ofBarbershop
illr#J!flI'*
- courteryof HerilageHall Museumof
Barbershop
Harmony,Kenosha,Wisconsin
acruailv
$uns
wn mmrrharmonv
Certainly-and on sheet corners (it was
sometimescalled "curbstone" harmony) and
at socialfrurctionsand in parlors. Its roots are
not just the white, Middle-America of
NormanRockwell's famouspainting. Rather,
barbershopis a "melting pot' product of
African-Americanmusical devices,European
hymn-singing culture, and an American
radition of recreationalmruic - a nadition
SPEBSQSAcontinuestoday.
historian James Weldon Johnson writes,
"every barbershopseemed to have its own
quartet."
The first written usg of the word "barbershop"
when referring to harmonizing came in 1910,
with the publication of the song, "Play That
BarbershopChord"--evidence that the term
was in common parlanceby that time.
talking
Tin PanAlleyera: Edison's
I machine
spleads
harmony
nationwide
Today,ws are accustomed
to receivingall
formsof musicin everyhomeby way of CD,
cassett€,
radioandvideo.In theearly1900s,
though,popmusicsuccessdepended
on sales
of sheetmusicto thegeneralpublic.
Immigrants to the new world brought with
them a musical repertoire that included
hymns,psalms,and folk songs.Thesesimple
songswere often sung in four parts with the
melodyset in the second-lowest
voice.
Thesongwritersof Tin PanAlley madetheir
Minstrel shows of the mid-1800s often
consistedof white singersin blackface(later
black singers themselves)performing songs
and skehhesbasedon a romanticizedvision
of plantation life. As the minsnel show was
supplantedby the equally popular vaudeville,
the tadition of close-harmony quartets
remained, often as a "four act" combining
music with ethnic comedy that would be
scandalousby modern standards.
living by appealingto the needsand tastesof
therecreationalmusician.To becomea sheetmusic hit, songshad to be easily singableby
averagesingers,with averagevocal ranges
and average control. This called for songs
with simple, straightforwardmelodies, and
heartfelt, commonplacethemes and images.
Music publishedin that era often included an
insnumentalarrangementfor piano or ukelele,
andalsoa vocal ilTangsmentformale qwlrtet.
The "barbershop" style of music is first
associated
with black southemquartets of the
1870s,suchas The Americdn Four and The
Hamtown Students.The African influence is
particularly notable in the improvisational
nahue of the harmonization,and the flexing
of melody to producelnrmonies in "swipes"
and "snakes." Black qurtets "cracking a
chord" were commonplaceat placeslike Joe
Sarpy'sCut Rate ShavingParlor in St. Louis,
or in Jacksonville,Florida, where, black
The phonographmade it possible to actually
hear the new songs coming from Tin Pan
Alley.
Professional quartets recorded
hundredsof songsfor the Victor, Edison, and
Columbia labels, which spuned sheetmusic
sales.For example,'oYou'reThe Flower Of
My Heart,SweetAdeline"capturedthe hearts
of harmony lovers, not simply because it
easilyadaptedto harmony,but also becauseit
was heavilypromotedby the popular euaker
Cify Four and other quartets.
0rlgirs of Bartenhopllarmony- pagc2 of 2
au etaichanges
in American
music
andsocialhabits
The coming of radio prompteda shift in
Americanpopular
music.Songwritersturned
out more sophisticatedmelodies for the
professional
singersofradio andphonograph.
These songs did not adapt as well to
imprompfi,rharmonization,because they
placeda greateremphasis
on jaz rhythmsand
melodiesthat were bettersuitedto dancing
thanto casualcrooning.
Radio quartetskept closeharmonysinging
popular wi0r many amat€ur singers,
drough-andthesesingerswerereadyfoi the
revivalofbarbershop
harmonythat tookplace
in April, 1938,in Tulsa,Oklahoma.
iilh of SPEBSQSA-Ihe
dreamof 0.C.
CashandRupeilHall
While havellingto KansasCity on business,
Tulsa tax attorneyO. C. Cashhappenedto
meetfellow TulsanRupertHall in 0relobby
of the MuehlebachHotel. The men feil 6
talkinganddiscoveredtheyshareda mutual
love of vocal harmony. Together they
bemoanedthe declineof that all-American
institution, the barbershop quartet, and
decidedto stemthatdecline.
Signingtheir namesas "RupertHall, Royal
Keeperof the Minor Keys,and O. C. Cash,
Third TemporaryAssistantVice Chairman,"
of the "Society for the Preservationand
Propagation
of BarberShopQuartetSinging
in the UnitedShtes" [sic], tho two invitod
theirfriendsto songfeston theroof gardenof
theTulsaClub,onApril 11,1938.
Twenty-six men attendedthat frst meeting,
and rehrned the following week with more
friends. About 150 men attended the third
meeting, and the grand soundsof harmony
ftey raisedon the rooftop createdquite a stir.
A taffic jam formed outsidethe horel.While
police hied to straightenout the problem, a
reporter of the local newspaper heard the
singing, senseda greatsbry, and joined the
meeting.
O. C. Cash blufled his way through the
interview, saying his organization was
national in scope,with branchesin St. Louis,
Kansas City and elsewhere. He simply
neglected to mention was that these
"branches"were just a few scatteredfriends
who enjoyedharmonizing,but knew nothing
of Cash'snew club.
Cash's flair for publicity, combinedwith the
unusual name (the ridiculous initials poked
frur at the alphabet soup of New Deal
programs),made an irresistablestory for the
news wire services,which spreadit coast-tocoast. Cash's "branches" started receiving
prla,zlngcalls from men interestedin joining
the barbershopsociety. Soon, groups were
meeting throughout North America to sing
barbershopharmony.
SPEBSQSAwas born.
For nore information,contactthe Heritage
Hg! Museum of BarbershopHarmony at
(800)876-SLNG.
Stock#4220