On behalf of The Newfangled Four, thank you for your kind words and acknowledgment. This video was very well done, and we're honored to have such a spotlight cast on us.
i am THRILLED to discover you!!! thank you so much for what you do!! you make my heart happy, and make me want to sing again (pushing 70, lost music from my life so many years ago.....maybe it's not too late for me to sing again...)
@@wesselthecamper3862barbershop singing is probably the world's best kept secret but everyone deserves to know what it's like to sing barbershop. I've been singing for almost 25 years even though my membership card says I have been a member for probably 13 years. Financial problems had kept me from renewing each time due to others always "borrowing" and acting like it's a gift when I ask them to pay back.
Ethan, thanks for a delightful and informative video! Glad to see that you did some research into the various aspects of barbershopping. I know your video focused on quartets, but perhaps a follow-up video could look at barbershop choruses; a LOT more members of BHS sing in choruses but not in quartet. Keep up the good work!
thank you for the video! i started casually watching barbershop a couple of years ago, and i was just thinking about how id love to learn more about how it's progressed from the beginning to now. fantastic reflection!
Thanks so much! Of course, the Gas House Gang are undoubtably Barbershop icons (and admittedly criminally underrepresented in this video). Bright Was the Night gives me chills every time... but 16 tons is probably the song I come back to the most. I really wanted to include that in the vid, but unfortunately I had to leave it out because the videos of them performing it in the 90s were of pretty poor visual quality. Also funnily enough, had I not been able to connect with Dr. Wright, Dr. Henry was another brilliant and well-respected voice who I felt could have lent a lot of knowledge for parts 1+2. What's your thoughts on GHG? Do you have a favorite song that I should check out?
@wesselthecamper3862 If you're looking for a great tribute to a spectacular baritone, look at there 2018 rendition of "I still can't say goodbye". Makes me tear up a little just thinking about it. But if you want a more up beat song I recommend "Shine" by GHG (a personal favorite of mine) as well.
I'm going to leave this comment to try and get this to blow up, and to show support, because for having 71 subscribers, and making a video essay with this much quality, is not something you see often. and also, you got hooked by the barbershop algorithm, if you couldn't already tell lmao.
@@crazygermn Most cool. I had never heard that. Jimi was right. (no surprise there!) I might comment that in their early, pre-psychedelic days they were practically pure barbershop with new lyrics. Did you notice their striped barbershop shirts too?
@@margaretpaschal6847 Yes, I see that now you point it out. All this reminds me of grade school singing classes, where we were divided into the four voices. I got into the bass group because I couldn't sing and didn't like music class. Besides, that was where the big guys were, real men, y'know!
@@johnnytoronto1066 For a couple of years I attended Sacred Harp (Shape Note) singing where singers sing in a hollow square of four parts: tenor, bass, alto and treble. I couldn't read the music, so I just sat with the altos and sang whatever the person next to me was sining.
Been a Barbershopper for about 10 years now, competed in a few quartets at the District and International conventions. This video is everything I could have hoped it would be. The only thing I would add is a little spotlight on Barbershop choruses: many, MANY members of the BHS, SAI, and other Barbershop societies do not sing/compete in quartets but participate in chapter choruses. The choruses vary in size from less than 12 to over 150. They sing the same 4-part harmony that quartets do and BUDDY it is a spectacle to hear that many people ringing chords. Also, your timing is impeccable - this video released about a week before the 2024 BHS International convention in Cleveland, OH. Thank you!
Hahaha believe me, if I could have included all 6 minutes and 41 seconds of it, I would have -- one of the few performances that consistently gives me chills no matter how frequently I listen to it :)
So wonderful that The New Fangled Four medalled at International in Cleveland only yesterday! They seem very kind people which adds to how good a quartet they are.
Looking at the scores, I'm now patiently waiting for the UA-cam channel to upload their Piano Man parody, as that seems to have been their best performance of the competition.
I'm aware that there's no way EVERY notable quartet and barbershopper can get a nod in an under-30-minute video, but I'm pretty surprised at the lack of Vocal Spectrum and Tim Waurick. If you liked this video (which I absolutely did, wonderful job!), make sure you check them out, particularly VS's performance of "Go The Distance" from Disney's Hercules. Tim is STILL holding that post, I think.
I was hoping Da Vinci's Notebook would come up, but I guess they're not that big a deal... and my man Jaron Davis is unknown outside of youtube, but he does the good stuff all by himself.
I'm a 70 year old American man, a Native of Iowa. I saw The Music Man at a Drive In Movie Theater when I was about 6 or 7. It took place in a fictitious town on the Mississippi. Loved it . Sang in Middle School and High School Choirs and the Iowa Allstate Choir. Thanks for a great video. Bravo.
Loved this well-put together programme. Great for explaining what I do. Potential for episode two and beyond. You didn't mention a) Ringmasters are Swedish b) barbershop is alive and well in UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand. c) Choruses... Oh and British barbershop is 50 this year
Couldn't agree more Chris! Emphasizing the international contributions to what are truly international conventions was a section I regrettably had to cut for time. There's a great video of the New Zealand delegation(?) performing a Maori Haka when the Musical Island Boys won gold in 2014. It was such a cool and touching moment that I believe perfectly demonstrated the cross-cultural impact that Barbershop has. Perhaps a part 2 is in order... thank you for your comment!
One thing that was touched on in the video: We barbershoppers don't sing just the old songs, we do songs by the Beatles, by Billy Joel, and quite a few others. If it's got a melody, we can probably sing it.
60 years ago my brother and I walked into a church hall and heard a chorus singing and knew that was the music for us. We stayed members for the next 20 years. Signing barbershop on stage helped me develop presentation skills that assisted me in my business career.
I just watched your documentary and found it to be very interesting. I am a member of Sweet Adelines International, and while you did mention them, I believe it would have added value to your story if you included some of the top lady quartets. Nonetheless, I found it hard to stop watching! Great job!
