無伴奏合唱(非古典傳統)百年十事
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本文將從十九世紀末起，介紹當代阿卡貝拉發展史裡十件重要事件。
事件一: 理髮店四重唱(Barbershop Quartet)的興起
一個多世紀前最流行的純人聲合唱，非理髮店四重唱莫屬。四聲部純人聲合唱乃非洲裔美國人最喜歡的音樂形式之一，而他們很喜歡在理髮店 - 就是他們常聚集之處演唱，故名。
根據現有資料，"barbershop"一字於1909年首次被用以形容這種純人聲四重唱，估計它早於十九世紀末便萌芽，至上世紀初代大盛。
傳統的理髮店四重唱歌曲多由四個聲部構成，分別爲男高音(tenor)、主音(lead)、男中音(baritone)和低音(bass) ，樂曲的主旋律多出現在主音聲部，其他聲部則唱和音，形成主音織體(homophonic texture)。早期的曲目，大多不記譜，但今天的組合大多先編曲再依譜演唱，樂曲風格也變得多元化，並不限於非洲裔美國人歌曲。
最早期的理髮店組合，都爲全男班，後來也出現全女班(Sweet Adeline Groups)，但數量沒有那麼多。
事件二: 耶魯大學威芬普斯(Whiffenpoofs)的成立
正當理髮店四重唱在非洲裔美國人社區興起，高等學府的學生也唱起阿卡貝拉來。來自耶魯大學的組合威芬普斯成立於1909年，是當今世上歷史最悠久而仍在運作的阿卡貝拉組合，其團歌“The Whiffenpoof Song”也是迄今唱得最多的校園阿卡貝拉歌曲。
事件三: 組合奪得格林美獎
成立於1962年的"史溫格歌手"(Swingle Singers)憑翌年出版的專輯Bach's Greatest Hits，奪得格林美新人獎，是史上首支得此大獎的阿卡貝拉團。然而它得獎時，並未成為純人聲合唱組合，故有些人認爲首個奪得格林美獎的阿卡貝拉團，是雷村黑牛斧頭合唱團 (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)，這個南非團與歌手Paul Simon合作，在專輯Graceland中合唱，此後聲名大噪。
但真正憑一己之力(即不借助著名主流歌手的幫助)奪得格林美獎的，是Take 6，它在1988年得獎。
而在2010年代冒起的美國組合Pentatonix，也是格林美大贏家。在2013至2017年期間，它分別贏取了最佳編曲獎(共兩次)和最佳鄉村二重唱或團體演出獎。
1964年的"史溫格歌手"
事件四: 歌曲打進流行榜
阿卡貝拉向來都非主流音樂，故組合Persuasions於1971年憑歌曲“We Came to Play”打進流行榜Billboard 200，翌年又憑歌曲“Buffalo Soldier” 登上第88位，也教人驚訝。至於首支登上首位的歌曲，則是“The Flying Pickets的“Only You”，這首金曲還雄霸榜首五星期! 1991年，組合Boyz II Men的“It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”亦登上流行榜達133周。
事件五: 人聲樂隊興起
上世紀八十年代初，在美國出現了一批稱爲"人聲樂隊"(Vocal Band)的無伴奏合唱組合，這些團隊多爲全男班，演出時會應用人聲敲擊，在音響控制技術的支援下，造出近似實物樂隊的音色，風格則以搖滾及流行為主，甚受歡迎，吸引了大量年輕人加入阿卡行列。具代表性的隊伍，有"Rockapella", "Nylons", "Persuations"等等。
事件六: CASA的成立
1990年，德克·夏倫創辦了The Collegiate A Cappella Newsletter，這刊物最終演變成CASA(The Contemporary A Cappella Society of America)這機構，直接或間接推動了之後無數活動，如比賽、音樂節甚至錄音獎的誕生。
事件七: 阿卡貝拉於世界各地生根萌芽
互聯網和地球村的出現使阿卡貝拉於世界各處遍地開花，南美州出現如Vocal Sampling等優秀組合，澳洲的The Idea of North贏得了Harmony Sweepstakes(和許多本地獎項)，韓國、台灣、新加坡等地出現了組織嚴謹、活動頻繁的阿卡貝拉組織，遠至非洲的納米比亞亦舉辦音樂節，盛況不亞於在歐美舉辦的活動。
事件八: The Sing-off
2009年起，美國電視台NBC製作了共5季阿卡貝拉比賽The Sing-off，令認識當代阿卡貝拉的觀眾大幅增加，並知悉其最新面貌。比賽勝出者可得到獎金和唱片合約，故吸引了不少組合角逐，由學生團到職業團都有，最受歡迎的自是Pentatonix，這支組合至今已勇奪三項格林美獎及多張白金唱片。
但這節目亦曾引起不少爭論，例如有人覺得它把阿卡貝拉商業化、審美單一化等。
這節目後來也出現了荷蘭、法國及中國版。
事件九: 國際學院阿卡貝拉錦標賽 (ICCA)
這個當今規模最大、最負盛名的高等院校阿卡貝拉比賽，由夏倫與阿當·法布(Adam Farb)創辦於1996年，最初祇有美國團隊參加，後來也吸引到來自加拿大、英國、南非及亞洲的組合參與。2001年，ICCA衍生出國際中學阿卡貝拉錦標賽 (International Championship of High School A Cappella，簡稱ICHSA)，再於2017年發展出國際阿卡貝拉公開賽（International Championship of A Cappella Open，簡稱The Open），集合ICHSA和ICCA的優勝組合，與職業及半職業組合較量。
從創辦至今的二十多年裡，特別值得一提的是2006至2007年賽季，因它成為了米奇·拉普金(Mickey Rapkin)所著Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory 一書的創作背景，這書後來發展出Pitch Perfect電影系列。
事件十: Pitch Perfect電影系列
音樂喜劇電影Pitch Perfect共分三集，首集初上映時並未獲廣泛注意，但卻愈戰愈勇，在多個電影評論網站均獲好評，其原聲音樂專輯則成為2013年最暢銷的配樂專輯。
Pitch Perfect 1累計票房收益達一億一千五百萬美元，其績集Pitch Perfect 2的票房更高達二億九千萬。Pitch Perfect 3 亦收逾一億八千萬美元。
10 Milestones in the Evolution of Contemporary A Cappella Music
This article will highlight ten important milestones in the development of contemporary a cappella singing from the late 19th century to the present.
