A is for… A Cappella

Gonna admit that this will be longer than a normal post… and contain more videos than a normal post 🙂 It also doesn’t count towards my class project, as it’s not something we’re studying this semester. But, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate start to this series than a cappella!

Shocker! First post of April is about a cappella! I don’t want to get too into detail because I know I could ramble on and this history does go back quite far. So, this is kind of a very basic overview of the history of a cappella.

Chant was one of the earliest recorded forms of aca. It has a monophonic texture – there aren’t really any harmonies and the voices stay together rhythmically. Some might describe the sound as haunting. I really enjoy it myself. Sometimes the simplest sounds are the most beautiful.

As time progressed, more of the secular a cappella works were being archived. The Renaissance brought forth so much new music from all over Europe. The next two examples are from France and Italy. (The French chanson and Italian madrigal below were chosen as examples because I have actually performed them… gorgeous pieces!)

Au joly jeu du pusse avant by Clement Janequin

Fa Una Canzone by Orazio Vecchi

Being a conoisseur of Tudor England (somthing about Henry VIII, his crazy marriages, and his mark on so much of history), I have become a fan of the music of Thomas Tallis. He certainly composed for the times around him: Catholic liturgy and then Anglican during the reign of Henry VIII and his son Edward, back to Catholic under Bloody Mary, and returned to Anglican under Elizabeth I, whom he served until his death. There is such beautiful polyphony (contrasting lines, harmonies, even rhythmic differences spread over different voices) in this piece!

Heading back to the sacred vein but bringing the compositions to the present, I have to offer two more examples of amazing a cappella works (again, both of which I have sung).

Morten Lauridsen has composed some of the most difficult pieces I have ever sung. They are all difficult (especially the a cappella pieces) because of the overtones produced when the harmonies are sung. But, in many of the pieces, the emotion of the translations make them difficult to get through without being touched. I love it when music gives me an emotional challenge. O Magnum Mysterium wasn’t the most difficult Lauridsen work I learned, but it was still a challenge. And worth every bit of work we put in to it.

My choir at school has been working on and performing this Eric Whitacre piece this semester. The dynamics of it and the carefully crafted chords that convey beams of golden light give me goosebumps every time I hear them, even when I am singing in them! This particular performance of Lux Aurumque also brings up the topic of virtual performing. Whitacre has been producing Virtual Choir recordings of pieces he’s written – items that he wants to debut. And he does it all through YouTube! After watching this piece, if you have the time, check out his channel. Watch the video about the Virtual Choir concept. It’s kind of amazing.

Now we are moving into a more modern take on a cappella. I mean, the art form as I love it today (college a cappella) got it’s start in America in the 1900s at Yale. The group was known as The Whiffenpoofs. And they still exist at the university! Their repertoire and style has changed throughout the century, but one song never left them:

You didn’t think I’d talk about college a cappella and not mention Straight No Chaser, did you? If you don’t know their story, then head to http://www.sncmusic.com for all the information and music you could possibly want. This is the video that started got them reunited:

There are so many more awesome videos on YouTube of the group and I encourage you to browse. You won’t be disappointed!

One of my favorite collegiate groups is Penn Masala. They are a Hindi group at the University of Pennsylvania. My personal favorite tracks off of their recordings are mashups of US pop hits with Hindi hits.

Speaking of crossing a cultural divide… China has a growing aca culture. They even had their own season of The Sing Off (more about that show in the next paragraph). Freeman was the group that won and it’s easy to see why!

In 2009, the a cappella world got its own talent competition: The Sing-Off. Collegiate groups, professional groups, doo wop-ers, barbershop-ers, and sweet adelines have all competed. At some point, you stop getting picky about things and realize how happy you are that a whole hour once a week is devoted to a cappella. I have been lucky enough to attend the live finale of season 2 and tapings of most of season 3. LOTS of amazing a cappella!
This is an opening group number from near the end of season 3 (yup, I was in the audience!):

Season 3 winners Pentatonix have become huge YouTube hits and their debut LP has sold so very well. They continue to put music out on YouTube. What is so amazing about this group is the amount of sound produced by only 5 people. Their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody I Used To Know” has over 12,000,000 views in just over a year!