Looks like the barbershop algorithm picked up your video. I think you’ve done a great job at explaining barbershop at its core for the new and younger audience. Especially with the feature of The Newfangled four. My guess is that you yourself got introduced to barbershop from them. Nice way to pay tribute to them :)
My dad and his brothers sang barbershop and entertained our huge family at all our family reunions. It was always followed by all of us singing together. It just doesn’t get any better than that. All of us 21 cousins would agree.
My dad is in the BHS, and goes to the convention/championship thing. Watching his quartet rehearse is so much fun - and I even got to sing the soprano counterpoint when they did a Music Man medley. It’s amazing how strict the rules on arrangements are for a song to be allowed in competition. Barbershop arrangers are poets!
This video is phenomenal! I've been into Barbershop for all my life (courtesy of my dad) and I've been active in the scene for 7 years but this was still a really enrichening experience! Funnily enough I met NF4 in person without ever having heard of them at BinG!'s (the German equivalent to BHS) 2018 convention where they were invited as a guest ensemble. I had only started actively singing Barbershop 6 months prior and it was my very first convention so I was kinda scared and didn't interact with them all that much but it was quite interesting seeing everyone around me melt in adoration whenever they were around. I'm now the 2024 BinG! Chorus Champion with my chorus so you could say I've come quite a way. For me the most important thing about Barbershop is the community. It truly is a family to everyone involved, you quickly get to know everyone and once you're settled in it quickly becomes a home. Even the 'celebrities' are just normal people at the end of the day and they're generally just as approachable as everyone else, 99.9% of people, no matter if they're first timers or Gold Champions, will say yes if you ask them to sing a tag. For example, I've sung tags with Midtown, the BHS 2023 International Champions (the guys who do the Spider-Man Theme) and we had a great time! Now, of course you can't put everything into a 30 minute video essay but I have to say that I would've like to see the tags and polecats mentioned, since they serve as a big gateway into singing together, no matter the experience or skill level. Also, it would be awesome to have a part 2 that talks more about choruses since they're basically the meat&potatoes to the quartets' heart&soul. They contribute a lot more to the overall membership numbers and they're just as (if not in some areas more) important as quartets are. Choruses are the number 1 biggest contributor to bringing new people into the hobby so it would be wonderful if you could talk about them in a future video.
A few more barbershop songs that weren’t mentioned in the description that I personally love and you should probably check out (feel free to add to these in the replies!) Crossroads - Lucky Old Sun Acoustix - Stars and Stripes Forever PLATINUM - Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine Instant Classic - How Could I Ever Know? Instant Classic - Simple Gifts/Shenandoah Medley Midtown - You’re Falling in Love Ringmasters - Love Me and the World is Mine Max Q - You Can Fly (the Ringmasters’ performance of this is very excellent too) Vocal Spectrum - Go the Distance Lunch Break - Love Me and the World is Mine Lunch Break - Part of Your World Newfangled Four - Give Up! (this might be recency bias but I think this is their best song) Adding Midtown’s Spider-Farm here but only after you watch the entire discography of FRED and Lunch Break too lmao
As a matter of clarification, OC Cash and Rupert Hall discussed the idea of forming a barbershop harmony club at the Muehlbach Hotel in Kansas City. They were from Tulsa, and that is where the first meeting took place. The voiceover kind of muddies this reference (the voiceover referenced 'when they returned to Tulsa' over a photo of the Muehlbach Hotel, which is where the plaque shown in the video is located). So, the first chapter of SPEBSQSA was founded in Tulsa, the second chapter was founded in Kansas City. This is not a criticism of the video at all; it's great. I just sought to add a bit of clarification.
I loved the video! The New Fangled Four introduced me to the world of Barbershop during the pandemic and I started singing because of it. I learned a couple years ago that I go to the same college as Dan Wessler of After Hours attended. The style has truly changed my life for the better and I hope to sing in a chorus, if not a quartet, one day.
Very nice job with the essay and production! I recently noticed the same stats you did about the Newfangled Four (most views/influence). Barbershop has been a huge influence on me and I would not take it back if I were given the option: For comment-readers, here's an important note on the membership decline - There were multiple factors at play that I both experienced and heard of: - Money/cost of membership - Changes in arrangements (to accommodate pop/show tunes) - Explicit emphasis on Diversity/Equity/Inclusion *(much more can be said on this)* - Opening the organization to "all people", which gave chorus members the (very real) concern of losing their all-male sound *(much more can be said on this)* - The "good ol' 2020 worldwide incident" And likely many more...That said, affiliate organizations around the world have brought this uniquely-American art form to their countries, which is something to be glad about! Membership overall may not be down as much as it may seem. Regardless, I'm glad that Barbershop is still around - I hope it never dies. An old guy I used to work with once said that Barbershop is the happiest style of music there is - I still agree with him.
Thank you for the comment! You are totally right, EIH is an exciting and monumental new era for barbershop. I tried to capture the principles, promise, and hope that EIH represents in the "A Harmonious Future" section, but in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have hurt to drop the actual name in there as well. Thank you for pointing it out :)
Barbershop singing can actually be traced back to the pioneer days maybe before that. How many of you have imagined sitting at a campfire with a guitar or a harmonica and sang old campfire songs that you sang as a youth? Back then they didn't have pitch pipes so you had to be your own pitch pipe. People sang to pass the time to get out of boredom and they would make up songs as they went and others would write poems that become songs.
Interesting documentary. I didn't know Barbershop singing style is still so active. I also didn't know there are female quartets singing in Barbershop style.
