Barbershop Harmony on Long Island

By: tzor Date: Jan 13, 2009

“At barbershop quartetting, we have practiced very hard.  We got together every week, to work on one retard.”  (From a parody by the Musical Quartet “Fred”)

If you have ever heard (or seen) the musical Music Man you would probably have heard of the “Barbershop Quartet;” four voices without accompaniment singing close harmony.  If sung right it almost seems that there is a fifth person somewhere in the group.

We can define Barbershop harmony as: Four-part, unaccompanied, close-harmony singing, with melody in the second voice, called the “lead.” Tenor (counter-tenor voice) harmonizes above the lead singer; bass sings the lowest harmonizing notes, and the baritone provides in-between notes, to form consonant, pleasing chords. Barbershop is a “melting pot” product of African-American musical devices, European hymn-singing culture, and an American tradition of recreational music. Melodies are in the vocal and skill range of the average singer, with lyrical emphasis on simple, heartfelt emotions.

The four part style of the Barbershop Quartet is not confined to one person / one part.  The Barbershop Chorus works on the notion of the quartet and adds multiple people on each part.  They can be as small as a dozen people or as large as a hundred.

The “Barbershop Harmony Society” (originally known as the “Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America” because the founder had a very interesting sense of humor) is an organization of quartets and choruses from all over the United States and Canada.  They have affiliated barbershop organizations in Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Great Britain. There are also barbershop singers in Denmark, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and parts of the former Soviet Union.

Because of the nature of close harmony singing, the Barbershop Harmony Society is an all male singing society.  There are all female singing societies as well including Sweet Adelines International and Harmony, Incorporated.

The Barbershop Harmony Society is divided into districts and chapters.  The North Brookhaven Chapter of the Mid-Atlantic District hosts the Harbormen Chorus.  The chorus has regular rehearsals every Monday at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall on Nichols Road in Stony Brook.  We sing at nursing homes, hospitals, Long Island Ducks and Islanders games, as well as libraries, fairs and all other interesting venues.

Other chapters on Long Island include “Twin Shores” in Babylon, “Long Island Sound” in Dix Hills, “Long Island Harmonizers” in Westbury, “The Queensmen” in Fresh Meadows, and “Kings Chorus” in Brooklyn.

For more information about the Barbershop Harmony Style go to www.barbershop.org and get in on the fun.