The ultimate closure to the grand circle of a cappella is The Swingle Singers. Much of the early music, especially church music, was a cappella because instruments weren’t allowed in church. It seems that less a cappella was composed once instrumental ensemble works became the forefront. The Swingle Singers are known for taking “classical” music’s greatest hits and turning them into a cappella works! Voices only 🙂

(By the way, it was their “Flight of the Bumblebee” that became part of the soundtrack for the first season of Glee. Didn’t know you’d heard them before, did you?)

Finally, I want to send a huge THANK YOU out to Arlee Bird, the founder of this crazy and fun challenge. You can check out his blog at http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/

A Cappella and Middle Earth

It’s not a secret that I am a nerd. I embrace the title. And I have many different “nerddoms” that I belong to. But there are two that I think have been part of my life for longer than the others – Middle Earth and A Cappella. And they don’t generally intersect. Until recently…

There is this amazing dude named Peter Hollens. Peter was the founder of the University of Oregon’s male a cappella group On The Rocks (and you should totally search them up on Spotify or YouTube – awesome music to be heard). Peter and his awesome group were on the short-lived (and sorely missed) show “The Sing-Off” during its second season. And not long after, Peter began making his own a cappella music videos, covering popular hit songs. I’ve mentioned Peter before on my blog (click here to read what I wrote and see an example of his earlier vids). Peter does this amazing one-man aca-thing, recording all of the parts and vocal percussion on his own (though he does occasionally include a guest preformer, like his equally talented wife, Evynne). The arrangements are intricate and the sound is beautiful.

Now, those of you readers who only stopped to read because I said “Middle Earth” are probably wondering how this connects with Tolkien. It’s because, in his newest video, Peter Hollens has taken on The Hobbit! When my brother told me about this new video, I thought it would be a cover of Neil Finn’s “Song of the Lonely Mountain.” But, because fans asked for it, he did the “Misty Mountains” song performed by Richard Armitage and the Dwarf Cast in the film. And I love it!

First off, I am always in awe of Peter’s range, cause I’ve heard his tenor… and his baritone is pretty amazing too! Beyond that, I am at a loss for words. This is really another fabulous Peter Hollens special and I am delighted that there is finally something to bring A Cappella to Middle Earth!

Peter also did a version with a stellar violinist named Jun Sung Ahn.

P.S. – I can’t help thinking how cool it would have been if Richard Armitage had been available to “appear” in Peter’s video. That would make one very happy Middle Earthappella fan!

Just one reason to love Ryan Ahlwardt…

The Sing-Off Finale Experience!

I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend the finale of The Sing-Off on Monday night. Believe me, if you’ve been watching and thought they all sounded awesome on TV, imagine being in the same room, with that sound reverberating off the walls of the studio! I’m not going to rehash every performance down to the note… but I will mention all of the memorable points, both on and off camera.

The finale was being filmed live at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank – HUGE complex. Parking across the street. You’ve got quite a walk from the parking garage/audience holding area (where I saw three members of Voices of Lee, Season 1 competitors – it took a lot for me to not walk over and gush all over them – geek out moment #1) to Stage 16, where they filmed the show. And it was raining – lucky us! Anyway, weather issues aside (hey, we were all worried about the rain messing up our hair), we got inside the studio and into our seats up near the very back, far side of the audience (think over Shawn Stockman’s shoulder, but up towards the very corner). And it was actually a bomb seat. The stage view was perfect. The only thing we couldn’t see from our view were the boxes on our side of the building (Jerry Lawson, Backbeats, etc.) We were lucky to be seated by mostly Committed fans (with a smattering of Street Corner Symphony peeps – who I loved – and Backbeats fans – who I will admit to being a bit scared of).