My father sang bass in a number of different quartets in the first half of the twentieth century. He retired from that aspect of his life in 1955 when I was five years of age. He still maintained a close friendship with one of the members of the last quartet he was a part of, I believe the gentleman sang tenor. He had a growing collection at the time of record albums of the annual quartet competitions in the 1950's that were put on by the S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. and we would go to his house to visit and listen to them. It will always be an unforgettable part of my childhood and as I look back even though I listened to my Dad singing various songs with the quartet on recordings that he had made it sure would have been wonderful to have experienced it in real time! That's Life!
This is a wonderful video! Thanks for your hard work on this! The rooftop where the first meeting of SPEBSQSA took place is still standing today in Tulsa, OK, and the society’s founding chapter, the Founders Chorus, still meets every week.
I am so excited to partake in my first (and hopefully not only) international competing with a chorus. This video is super well done, great job!! I am so excited to be able to meet so many new people in Cleveland and bring back what I learn to all in my community back home. Thank you for this video ❤
What an amazing resource, well done! Great use of that Main Street education video, I always show it to people I am trying to educate on barbershop, it is a beautifully simple yet effective bit of info!
An outstanding product, Ethan! It's well researched, well produced, and highly informative. Thank you for shedding light not only on our treasured art form and Society, but on the ways that "singing in community" can enrich lives.
Thanks so much for the potted history of our great hobby. Worth mentioning that it is alive and well in many parts of the world, and especially here in New Zealand. Sing well and prosper!
Marvelous job. I have made major presentations on the history of barbershop to a variety of audiences, so I know how difficult it is to capture the scope of this subject in any given time frame. Ethan does a truly marvelous job in the 28 minutes of this video.
Great video with musical historical perspective. Love, love love. Thank you. Hey! Let's campaign for Jimmy Fallon to feature Newfangled Four on the Tonight Show!! It's great to be a barber shopper. (Thank you, Papa for always singing to me as a kid.)
I always wanted the now-retired *James Corden* to invite the comedy quartet *FRED* (briefly shown in this video) onto his _The Late, Late Show with James Corden_ to do their _Jukebox Saturday Night_ medley, with him never having seen or heard it before, with a small oval picture-in-picture in sn upper corner to show his reaction live. It’d’ve been introduced as their take on his “Carpool Karaoke” concept, and he'd be informed that they debuted it a year _before_ he did his 1ˢᵗ Carpool Karaoke video.
Great piece here. Joined SPEBSQSA in college -1970’s -only because both bothers went to nationals. With a huge academic load I still found time for this. Some one said it, but it still rings true -“You cannot both sing and carry the weight of your troubles simultaneously.”
Anyone who thinks modern music can be squeezed into barbershop harmony has zero understanding of harmonics. Melody progression demands specific harmonics and if you stray too far from those harmonics, you destroy the melody.
this video is astonishingly well researched and very entertaining as well as educational. truly a success on all fronts, and i look forward to your success.
Excellent job, young man. I think it would be interesting to see a documentary about Barbershop Singing and when the color barrier (especially in quartets) and, most recently, the gender barrier was broken. That would be a cool thing to watch.
My mother Elizabeth (Skidge)Heath was a charter member of Harmony Inc. A group of women that spun off from Sweet Adolines because they were closed to black women. So in the late 1950's they formed Harmony Incorporated that allowed any woman to join the group who had the desire to participate in Barbershop Singing. She was a member of The Harmonettes out of North Attleborough, Massachusetts under the Direction of Bob Turcott. They went on to win several International Championships. Skidge went on to be Chorus President and later International President of Harmony Inc. Being a Jewelry Designer for L.G. Balfour's she designed pins with a G-Cleff and Four Women. Later she designed the 50year Pins, but sadly she passed away just short of turning 91 and Celebrating her 50th year in Harmony Inc.
As a trumpet and trombone player, 1st tenor singer, and lifelong music lover (all genres), THANK YOU! This type of work helps raise awareness and teaches the uninformed to have a deeper appreciation for this American art form.
No mention of the Osmond Brothers Boys Quartet?? That’s how they got their start, singing barbershop at Disneyland after.. The Dapper Dans.. went on to be the first barbershop chorus featured on The Andy Williams Show. ua-cam.com/video/O5nwowBIxyQ/v-deo.htmlsi=SqL9EGWJntEA6N-V
Thanks for sharing this wonderful video. Great description of our hobby and our passion. Even though I'm an older person, I love the fact that my primary quartet includes a 30 something and 40 something singer and that other of my choruses/quartets have men and women. I'm excited about our future.
Thank you for this video! It’s so well done! Definitely subscribing and hoping for more barbershop lore. 😊 My first introduction to barbershop was when I found “a pitch pipe thingy” (as I excitedly called it) in a box that had belonged to a relative long passed. For some reason I’ve kept it all these years. Then one day I saw Ringmasters perform The Bells… on UA-cam. What an introduction! Then NF4 popped up and has become my favorite quartet. The comedy style feels like I’d love to just hang out and have some (morning) beers with some dudes my age. I also enjoy their (all too infrequent) behind the scenes videos. Also I feel like I was just tired of current music for a multitude of reasons, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic haha. As a female who sometimes feels excluded from all the cool stuff, I’d love a deep dive into the Sweet Adelines!
I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I am a musician and that seems weird to me. Usually the tenor or the soprano does the melody. That's how the doo wop guys do it. And string quartets. Orchestras. Why is this different?
Wow, really great video! I had a very superficial understanding of barbershop quartets before this video, thanks for shedding light on an amazing movement like this, we definitely need more harmony and love in this world!
Definitely leaving a comment for the algorithm. only 600 subscribers is criminal, AMAZING video. For anyone interested in one of the best showcases I would personally recommend Signature's Dance with my Father again. That is my personal favorite
I LOVE the sound of barbershop! My dad got it into my heart at a young age. I cannot sing a different note/melody than the person next to me (believe me I’ve tried) so unfortunately I can never sing 4-person 4-part harmony myself, but I can sure enjoy the sound of it. I wish you’d mentioned the extra magical note that appears when the harmony is just right (I don’t remember what it’s called), but maybe that would have been too technical? I don’t know how many other styles/how often that shows up in non-Barbershop songs, but it’s A-MAZING.
