[a cappella vocalization]
- Mackenzie: A very brief history
of a cappella music.
The term "a cappella" generally refers
to singing without instruments,
but the word itself comes from the Italian language
and it means "in the style of the church."
[bell tolls, monks chant song] Because in the Middle Ages, a cappella singing,
like Gregorian chant, was mostly used in religious services.
- Hailee: During the Renaissance,
madrigal singers created popular a cappella music,
imitating the newly-invented instruments of their day.
[warbling sound]
- Sam: Fast forward a couple hundred years to the 1930s,
when barbershop quartets were all the rage.
Then, in the 1950s, a cappella styles like doo-wop
became popular on the radio.
- Mackenzie: Also, around this time,
a cappella vocal jazz started to emerge,
and singers began imitating jazz instruments.
[zap]
- Hailee: In the early 2000s, a cappella had a resurgence,
thanks to exposure in TV, movies,
a growing culture of a cappella groups on college campuses.
[electronic zap]
- And now, young people all across the country
are creating contemporary a cappella music
by rearranging popular songs
and recreating the sounds of instruments with their voices.
- And that's a very brief history.
- Of the a cappella music. - You're hearing today.