella music of all styles around the world. CASA was cofounded in 1991 by Deke Sharon by incorporating the first a cappella directory, The List, founded in 1988 & distributed...
) and compilation albums, such as the long-running Best of College A Cappella series.
Many college groups compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella , is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year...
(ICCA), an annual nationwide competition in which groups compete to advance through several stages of competition.
The term a cappella is often treated within the college world as a noun, rather than an adjective, and generally refers to the music of pop-driven student groups. Thus, an ensemble singing unaccompanied classical music might be said to be performing a cappella (in the adjectival sense), but would not be considered an "a cappella group."
Live performances of collegiate a cappella would occasionally incorporate comedy for some songs by using choreographed movements.
College groups often benefit from the talent of non-music majors that have significant experience with music and/or choral singing. Participation in such groups provides both a social and creative output for students pursuing more technical fields.
Arch sing
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
ensembles. The casual, public performances are typically held in an arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
way for reasons of acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
and shelter from the weather. Typically, one or a small number of a cappella groups will perform for a small audience, often to publicize upcoming concerts, though arch sings are also frequently held simply for their own sake. The term is also sometimes used to describe similar casual, outdoor performances not held under arches.
See also
- List of collegiate a cappella groups
- List of collegiate a cappella groups in the UK
- List of alumni of collegiate a cappella groups
External links
- Directory of Collegiate A Cappella Groups, by university.
- The Contemporary A Cappella Society (of America), a repository of resources regarding contemporary a cappella. Deke Sharon, founder of CASA, has co-produced every Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) CD since 1995.
- Voices Only College A Cappella, Annual compilation cd of collegiate a cappella.
- Varsity Vocals, an organization dedicated to the growth and development of contemporary a cappella at the secondary school and collegiate level. Varsity Vocals produces the Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation, as well as the International Championship of Collegiate A CappellaInternational Championship of Collegiate A CappellaThe International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella , is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year...
(ICCA) and the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA). - Recorded A Cappella Review Board, RARB is an a cappella album review service. RARB features over 650 album reviews, many of which are collegiate groups.