What is Barbershop?

Barbershop is 4-part unaccompanied harmony singing. It has its own unique style and is thought to have been started between 1860 and 1920 in America by men. Today it is a highly conventional art form requiring quality and control and is no longer restricted to the male voice!

It is sung with four voice parts, called by their traditional names: Lead, Tenor, Baritone and Bass. One of the distinctive qualities of Barbershop is that the melody, sung by the Lead voice, is below the Tenor harmony. It is sung with a cone-shaped sound.

One of the things that makes a barbershop chorus so different from a conventional choir is the addition of Choreography...

“Barbershop without choreography is like strawberries without cream, uninteresting! It is the entertainment – the razzmatazz of show business.
Music and choreography go hand in hand, but first and foremost, the choreography must always enhance the music. Mostly used for the upbeat songs, it gives the energy and liveliness that’s needed in the whole performance, music being the fine-tuning and choreography being the creative colourful part.

“The director and choreographer work closely together, that’s what it is all about, a high standard of music, entertainment and performance! What more can I say? I have been the choreographer for Phoenix for four years and find it quite a challenge, but exciting and rewarding.”
Fay Yelland