The history of the term A Cappella is somewhat muddled. Through the last few hundred years it has been used to refer to various styles of music, and some of these styles have even included instrumental accompaniment (shock! gasp!) But what about the actual music itself? Where did it originate and how did it get to where it is now?
It’s probably no surprise that unaccompanied singing is as old as humanity itself. Similar to noises made by other creatures across the animal kingdom, simple singing may have been a way for people to communicate. Researchers in Germany have even suggested that music was used by early humans to form a sense of community that allowed our species to thrive and become the dominant species. And in a world where time and resources were scarce, it wasn’t until around 40,000 years ago that Homo Sapiens took the time to create primitive instruments; prior to this, music would have been entirely vocal.
Fast forward to 2000 BC, and we find the earliest examples of written musical notation. Similar to today, unaccompanied singing was popular in ancient times because of the accessibility it offered. No expensive instruments were needed, and even the less fortunate in society could get to grips with melodies and simple harmony without the need for extensive training. It’s probably for these reasons that A Cappella became popular for religious music.
Since “A Cappella” is usually translated as “in the style of the chapel”, it’s common to trace its modern history to Renaissance Europe. It’s important to remember that vocal music was also recorded, and continues to be used, in many parts of the world, particularly those with a connection to the Abrahamic faiths - early Christian, Jewish and Islamic music was largely “A Cappella”. In some cases though, recent analysis of Christian music shows that the vocal lines were doubled by instruments. This makes the history of A Cappella in this period somewhat murky, especially as different religious groups began to use instruments in their worship at wildly different times. Many religious bodies continue to use unaccompanied voices as a major part of their ceremonies, and this remains an influence on contemporary A Cappella.
It’s in the USA that contemporary A Cappella sees its roots. Credit for its popularisation is often given to Peter Christian Lutkin, dean of Northwestern University School of Music, who founded an A Cappella Choir in 1906. Though this may be the earliest example of a formally documented group, his inspiration for setting it up came from various different sources. In particular, African-American gospel music, itself with origins in work songs used by enslaved people in the 18th and 19th centuries, was often performed A Cappella. As more and more A Cappella groups began to emerge, they gathered a large number of their singers from religious and classical choirs. These early choirs were usually composed of dozens of singers, and it was only over the following decades that groups would decrease in size.
An influence on this decrease in size was the emergence of new forms of close harmony vocal music, such as barbershop and doo wop. Barbershop, another example of African-American influence on A Cappella, gained prominence in the 1940s, and its popularity helped to encourage other styles of music, including contemporary A Cappella, to slimline groups.
It is largely through the US collegiate system that contemporary A Cappella has developed throughout the years. Whilst professional groups are becoming more common nowadays, for a long time the baton was carried, at least in the English speaking world, by a small selection of ensembles and individuals, including the Swingle Singers, King’s Singers and Bobby McFerrin. And though examples of A Cappella breaking through into the mainstream can be found in the UK (such as The Flying Pickets “Only You”, or The Housemartins’ “Caravan of Love”), the British university A Cappella scene was influenced mostly by its American counterpart, especially by Americans travelling overseas for postgraduate study.
The success of the collegiate A Cappella community both in the USA and UK has led to film and television taking an interest in the art form in recent years, itself leading to a boom in A Cappella and therefore more and more professional and amateur groups. In fact, it’s quite likely that for many people reading this, their first experience with A Cappella was watching it on screen, whether fictional like Pitch Perfect or Glee, or real life, like Sing: Ultimate A Cappella.
This is by no means a complete history. It is intended to give you a skeleton of some notable points and stimulate interest you may have in particular concepts. However you first got involved or interested in A Cappella, there are thousands of years of history behind the words and notes you’re singing or listening to. Next time you see or hear a new piece for the first time, see if you can spot the influences behind it. Maybe knowing more about it will inspire your next arrangement!