As a former BHS member, this was a great historical trip. Most of which I knew, but many things I didn’t. Like the Unfangled Four. I knew they a song or two but …. Dunno. Definitely heard of Lunch Break and the other entertaining quartets.
This is a good overall explanation, and briefly touched many fabulous performances. I'd like to see a bit more about women's barbershop - Sweet Adelines or BHS or BHA or any of the fine organisations around the globe. I love Newfangled Four, but they really dominate this video, at the expense of GQ, The Ladies, mixed quartets, mixed choruses, etc. So - we need more. More in this excellent documentary style, picking up all the other stuff that wasn't included here.
An uptick in barbershop quartet interest may be due to the public's new found familiarity of vocal groups such as Pentatonix, Home Free and VoicePlay. In a world of mediocre pitch-corrected singers backed by repetitive beats and equipment that mimics musical instruments, it's not surprising that harmonizing vocals in complex arrangements are being recognized as real musical talent.
I love Barber Shop, but I still get a kick out of an episode of Car 54 Where Are You where Jan Murray had to judge a Barber Shop competition. The competition when on for hours and each group sang the same song, which almost caused Murray to end up in a padded cell.
Has to be quite a interesting topic to make a video essay with, very well presented, pretty great that you included the interview as well, overall a 9/10 video, great stuff!
Ohmygah I’m so glad I found this video-my dad was a devoted barbershopper all his life and this both takes me back and makes me so happy that this music is thriving today. Barbershop 💈 forever!!! 💈💈💈💈
I am not an active member these days, but the one thing I wish has been included is that BHS is now open to all. David mentioned the misogynistic and racist past, but that should have been followed by the fact that’s no more. BHS membership is open to all races and genders. Everyone In Harmony.
It is not dead. I tried to be a piano tuner and still love the work, but my autism prevents me from running a business. My Absolute Favorite aspect of the Piano Technician Conventions that I attended was meeting and singing with the Barbershop singers. Like some of the groups shown, both men and women sing, and while not everyone has a great voice, we are all capable of fine tuning. I really miss that. There are songs where the words were changed to make jokes about piano tuning.
I think one great thing about The Newfangled Four and the comedy quartets is that they bring us back to the reality and relatability that never shied away from outrageousness and unprofessionality. The comedy has a great way of puncturing through barbershop's Old Guard, that other sidelined concepts of old Barbershop struggle to
Ear Singing! Simple! No other instruments, just four voices. It started by people who were at home, with friends and neighbors trying to copy songs they had heard, or knew, with what they had present. Later it developed into what you hear on those older recordings.
In the "old" days....the best singing Quartet usually won the Contests. Now? It all about the GIMMICKS. Yes, the singing is at a higher level and the arrangements are tougher, and the winners are usually much younger. They aren't Hobbyists, anymore. This is one of the biggest reasons their numbers have dropped. It's not for the "common" singer any longer. They can't see the forest for all those darn trees!
Lots of talent and variety within the genre, but the stereotypical tenor on top with a bright sound gets tiring pretty quick. And what would happen if something was done without the silliness? Yes, I'm obviously an outlier, but...
The distinctive character of classic barbershop harmony is because it was performed in just intonation and stayed close to diatonic chords except when resolving passing chords diatonically. That's almost impossible to maintain with modern songs that modulate. Even a 12 bar blues that uses dominant chords on l and lV won't work out in just intonation and the traditional harmonic effect disappears.
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On behalf of The Newfangled Four, thank you for your kind words and acknowledgment. This video was very well done, and we're honored to have such a spotlight cast on us.
Thanks so much! Best of luck in Cleveland, rooting for ya!
i am THRILLED to discover you!!! thank you so much for what you do!! you make my heart happy, and make me want to sing again (pushing 70, lost music from my life so many years ago.....maybe it's not too late for me to sing again...)
@@wesselthecamper3862barbershop singing is probably the world's best kept secret but everyone deserves to know what it's like to sing barbershop. I've been singing for almost 25 years even though my membership card says I have been a member for probably 13 years. Financial problems had kept me from renewing each time due to others always "borrowing" and acting like it's a gift when I ask them to pay back.
I just wanna tell you guys good luck...We're all counting on you.
@@MomIrregardless Keep MOVING! Yes! Sing and sing again!!! 🙏🏻❤️🦩💨
One of the very few videos that everyone on the internet should be required to watch
Ethan, thanks for a delightful and informative video! Glad to see that you did some research into the various aspects of barbershopping. I know your video focused on quartets, but perhaps a follow-up video could look at barbershop choruses; a LOT more members of BHS sing in choruses but not in quartet. Keep up the good work!
thank you for the video! i started casually watching barbershop a couple of years ago, and i was just thinking about how id love to learn more about how it's progressed from the beginning to now. fantastic reflection!
I knew the newfangledfour were game changing but i had never seen it on a graph!
Great job Wessel! My childhood in a video. Can't wait to see where you and BHS go in the future.
Also, whats your opinion on Gas House Gang?
Thanks so much! Of course, the Gas House Gang are undoubtably Barbershop icons (and admittedly criminally underrepresented in this video). Bright Was the Night gives me chills every time... but 16 tons is probably the song I come back to the most. I really wanted to include that in the vid, but unfortunately I had to leave it out because the videos of them performing it in the 90s were of pretty poor visual quality.
Also funnily enough, had I not been able to connect with Dr. Wright, Dr. Henry was another brilliant and well-respected voice who I felt could have lent a lot of knowledge for parts 1+2.
What's your thoughts on GHG? Do you have a favorite song that I should check out?
