By Corinne Bach
🎶 A Cappella: The Original Sacred Sound
“A Cappella”:
“In the style of Church music, in the manner of the chapel,”
Literally “according to the chapel,” from cappella = “chapel.”
Originally used to describe older sacred music (pre-1600) written for unaccompanied voices, it now refers more broadly to vocal music without instrumental accompaniment.
I remember learning this in college—and it was so beautiful to hear that “according to the chapel” meant the voice was the only instrument made by God.
Man-made instruments weren’t historically allowed in the church, so singing became the purest musical offering. 🎶
So take a moment today and remember to sing!
If you have a voice to talk, you have a voice to sing! 🎶🎙️
🧭 A Cappella in Today’s Musical World
While its roots are sacred, a cappella music has blossomed into every corner of the vocal world:
- 🎤 Pentatonix (pop vocal harmony + beatboxing)
- 👔 Barbershop Quartets (hello, The Music Man fans!)
- 🎓 College a cappella groups (aka the Pitch Perfect era)
- 🎼 Classical ensembles (madrigals, vocal polyphony, choral works)
- 🎭 Musical theatre moments (think: Come From Away, The Music Man)
✨Fun fact: One of my guest mentors in the Singing Circle is Stephen Wilde—a Broadway producer and barbershop tenor gold medalist. We take a cappella seriously in this studio!
📣 Your Voice Is an Instrument
You don’t need a piano or a track to sing beautifully. A cappella reminds us that your body is your first instrument, and your voice is valid on its own.
If you want to build confidence, blend, pitch accuracy, and artistry in a cappella or unaccompanied singing, this is something we actively explore in private and group lessons inside the Singing Circle.
🎶 Come sing with us. No backing track needed.
📎 Links to Explore
- 📺 Watch more voice insights on YouTube
- 🕊️ [Join the Singing Circle – CLICK HERE]
- 📝 [Read another WOW blog post – CLICK HERE]