Not long after we got seated (we being me, my friend Shaina, and her fabulous mom), some of the past groups who had gotten voted off started filling their boxes. I had geek out moment #2 when Groove For Thought came in. They leaned over their box long enough to be seen, which made me squeal. (I kind of love them – especially the jazzy & soulful Peter Jones. Yes, I have yet another aca-crush.) Shaina and I also caught quite a few glimpses of the legend, Deke Sharon. And we geeked out every time we saw him. (So, geek out moments 3-9.) No joke. (If you don’t know who I am talking about, Google is your friend – you will learn all you need to know.) Anyway, they got everyone settled in before the show was scheduled to start, so in the interest of getting the best possible audience reaction to the opening, they ran the group number early. And they did it twice. And to be honest, I can’t tell you which take they used for the broadcast (cause they were both phenomenal). I can assure you that this was the ONLY part of the show that wasn’t 100% live for the east coast.

The group number is done, Nick Lachey is reading his lines from the teleprompter (don’t blame him for the puns – he doesn’t write this stuff), and next thing I know, a childhood desire is being fulfilled. Committed is on stage with Boyz II Men. Yes, I, who have been a Boyz II Men fan since Cooleyhighharmony came out in 1991 (so, since I was 9), am finally seeing them LIVE!! Not only that, but in a roundabout way, I got to sing the famous “Motownphilly” run with them (and everyone else in the audience). Geek out moment #10.

The Whiffenpoofs take us to the break with my favorite Bublé song, “I Just Haven’t Met You Yet.” (Aca-fact: Cole Porter was a Whiffenpoof when he was at Yale in 1913.) And then, we’re back! Sara Bareilles, one of my favorite stars of the current music scene. I don’t care who she is singing with (it was the awesome Backbeats, by the way). She’s there, in person, another artist I never thought I’d see live. Geek out moment #11.

The inspiring Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town performed next with Nicole. The song was so much fun to watch. Say what you want to about the performance, there is something infectious about Jerry when you watch him sing, especially live. And I suddenly flashed back to a track on my Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego soundtrack (yes, I am going there). Jerry was still in The Persuasions at that time, and they did a song with Rockapella called “My Home” that I still count among my favorite a cappella tracks! Geek out moment #12.

Ben Folds. I can’t quite place the circumstance that brought me to his stuff, but “Brick” was actually in heavy rotation in my collection through high school. But he didn’t sing that with Street Corner Symphony. He sang “Gone.” My mind immediately goes to Hyannis Sound and their aca-cover of it. I do love this song. And I love getting to hear Ben Folds live!!! Geek out moment #13. (Are you seeing a trend here?)

We aren’t even to the break when I have geek out moment #14 courtesy of Groove For Thought singing us out with Mike Posner’s “Cooler Than Me”. This means that my new aca-crush, Peter Jones, is singing. I may not be able to see them from where I am sitting, but I am one happy girl.

Back with Jerry Lawson, Talk of the Town, and the Backbeats joining Sheryl Crow, yet another artist I never expected to see live, ever. Not exactly thrilled with the whole guitar thing, but the harmonies on this ARE sick… And it’s so fun to see Jerry taking the spotlight and getting some Sheryl love. I do wish they’d had Courtney’s mic louder – her vocal percussion got a little lost in the mix. But it was sick!

And now – dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn – it’s Neil Diamond!!! I got to see Neil Diamond sing live! Geek out #15 to the max. At the end of the video package that led in to his segment, Street Corner Symphony sang “Sweet Caroline” as their favorite Neil song. And we (by we, I mean all of the singers, the judges, and the audience) got going on “Sweet Caroline.” We sang to Neil Diamond. We sang loud and proud. And it was a killer moment. And he smiled.

Incidentally, there were some fun “during the break moments” involving the moving around of the “other” groups – those who had been voted off by the judges in previous weeks and had returned to witness the finale. For example, The Whiffenpoofs and Groove For Thought started the night on my side of the room, and by the end of the show, they were in the boxes opposite me. It was interesting to hear the sounds of power tools among the hustle and bustle of the changing stage. All of a sudden, there would be the whirr of the drill as they removed one name sign from a box and replaced it with another. Comedy.

I was never huge into the boyband thing in high school, but if I had to like one more than the others, I’d say it was 98 Degrees. So, seeing Nick sing with the finalists began geek out #16. (Yes, I know, I geeked out a lot, but this was an epic experience for this “voices only” fan!) And it was nice to see my favorite female vocal percussionist get a chance to just sing – solo!