1. The Rise of the Barbershop Quartet Singing
The barbershop quartet emerged as the most popular a cappella ensemble over a century ago. This genre originated in African-American communities, where singers would often gather and perform in barbershops, giving rise to the name. The barbershop style, featuring a lead melody with three harmony parts (tenor, baritone, bass), became prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, though the term "barbershop" was first used in 1909. While early barbershop groups were all-male, all-female "Sweet Adeline" groups later appeared as well.
2. The Establishment of the Whiffenpoofs at Yale University
Concurrent with the rise of barbershop quartets, a cappella singing also took hold in college environments. The Whiffenpoofs, founded at Yale University in 1909, is the oldest continuously operating a cappella group in the world. Their signature song, "The Whiffenpoof Song," became one of the most widely known campus a cappella tunes.
3. A Cappella Groups Earn Grammy Awards
The Swingle Singers, founded in 1962, were the first a cappella group to win a Grammy Award, earning the New Artist award in 1963 for their album Bach's Greatest Hits. However, the group was not a pure vocal ensemble at that time, leading some to argue that the first true a cappella Grammy winner was the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who collaborated with Paul Simon. The first a cappella group to win a Grammy on their own merit was Take 6, who won in 1988. More recently, the group Pentatonix has become a major Grammy winner, taking home awards for Best Arrangement (2013 and 2017) and Best Country Duo/Group Performance (2017).
4. A Cappella Hits the Pop Charts
While a cappella has historically been a niche genre, a few groups have managed to cross over into the mainstream pop charts. The Persuasions entered the Billboard 200 in 1971 with their songs "We Came to Play" and "Buffalo Soldier." In 1983, The Flying Pickets reached #1 on the charts with their cover of "Only You." Boyz II Men also topped the charts in 1991 with their a cappella version of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday."
5. The Rise of Vocal Bands
In the 1980s, a new style of a cappella group emerged known as "vocal bands." These largely male ensembles incorporated vocal percussion and used advanced sound technology to emulate the sound of a full band with musical instruments, often performing pop and rock repertoire. Notable vocal bands at that time include Rockapella, Nylon, and The House Jacks.
6. The Founding of CASA
In 1990, Deke Sharon founded The Collegiate A Cappella Newsletter, which eventually evolved into CASA (The Contemporary A Cappella Society of America), which directly or indirectly promoted countless subsequent a cappella activities, such as competitions, music festivals, and recording awards.
7. A Cappella Takes Root and Sprouts All over the World
The emergence of the internet and globalization have led to the spread of a cappella groups worldwide. Excellent groups like Vocal Sampling from Cuba and The Idea of North from Australia have gained recognition. A cappella organizations with rigorous structures and frequent activities have emerged in South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. A cappella music festivals are even held in places as far away as Namibia in Africa.
8. The Sing-Off
Since 2009, the American television network NBC has produced a total of five seasons of the a cappella competition show The Sing-Off. This program has significantly increased public awareness and familiarity with the contemporary a cappella genre and its latest trends and developments.
The winners of The Sing-Off receive lucrative bonuses and record contracts, which has attracted a wide range of competitive a cappella groups to participate - from student ensembles to professional vocal acts. One of the most popular and successful groups to emerge from the show is Pentatonix, who have gone on to win multiple Grammy Awards and achieve platinum-selling albums.
However, The Sing-Off has also faced some criticism and controversy. Some observers feel the show has a tendency to commercialize and homogenize the aesthetic of a cappella music. It's worth noting that the format of The Sing-Off has expanded beyond the original American version, with Dutch, French, and Chinese adaptations also produced over the years.
9. International Collegiate A Cappella Championship (ICCA)
Founded in 1996, the ICCA is the largest and most prestigious a cappella competition for college and university groups. Initially, only American groups participated, but it later attracted groups from Canada, the UK, South Africa, and Asia. The 2006–2007 season served as the basis for the book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory, which later inspired the popular Pitch Perfect movie series.
10. Pitch Perfect Movie Series
The Pitch Perfect film series, consisting of three movies released from 2012 to 2017, helped further popularize a cappella music. The first movie did not receive much attention initially, but it grew rapidly in popularity, and the soundtrack album became a best-seller in 2013. The sequels were box office successes, with the second film grossing $290 million. Pitch Perfect 3 also grossed over $180 million.
