Definition
Close harmony is a vocal style in which the voices sing chords in close position (within an octave or a little more), with a shared rhythm and great timbral blend. Barbershop is its most codified form: an a cappella male or female quartet born in the United States between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, revived by the Barbershop Harmony Society (founded in Tulsa in 1938) and by Sweet Adelines International (1945) for women's voices.
The four barbershop parts
- Lead: sings the melody, in the middle range; it is not the highest voice.
- Tenor: above the lead, often in falsetto or light voice; harmonizes on top.
- Baritone: the hardest part, crosses the lead above or below to complete the chord.
- Bass: root and fifth of the chords, resonant.
In women's quartets the parts have the same names and roles.
The sound that “rings” (ringing chords)
The aim of barbershop is to make the chords “ring”: with natural (just) intonation and coordinated vowels, the voices' harmonics reinforce each other and you hear a richer sound, sometimes an “extra” note (overtone). For this reason:
- the voices adapt their intonation to the chord (the major third slightly lower than in equal temperament, the dominant seventh much lower, toward the seventh harmonic);
- everyone sings the same vowel at the same time;
- the volume is balanced with the bass stronger and the tenor lighter.
Barbershop harmony
- The characteristic chord is the dominant seventh (“barbershop seventh”), used far more often than in common tonal music, even on non-dominant degrees.
- Circle of fifths and secondary dominants in succession: C – A7 – D7 – G7 – C (I–V7/ii–V7/V–V7–I).
- Major, seventh, sixth, ninth and diminished chords; few minor chords.
- Swipe: a chord change on a single sustained syllable.
- Post: one voice holds a long note while the others change beneath it (often the tenor on top).
- Tag: a final coda with sustained chords and a post, the moment of virtuosity.
Example in Bb major (final cadence)
Bb – G7 – C7 – F7 – Bb (I–V7/ii–V7/V–V7–I). Voicing for the dominant seventh F7: bass F2, bari Eb3, lead A3, tenor C4 (or lead C4 and tenor Eb4 depending on the melody).
Close harmony outside barbershop
- 1930s–40s women's groups: The Boswell Sisters, The Andrews Sisters (Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, 1941).
- Men's groups: The Mills Brothers, The Four Freshmen (more complex jazz harmonies, an influence on the Beach Boys).
- Vocal jazz: The Manhattan Transfer, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Take 6 (gospel-jazz harmonies in 6 voices).
- Chamber choral: The King's Singers (United Kingdom, 1968), The Real Group (Sweden).
- R&B and doo-wop: The Platters, Boyz II Men.
Arranging in close harmony
- Melody in the inner voice (lead) with harmonies above and below.
- Voicing within an octave and a half.
- Homophonic rhythm (everyone together) for blend; rhythmic responses in doo-wop.
- Keys that put the tenor in a comfortable falsetto zone (for male voices often Bb, Eb or Ab major).
Practice exercise
Write a 4-bar tag in Bb major for barbershop quartet: a lead phrase, a tenor post on a D4 held for two bars while the chords Bb – G7 – C7 – F7 – Bb change beneath. Record the four parts (or use virtual voices) and tune by ear without automatic correction, looking for the “ring” on the seventh.
Links
Seventh Chords, Secondary Dominants and Extended Dominants, Parallel and Independent Harmonies, A Cappella, Vocal Harmonies and Voicing for Choir.