I don’t want to get too much into the individual performances of the inspirational songs. All of the groups were fabulous. The Backbeats kicked behind (Kenton Chen has a beautiful voice and should solo more often!!); Committed brought me near to tears and gave me goosebumps with their tight harmonies; Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town got us all on our feet and singing along; and Street Corner Symphony gave me chills with a song I already LOVE. (The original by Coldplay caught me when it came out and the aca-cover by Straight No Chaser will always take my breath away.)

P.S. – Ben’s note about how good the groups were this year was so true – it took me a week or so to really settle on a favorite. Groove For Thought, Committed, On The Rocks, and Street Corner Symphony all made me love them in different ways and what put GFT in my #1 spot was not only the quality of their performances and the jazzy chords, but that they brought me back to the music I grew up listening to. And Peter’s voice. I am transfixed by his awesome voice. (Add him to my list of buttah voices: Tyler Trepp, Ryan Ahlwardt, Mike Luginbill, Jerome Collins, Andy Delong, Keith Harkin, Neil Byrne, Brooke Fraser, etc.)

Time to say goodbye to two more groups… it was hard to know exactly how to react about elims, because, though I enjoyed all of the groups, I knew who I wanted to be in the top two. So, when Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town was eliminated, inside, I was happy. They were great, but not a favorite for me and I was relieved that at least one of my two groups would be guaranteed a top two finish. But it was still sad to see them go. They had such a great ride during this show. And I loved their swan song pick! (And yes, Jerry forgot to pull his mic out for the start of the song… but hey, stuff happens.)

I’ll admit, that when Nick announced The Backbeats as the other group cut from the competition, I said “YES!” aloud. And then clapped for them and their journey. They were fun (again, I love Courtney – she is an awesome a cappella singer, with so much depth), but not a favorite. And the top two were from my list of favorites!!!! (What’s that you ask? Why, yes, I was not a fan of the SoCals in last year’s competition either… I can’t explain my “dislike”…I’m not saying they aren’t good, cause they are… I’m just not a fan.)

OK, so this is when the tension really builds in my corner of the audience. I am sitting right next to people who obviously know the Committed guys. And they are nervous for their boys. They want them to win (I wanted them to win, too, since GFT was gone) and they have hands joined, nervously awaiting the final result. And they have to wait through the “final journey” video packages. The lady right next to me can barely contain herself. And it probably didn’t help that I let out a giggle-snort at the sound of On The Rocks taking us to break with “The Final Countdown” (too perfect… so funny).

Nick reads his teleprompter stuff. And he gets to the point where he says “The group…….. blah blah blah…… Sing-Off Champion is…” and, I kid you not, the teleprompter says “handcard”. You know, so he knows to look at the card in his hand. Which he does, but then he has to wait while the cameras pan over both groups before he is allowed to say who wins. The tension is killing the lady next to me. She is dying.

Nick yells “COMMITTED”; lady next to me jumps up, elbowing my arm in the process (I actually have a bit of a bruise), but hey, when you’re excited, suddenly nothing else matters. I had been saving my screams for that moment (since I have to sing this week and didn’t want to ruin my voice) and I let them roll. It was, seriously, such an awesome moment. At the same time, I’m bummed for SCS, cause I loved them too. And what I loved the most was the love on that stage. All the way through the end of the show.

In the end, the biggest winner isn’t Committed. The biggest winner is a cappella and those who love it (like I do). This show is already bringing the genre to the forefront and showing how totally cool it is to perform with just voices. Each of these groups have done a huge part to help other groups out there gain a more mainstream following. I remember watching the first half of an earlier episode online. It was a feed from the NBC affiliate in the Tampa, FL area. And during the commercial break, they had an ad for an upcoming Straight No Chaser concert in the area. Talk about helping out the aca-community!

I am excited to know that Season 3 has already been greenlit. I am excited to see what kinds of groups we’ll have to fall in love with next time around. I am excited to discover more about the groups I fell in love with during this season. I am excited about a new aca-crush. (Seriously, his voice is like buttah… he is definitely cooler than me!) And I am excited about what this show will continue to do for a cappella.

So, until next season, hold that note!