About the A Cappella Movement

Contemporary a cappella is a new form of music that has been growing very quickly for the past 15 years. It means vocal music without instrumental accompaniment. Modern a cappella is taking vocal performance to new heights. The genre's roots can be found in many places; traditional barbershop, sidewalk do-wop, glee clubs, rock-and-roll, radio pop and motown. Elements of jazz and traditional African music can also often be found in a cappella groups' repertoires. In the last few years, the genre has grown and become independent of its roots. Modern groups do every known style of music with only their voices; rock, jazz, folk, pop, what have you.

A cappella comes from the Latin meaning "in the style of a chapel"; but the modern usage is very different. We're not a church choir.

Each year's collegiate national championship concert is held in Carnegie Hall. Six groups from around the country, winners of the regional semi-finals, compete. In 1997 Stanford's Talisman, a mixed world-music group, came away the champions. In 1998, the title was taken by Berkeley Men's Octet.

A cappella groups are usually small; they generally vary in size from four to twenty people. Rather than the overpowering multiple unisons of traditional choral ensembles, a cappella groups find their strength in the tight harmonies possible with smaller groups. Many groups specialize in a sub-genre; there are women's groups, men's groups, ethnic groups, jazz groups, world-music groups, rock groups, and others. Today, there are hundreds of collegiate groups and dozens of professional groups around the US and the world. A non-profit central organization, the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America was formed to assist groups and promote a cappella music. In addition, the World A Cappella Association is pushing for an a cappella category in the Grammy awards, and Primarily A Cappella and Mainely A Cappella produce and sell a cappella recordings.