A cappella music…is quite possibly my all-time favorite musical sound…though I have many favorites actually, all piling on top of each and elbowing the others for THE top spot…but I digress…
From the time I was very young I had always dreamed of having a decent singing voice but studied piano diligently until I was old enough (high school age) and my mother arranged for lessons with a highly sought-after vocal coach; I was SO EXCITED! However, at the first lesson I was told I would never have a good singing voice and it would be best if I stuck with piano. I was so very crushed that from that time on I have very rarely sung – though I love to – when anyone else is around, to this day…
When I went to college I had a great, and sympathetic, voice professor who gently told me that there were many musicians who had a great voice for piano. So I continued to study the keys but also voice, with the area of concentration for my degree as choral conducting and arranging – as close as I could get to my dream. When she held tryouts for the college’s 8-voice ensemble I eagerly tried out, and was accepted! Those years of singing, much of it a cappella, some in 8-part harmony, were my greatest musical joy in life up to that point! And my dream was, in a way I hadn’t expected, realized. Combining my voice with others allowed me to create music with only my heart – no keyboard required!
All of that to say that vocal harmony, especially a cappella singing, brings me back to those exciting and fun days, and singing along with them still brings me great joy.
So it is with this back story that I bring you today’s Musical March post!
Reading What is A Cappella? Exploring its Unique Qualities and Distinctive Differences from Choir Singing will give a very nice overview of the subject for those interested. Or you can just skip that, and go straight to the fun part – listening!
And now I will share examples of 3 types of a cappella vocal music that I enjoy.
The A Cappella Company – I’m So Blessed
Home Free – Sea Shanty Medley
And because I was too difficult to choose just one, here are a few great one-(wo)man “groups” – pick your favorite!
And finally, all on one page, links to videos from 16 Of The Greatest And Most Famous A Cappella Groups Of All Time
👩🎤 🎼 🎶 🎵 🎶 🎼 👨🎤
(Note that I am not a lover or promoter of YouTube; however I also know that many people are, so I am linking the videos to that platform for the ease of my readers.)
So I’ve listened to most of the 16 a capella groups:
Love the enthusiasm, pure joy of So Blessed;
The fun of Swingle Singers in the subway;
Take 6 is SO cool!
Straight No Chaser is always great!
Voice Play vid is beautiful all the way around!
Still need to give the ones at the bottom a listen-to.
Thank you for sharing these!!!
SO FUN!!!! I loved putting that one together too :).
I didn’t realize this about Mr. Legore – maybe Mama knew a little more about him that you/we did and that’s why she called him Mr. Lewart! What a mean creep!
No, it was Mrs. Hutchinson that said that…she was a former choir teacher turned voice teacher, over near the Wonderland mall…Mr. LaGore was WONDERFUL – piano only :). (Just to set the record straight) Her words have negatively affected my life probably more than anyone’s, though she of course had no idea. With what I know now, it is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to know how any female student’s voice will turn out until they are in their mid 20s at least, as we go through more than one “voice change”; in addition, we do have some control over that eventually, and with all of the various singing styles it is likely that one can be chosen at that point that would suit most voices…I didn’t know any of that then of course.