@wesselthecamper3862 If you're looking for a great tribute to a spectacular baritone, look at there 2018 rendition of "I still can't say goodbye". Makes me tear up a little just thinking about it. But if you want a more up beat song I recommend "Shine" by GHG (a personal favorite of mine) as well.
How dare you speak the ancient texts to me, i was there when they were born!
I think me n' O.C. Cash would get along.
I'm going to leave this comment to try and get this to blow up, and to show support, because for having 71 subscribers, and making a video essay with this much quality, is not something you see often. and also, you got hooked by the barbershop algorithm, if you couldn't already tell lmao.
AMAZING VIDEO
Hey thanks so much Jason, love your content too!
Has anyone else out there besides me noticed that the Beach Boys had a great deal in common with Barbershop Quartets?
Jimi Hendrix famously called them "A psychedelic barbershop quartet".
@@crazygermn Most cool. I had never heard that. Jimi was right. (no surprise there!) I might comment that in their early, pre-psychedelic days they were practically pure barbershop with new lyrics. Did you notice their striped barbershop shirts too?
So do Southern Gospel Quartets!
@@margaretpaschal6847 Yes, I see that now you point it out. All this reminds me of grade school singing classes, where we were divided into the four voices. I got into the bass group because I couldn't sing and didn't like music class. Besides, that was where the big guys were, real men, y'know!
@@johnnytoronto1066 For a couple of years I attended Sacred Harp (Shape Note) singing where singers sing in a hollow square of four parts: tenor, bass, alto and treble. I couldn't read the music, so I just sat with the altos and sang whatever the person next to me was sining.
Been a Barbershopper for about 10 years now, competed in a few quartets at the District and International conventions. This video is everything I could have hoped it would be. The only thing I would add is a little spotlight on Barbershop choruses: many, MANY members of the BHS, SAI, and other Barbershop societies do not sing/compete in quartets but participate in chapter choruses. The choruses vary in size from less than 12 to over 150. They sing the same 4-part harmony that quartets do and BUDDY it is a spectacle to hear that many people ringing chords. Also, your timing is impeccable - this video released about a week before the 2024 BHS International convention in Cleveland, OH. Thank you!
An incredibly well made video essay. Thanks for representing our hobby so well.
I wish we could have dwelled on the Notre Dame Medley more! It is most definitely my favorite piece of music i've heard all my life
Hahaha believe me, if I could have included all 6 minutes and 41 seconds of it, I would have -- one of the few performances that consistently gives me chills no matter how frequently I listen to it :)
I listen to it at LEAST once a week, years later.
For another excellent Ringmasters performance, check out their recording with Voces8 of "Shall We Gather at the River."
@@johnwalters1341 Oh man, yeah! And the version of “Climb Every Mountain/You’ll Never Walk Alone” that Ringmasters recorded while they were there!
I'll never forget being in the hall in person for that performance. It changed my life.
So wonderful that The New Fangled Four medalled at International in Cleveland only yesterday! They seem very kind people which adds to how good a quartet they are.
Looking at the scores, I'm now patiently waiting for the UA-cam channel to upload their Piano Man parody, as that seems to have been their best performance of the competition.
I'm aware that there's no way EVERY notable quartet and barbershopper can get a nod in an under-30-minute video, but I'm pretty surprised at the lack of Vocal Spectrum and Tim Waurick. If you liked this video (which I absolutely did, wonderful job!), make sure you check them out, particularly VS's performance of "Go The Distance" from Disney's Hercules. Tim is STILL holding that post, I think.
I was hoping Da Vinci's Notebook would come up, but I guess they're not that big a deal... and my man Jaron Davis is unknown outside of youtube, but he does the good stuff all by himself.
I'm a 70 year old American man, a Native of Iowa. I saw The Music Man at a Drive In Movie Theater when I was about 6 or 7. It took place in a fictitious town on the Mississippi. Loved it . Sang in Middle School and High School Choirs and the Iowa Allstate Choir. Thanks for a great video. Bravo.
Wow, I didn't realize that COVID cut membership in half! It is great to see Fallon doing current songs on national TV.
Unfortunately singing is one of the worst ways of spreading Covid,so obviously there was no singing groups around during the pandemic.
It wasn't Covid as much as the mixing of other styles, diluting it.
Loved this well-put together programme. Great for explaining what I do.
Potential for episode two and beyond.
You didn't mention a) Ringmasters are Swedish b) barbershop is alive and well in UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand. c) Choruses...
Oh and British barbershop is 50 this year
Couldn't agree more Chris! Emphasizing the international contributions to what are truly international conventions was a section I regrettably had to cut for time. There's a great video of the New Zealand delegation(?) performing a Maori Haka when the Musical Island Boys won gold in 2014. It was such a cool and touching moment that I believe perfectly demonstrated the cross-cultural impact that Barbershop has. Perhaps a part 2 is in order... thank you for your comment!
@@wesselthecamper3862 And Barbershop in Canada is 80 this year.
One thing that was touched on in the video: We barbershoppers don't sing just the old songs, we do songs by the Beatles, by Billy Joel, and quite a few others. If it's got a melody, we can probably sing it.
I'm reminded of that Mister Show sketch "Rap: the Musical" which included a barbershop rendition of "Gonna Get my Gat Gonna Bust a Cap"
Absolutely fantastic video, thank you for sharing our society and art form so well!
60 years ago my brother and I walked into a church hall and heard a chorus singing and knew that was the music for us. We stayed members for the next 20 years. Signing barbershop on stage helped me develop presentation skills that assisted me in my business career.
I just watched your documentary and found it to be very interesting. I am a member of Sweet Adelines International, and while you did mention them, I believe it would have added value to your story if you included some of the top lady quartets. Nonetheless, I found it hard to stop watching! Great job!
Looks like the barbershop algorithm picked up your video. I think you’ve done a great job at explaining barbershop at its core for the new and younger audience. Especially with the feature of The Newfangled four. My guess is that you yourself got introduced to barbershop from them. Nice way to pay tribute to them :)
watched this all the way through about three times in a row. incredible work, thank you for bringing some attention to our hobby.
