Barber Shop Quartets

Most of you may or may not know what a barber shop quartet is. They became to be in the revival era (1930's), in the United State, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, New Zealand, and Australia. They sing A Capella music, or music that in unaccompanied by a piano, characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture. Each of the four parts has its own role: generally, the lead sings the melody, the tenor harmonizes above the melody, the bass sings the lowest harmonizing notes, and the baritone completes the chord, usually below the lead. The melody is not usually sung by the tenor or baritone, except for an infrequent note or two to avoid awkward voice leading, in tags or codas, or when some appropriate embellishment can be created. Occasional passages may be sung by fewer than four voice parts.Source