My dad and his brothers sang barbershop and entertained our huge family at all our family reunions. It was always followed by all of us singing together. It just doesn’t get any better than that. All of us 21 cousins would agree.
My dad is in the BHS, and goes to the convention/championship thing. Watching his quartet rehearse is so much fun - and I even got to sing the soprano counterpoint when they did a Music Man medley. It’s amazing how strict the rules on arrangements are for a song to be allowed in competition. Barbershop arrangers are poets!
To the narrator: do yourself a favor and check out the barbershop quartet "Fred"
This video is phenomenal! I've been into Barbershop for all my life (courtesy of my dad) and I've been active in the scene for 7 years but this was still a really enrichening experience! Funnily enough I met NF4 in person without ever having heard of them at BinG!'s (the German equivalent to BHS) 2018 convention where they were invited as a guest ensemble. I had only started actively singing Barbershop 6 months prior and it was my very first convention so I was kinda scared and didn't interact with them all that much but it was quite interesting seeing everyone around me melt in adoration whenever they were around. I'm now the 2024 BinG! Chorus Champion with my chorus so you could say I've come quite a way. For me the most important thing about Barbershop is the community. It truly is a family to everyone involved, you quickly get to know everyone and once you're settled in it quickly becomes a home. Even the 'celebrities' are just normal people at the end of the day and they're generally just as approachable as everyone else, 99.9% of people, no matter if they're first timers or Gold Champions, will say yes if you ask them to sing a tag. For example, I've sung tags with Midtown, the BHS 2023 International Champions (the guys who do the Spider-Man Theme) and we had a great time!
Now, of course you can't put everything into a 30 minute video essay but I have to say that I would've like to see the tags and polecats mentioned, since they serve as a big gateway into singing together, no matter the experience or skill level. Also, it would be awesome to have a part 2 that talks more about choruses since they're basically the meat&potatoes to the quartets' heart&soul. They contribute a lot more to the overall membership numbers and they're just as (if not in some areas more) important as quartets are. Choruses are the number 1 biggest contributor to bringing new people into the hobby so it would be wonderful if you could talk about them in a future video.
Awesome! Loved seeing snippets of familiar faces in competition as well as listening to Joe, an awesome coach and representation of the genre!
20:32 let's go baby
"different singing parts" - Cuts to Gary Lewis - 😂
Hahaha I'm so happy somebody picked up on that, gold star for you 😉
Gary Lewis as lead when??!!
Bravo! I'll share this with my friends. I've tried to explain what I do, and why I do it. This video does it nicely. Thank you for making it happen.
Wow, I loved Barbershop Quartets before and after your video, I love them more! 🤗🤗🤗
Thank you. 😊😊😊
This is amazing!!! Finally something I can show to people that have no clue what barbershop is
Thank you Ethan :)
Someone else mentioned it in the comments already, but its crazy that you only have 90 subs! This is some super high quality content!
239 subs as of 9 days after the video was posted
A few more barbershop songs that weren’t mentioned in the description that I personally love and you should probably check out (feel free to add to these in the replies!)
Crossroads - Lucky Old Sun
Acoustix - Stars and Stripes Forever
PLATINUM - Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine
Instant Classic - How Could I Ever Know?
Instant Classic - Simple Gifts/Shenandoah Medley
Midtown - You’re Falling in Love
Ringmasters - Love Me and the World is Mine
Max Q - You Can Fly (the Ringmasters’ performance of this is very excellent too)
Vocal Spectrum - Go the Distance
Lunch Break - Love Me and the World is Mine
Lunch Break - Part of Your World
Newfangled Four - Give Up! (this might be recency bias but I think this is their best song)
Adding Midtown’s Spider-Farm here but only after you watch the entire discography of FRED and Lunch Break too lmao
As a matter of clarification, OC Cash and Rupert Hall discussed the idea of forming a barbershop harmony club at the Muehlbach Hotel in Kansas City. They were from Tulsa, and that is where the first meeting took place. The voiceover kind of muddies this reference (the voiceover referenced 'when they returned to Tulsa' over a photo of the Muehlbach Hotel, which is where the plaque shown in the video is located). So, the first chapter of SPEBSQSA was founded in Tulsa, the second chapter was founded in Kansas City. This is not a criticism of the video at all; it's great. I just sought to add a bit of clarification.
I loved the video! The New Fangled Four introduced me to the world of Barbershop during the pandemic and I started singing because of it. I learned a couple years ago that I go to the same college as Dan Wessler of After Hours attended. The style has truly changed my life for the better and I hope to sing in a chorus, if not a quartet, one day.
Not only informative but incredibly well made! I’m gonna start sending this to people that ask what barbershop is
Thanks so much for this really interesting and well put together video!!
Very nice job with the essay and production! I recently noticed the same stats you did about the Newfangled Four (most views/influence). Barbershop has been a huge influence on me and I would not take it back if I were given the option:
For comment-readers, here's an important note on the membership decline - There were multiple factors at play that I both experienced and heard of:
- Money/cost of membership
- Changes in arrangements (to accommodate pop/show tunes)
- Explicit emphasis on Diversity/Equity/Inclusion *(much more can be said on this)*
- Opening the organization to "all people", which gave chorus members the (very real) concern of losing their all-male sound *(much more can be said on this)*
- The "good ol' 2020 worldwide incident"
And likely many more...That said, affiliate organizations around the world have brought this uniquely-American art form to their countries, which is something to be glad about! Membership overall may not be down as much as it may seem.
Regardless, I'm glad that Barbershop is still around - I hope it never dies.
An old guy I used to work with once said that Barbershop is the happiest style of music there is - I still agree with him.
Thank you so much for creating a masterful way to show people what it truly means to be a barber shopper.
Crying in the club this video is so fantastic
When was this made? No mention of Everyone In Harmony? I think EIH is an exciting new feature! Otherwise, well done!
Thank you for the comment! You are totally right, EIH is an exciting and monumental new era for barbershop. I tried to capture the principles, promise, and hope that EIH represents in the "A Harmonious Future" section, but in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have hurt to drop the actual name in there as well. Thank you for pointing it out :)
I recognize the main street voice when I hear them, hahaha. really love how tony explained the parts
Barbershop singing can actually be traced back to the pioneer days maybe before that. How many of you have imagined sitting at a campfire with a guitar or a harmonica and sang old campfire songs that you sang as a youth? Back then they didn't have pitch pipes so you had to be your own pitch pipe. People sang to pass the time to get out of boredom and they would make up songs as they went and others would write poems that become songs.
Interesting documentary. I didn't know Barbershop singing style is still so active. I also didn't know there are female quartets singing in Barbershop style.
Does any one know how. when and where the Society became International?? I do.
My father sang bass in a number of different quartets in the first half of the twentieth century. He retired from that aspect of his life in 1955 when I was five years of age. He still maintained a close friendship with one of the members of the last quartet he was a part of, I believe the gentleman sang tenor. He had a growing collection at the time of record albums of the annual quartet competitions in the 1950's that were put on by the S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. and we would go to his house to visit and listen to them. It will always be an unforgettable part of my childhood and as I look back even though I listened to my Dad singing various songs with the quartet on recordings that he had made it sure would have been wonderful to have experienced it in real time! That's Life!
This is a wonderful video! Thanks for your hard work on this!
The rooftop where the first meeting of SPEBSQSA took place is still standing today in Tulsa, OK, and the society’s founding chapter, the Founders Chorus, still meets every week.
I am so excited to partake in my first (and hopefully not only) international competing with a chorus. This video is super well done, great job!! I am so excited to be able to meet so many new people in Cleveland and bring back what I learn to all in my community back home. Thank you for this video ❤
How’d it go?!
I love this society and I love this style, good luck to all the competitors next week❤️❤️❤️
What an amazing resource, well done! Great use of that Main Street education video, I always show it to people I am trying to educate on barbershop, it is a beautifully simple yet effective bit of info!
Great production value on an important subject!
An outstanding product, Ethan! It's well researched, well produced, and highly informative. Thank you for shedding light not only on our treasured art form and Society, but on the ways that "singing in community" can enrich lives.
Thank you for shedding light on what is in my opinion the most important form of accapella singing there is to date. Incredibly well done.
Great video! I've had the pleasure of watching the New Fangled Four live over the years. They've always been my favorite quartet!
Really cool video!
Thanks so much for the potted history of our great hobby. Worth mentioning that it is alive and well in many parts of the world, and especially here in New Zealand. Sing well and prosper!
Marvelous job. I have made major presentations on the history of barbershop to a variety of audiences, so I know how difficult it is to capture the scope of this subject in any given time frame. Ethan does a truly marvelous job in the 28 minutes of this video.
well done video! what a great intro to barbershop i never knew i needed
Looking forward to having TNF on our show this month! What fun, wrapped up in talent!
Great video with musical historical perspective. Love, love love. Thank you. Hey! Let's campaign for Jimmy Fallon to feature Newfangled Four on the Tonight Show!! It's great to be a barber shopper. (Thank you, Papa for always singing to me as a kid.)
I always wanted the now-retired *James Corden* to invite the comedy quartet *FRED* (briefly shown in this video) onto his _The Late, Late Show with James Corden_ to do their _Jukebox Saturday Night_ medley, with him never having seen or heard it before, with a small oval picture-in-picture in sn upper corner to show his reaction live.
It’d’ve been introduced as their take on his “Carpool Karaoke” concept, and he'd be informed that they debuted it a year _before_ he did his 1ˢᵗ Carpool Karaoke video.
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Great piece here. Joined SPEBSQSA in college -1970’s -only because both bothers went to nationals. With a huge academic load I still found time for this. Some one said it, but it still rings true -“You cannot both sing and carry the weight of your troubles simultaneously.”
Greatest video on the platform ever
Deadass thought I was watching a WIRED video for a bit there
Anyone who thinks modern music can be squeezed into barbershop harmony has zero understanding of harmonics. Melody progression demands specific harmonics and if you stray too far from those harmonics, you destroy the melody.
this video is astonishingly well researched and very entertaining as well as educational. truly a success on all fronts, and i look forward to your success.
Excellent job, young man. I think it would be interesting to see a documentary about Barbershop Singing and when the color barrier (especially in quartets) and, most recently, the gender barrier was broken. That would be a cool thing to watch.
My mother Elizabeth (Skidge)Heath was a charter member of Harmony Inc. A group of women that spun off from Sweet Adolines because they were closed to black women. So in the late 1950's they formed Harmony Incorporated that allowed any woman to join the group who had the desire to participate in Barbershop Singing. She was a member of The Harmonettes out of North Attleborough, Massachusetts under the Direction of Bob Turcott. They went on to win several International Championships. Skidge went on to be Chorus President and later International President of Harmony Inc.
Being a Jewelry Designer for L.G. Balfour's she designed pins with a G-Cleff and Four Women. Later she designed the 50year Pins, but sadly she passed away just short of turning 91 and Celebrating her 50th year in Harmony Inc.
A delightful, well-done video!
Love the Newfangled Four!❤
As a trumpet and trombone player, 1st tenor singer, and lifelong music lover (all genres), THANK YOU! This type of work helps raise awareness and teaches the uninformed to have a deeper appreciation for this American art form.
No mention of the Osmond Brothers Boys Quartet?? That’s how they got their start, singing barbershop at Disneyland after.. The Dapper Dans.. went on to be the first barbershop chorus featured on The Andy Williams Show. ua-cam.com/video/O5nwowBIxyQ/v-deo.htmlsi=SqL9EGWJntEA6N-V
Thanks for sharing this wonderful video. Great description of our hobby and our passion. Even though I'm an older person, I love the fact that my primary quartet includes a 30 something and 40 something singer and that other of my choruses/quartets have men and women. I'm excited about our future.
Well done young'un well done!!
What a brilliant video. Thank you
Thank you for this video! It’s so well done! Definitely subscribing and hoping for more barbershop lore. 😊
My first introduction to barbershop was when I found “a pitch pipe thingy” (as I excitedly called it) in a box that had belonged to a relative long passed. For some reason I’ve kept it all these years.
Then one day I saw Ringmasters perform The Bells… on UA-cam. What an introduction! Then NF4 popped up and has become my favorite quartet. The comedy style feels like I’d love to just hang out and have some (morning) beers with some dudes my age. I also enjoy their (all too infrequent) behind the scenes videos.
Also I feel like I was just tired of current music for a multitude of reasons, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic haha.
As a female who sometimes feels excluded from all the cool stuff, I’d love a deep dive into the Sweet Adelines!
I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I am a musician and that seems weird to me. Usually the tenor or the soprano does the melody. That's how the doo wop guys do it. And string quartets. Orchestras. Why is this different?
Wow, really great video! I had a very superficial understanding of barbershop quartets before this video, thanks for shedding light on an amazing movement like this, we definitely need more harmony and love in this world!
Definitely leaving a comment for the algorithm. only 600 subscribers is criminal, AMAZING video. For anyone interested in one of the best showcases I would personally recommend Signature's Dance with my Father again. That is my personal favorite
I LOVE the sound of barbershop! My dad got it into my heart at a young age. I cannot sing a different note/melody than the person next to me (believe me I’ve tried) so unfortunately I can never sing 4-person 4-part harmony myself, but I can sure enjoy the sound of it. I wish you’d mentioned the extra magical note that appears when the harmony is just right (I don’t remember what it’s called), but maybe that would have been too technical? I don’t know how many other styles/how often that shows up in non-Barbershop songs, but it’s A-MAZING.
As a former BHS member, this was a great historical trip. Most of which I knew, but many things I didn’t. Like the Unfangled Four. I knew they a song or two but …. Dunno. Definitely heard of Lunch Break and the other entertaining quartets.
Seeing Fred made me smile..
This is a good overall explanation, and briefly touched many fabulous performances. I'd like to see a bit more about women's barbershop - Sweet Adelines or BHS or BHA or any of the fine organisations around the globe. I love Newfangled Four, but they really dominate this video, at the expense of GQ, The Ladies, mixed quartets, mixed choruses, etc. So - we need more. More in this excellent documentary style, picking up all the other stuff that wasn't included here.
Yo, great video topic.
An uptick in barbershop quartet interest may be due to the public's new found familiarity of vocal groups such as Pentatonix, Home Free and VoicePlay. In a world of mediocre pitch-corrected singers backed by repetitive beats and equipment that mimics musical instruments, it's not surprising that harmonizing vocals in complex arrangements are being recognized as real musical talent.
I love Barber Shop, but I still get a kick out of an episode of Car 54 Where Are You where Jan Murray had to judge a Barber Shop competition. The competition when on for hours and each group sang the same song, which almost caused Murray to end up in a padded cell.
In the video game Bioshock: Infinite they use a barbershop version of the Beach Boys song God Only Knows. Performed by A Mighty Wind.
Has to be quite a interesting topic to make a video essay with, very well presented, pretty great that you included the interview as well, overall a 9/10 video, great stuff!
Ohmygah I’m so glad I found this video-my dad was a devoted barbershopper all his life and this both takes me back and makes me so happy that this music is thriving today. Barbershop 💈 forever!!! 💈💈💈💈
I am not an active member these days, but the one thing I wish has been included is that BHS is now open to all. David mentioned the misogynistic and racist past, but that should have been followed by the fact that’s no more. BHS membership is open to all races and genders. Everyone In Harmony.
an amazingly produced video i cannot believe you have ONLY 67 subscribers you will make it BIG i can see it now
It is not dead. I tried to be a piano tuner and still love the work, but my autism prevents me from running a business. My Absolute Favorite aspect of the Piano Technician Conventions that I attended was meeting and singing with the Barbershop singers. Like some of the groups shown, both men and women sing, and while not everyone has a great voice, we are all capable of fine tuning. I really miss that. There are songs where the words were changed to make jokes about piano tuning.
I think one great thing about The Newfangled Four and the comedy quartets is that they bring us back to the reality and relatability that never shied away from outrageousness and unprofessionality. The comedy has a great way of puncturing through barbershop's Old Guard, that other sidelined concepts of old Barbershop struggle to
Ear Singing! Simple! No other instruments, just four voices. It started by people who were at home, with friends and neighbors trying to copy songs they had heard, or knew, with what they had present. Later it developed into what you hear on those older recordings.
In the "old" days....the best singing Quartet usually won the Contests. Now? It all about the GIMMICKS. Yes, the singing is at a higher level and the arrangements are tougher, and the winners are usually much younger. They aren't Hobbyists, anymore. This is one of the biggest reasons their numbers have dropped. It's not for the "common" singer any longer. They can't see the forest for all those darn trees!
Lots of talent and variety within the genre, but the stereotypical tenor on top with a bright sound gets tiring pretty quick. And what would happen if something was done without the silliness? Yes, I'm obviously an outlier, but...
Incredible video!
The distinctive character of classic barbershop harmony is because it was performed in just intonation and stayed close to diatonic chords except when resolving passing chords diatonically. That's almost impossible to maintain with modern songs that modulate. Even a 12 bar blues that uses dominant chords on l and lV won't work out in just intonation and the traditional harmonic effect disappears.