My mother was a member of the local Sweet Adeline chorus. She loved it! Her group went to many competitions. The ladies wore lovely costumes and practiced twice a week. She sang bass. She and seven other women formed a double quartet. They were quite good. This group was invited to sing the national anthem at the Cleveland Crunch soccer games. The Sweet Adeline group ended as the ladies grew older and younger women were not joining. I’m not sure if the Adelines exist anymore. I’m not certain, but I think they were an international organization.
I believe that there are still some Sweet Adelines, and I heard that there were about 30,000 members of the large Barbershop Quartet group. That seems a high number on the one hand, but not so high if you count members around the globe. Ah, for the days when singing was a great part of ordinary people's lives!
Thanks, Debra, for your instructive essay about the long history and technical aspects of Barbershop Quartet singing. It's one of types of music which I heard at home, when I was growing up. Both of my parents and my older brother sang in quartets at various times during their lives. As enjoyable as the Haydn Quartet's and the Mills Brothers' versions of your selected tune are, the performance by Ricky, Lucy, Fred, and Ethel is hilariously delightful. (I do hope Lucy was being stifled with whipped cream.)
John, I love that bit from "I Love Lucy," and all of the episodes when Lucy "sang." You may remember the one in which Ricky tried to do a duet with Lucy using a polyphonic melding of "Humoresque" and "Sewanee River." What a hoot that was! Singing was a big part of people's lives in the not-all-that long ago. We are the poorer for having dropped that very human occupation.
I agree that we have become poorer in mind, heart, and spirit--and, perhaps, consequently in our material existence--as individuals, families, and poleis during this 'enlightened', 'progressive' (actually regressive reversion to pagan practices) era, when mellifluous harmony, order, reason, and joy in human endeavors and affairs have been besieged assaulted by dark, vulgar, guttural, chaotic, discordant cacophony (the hounds of Hell). Should one be surprised that the world around us cheapens, devalues, desecrates, and destroys human life, and distorts the very essence of human nature?
On a late note regarding the Word of the Week, "Flower": This morning I heard Mahler's first symphony's second movement, which he titled "Blumine", a word which Mahler apparently fashioned as a variant of ‘Blume’ – or flower. https://youtu.be/xeEBVike2Vg.
Thanks for sharing that selection. It is very true that lack of song in a culture is a sign of a deteriorating society. The same with the rest of the arts, but to a great extent singing is such a natural act. And when is the last time you heard a man whistling a tune?
My husband and I went to a Barbershop Quartet competition years ago—a mission of mercy, I suppose, because one of his co-workers was competing and hoped his friends would show up. As it turns out, one of the women’s groups included the soprano from my parish’s Schola Cantorum. Until then, “Barbershop Quartet” brought to mind that “I love Lucy” episode and little else. However, we ended up enjoying ourselves—-the singing was very good and I was surprised at the humorous and highly entertaining nature of many of the songs.
There's something very charming about this particular harmonization style. And it's not entirely easy to perform, as becomes evident if ever you hear it done poorly!
Great stuff! How seemingly effortless was the harmonization of the great Mills Brothers. Thank you for keeping alive this era of American popular music. And speaking of easy listening and barber shops, one thinks of Perry Como, a singing barber by trade before launching his professional vocal career.
Steve! Yes, I do remember now hearing somewhere that Como started as a singing barber! The Mills Brothers were tremendous, and (though it isn't "kosher" in a barbershop number, I liked that little hint of guitar in their version of "Sweet Adeline." Of course they weren't going for a strict barbershop arrangement -- but they did a great variation, didn't they?
I’m so happy you covered this today! It’s big in my aunt’s family, now for 3 generations. Here’s a sample from her son’s quartet, number one in the country a few years ago. https://youtu.be/HHFwHRQI1is?si=Sak19FgWd6d8tSK2
For any unfamiliar with the TV show 'Scrubs' (taking place in, and literally filmed in Sacred Heart Hospital).................Here is Ted's band doing the Underdog theme.........
Mark, we are big Underdog fans (a childhood favorite for us), and the song was wonderful on its own. But this clip! Haha, terrific. We haven't seen the show, but the band is great. It reminded me of an old episode of Emergency wherein the firemen enter a Barbershop Quartet contest. It begins with their singing a single chord. So you expect that they will master it. But -- alas! (and humorously) no!
Don't remember the show too much, now.......but the theme song has always been a favorite...for all its "cartoonishness", it really is a heroic song...
It was a brilliant bit of satire, and with the dweeby voice of Wally Cox as Underdog. Yes, the song is heroic. And as it turned out, Underdog ALWAYS won!
Lucy!🥰🥳😄
My mother was a member of the local Sweet Adeline chorus. She loved it! Her group went to many competitions. The ladies wore lovely costumes and practiced twice a week. She sang bass. She and seven other women formed a double quartet. They were quite good. This group was invited to sing the national anthem at the Cleveland Crunch soccer games. The Sweet Adeline group ended as the ladies grew older and younger women were not joining. I’m not sure if the Adelines exist anymore. I’m not certain, but I think they were an international organization.
I believe that there are still some Sweet Adelines, and I heard that there were about 30,000 members of the large Barbershop Quartet group. That seems a high number on the one hand, but not so high if you count members around the globe. Ah, for the days when singing was a great part of ordinary people's lives!
https://youtu.be/1mdAuGYOyHM?si=exOmlq_xdcDYE2XL
The Marx Brothers! Gotta love 'em!
Share
https://youtu.be/UdhlmUJaUas?si=liQQfatG3bYwDs1u
“Stowaways, eh? What are they doing?”
“They’re singing Sweet Adeline!”
Thanks, Debra, for your instructive essay about the long history and technical aspects of Barbershop Quartet singing. It's one of types of music which I heard at home, when I was growing up. Both of my parents and my older brother sang in quartets at various times during their lives. As enjoyable as the Haydn Quartet's and the Mills Brothers' versions of your selected tune are, the performance by Ricky, Lucy, Fred, and Ethel is hilariously delightful. (I do hope Lucy was being stifled with whipped cream.)
John, I love that bit from "I Love Lucy," and all of the episodes when Lucy "sang." You may remember the one in which Ricky tried to do a duet with Lucy using a polyphonic melding of "Humoresque" and "Sewanee River." What a hoot that was! Singing was a big part of people's lives in the not-all-that long ago. We are the poorer for having dropped that very human occupation.
I agree that we have become poorer in mind, heart, and spirit--and, perhaps, consequently in our material existence--as individuals, families, and poleis during this 'enlightened', 'progressive' (actually regressive reversion to pagan practices) era, when mellifluous harmony, order, reason, and joy in human endeavors and affairs have been besieged assaulted by dark, vulgar, guttural, chaotic, discordant cacophony (the hounds of Hell). Should one be surprised that the world around us cheapens, devalues, desecrates, and destroys human life, and distorts the very essence of human nature?
On a late note regarding the Word of the Week, "Flower": This morning I heard Mahler's first symphony's second movement, which he titled "Blumine", a word which Mahler apparently fashioned as a variant of ‘Blume’ – or flower. https://youtu.be/xeEBVike2Vg.
Thanks for sharing that selection. It is very true that lack of song in a culture is a sign of a deteriorating society. The same with the rest of the arts, but to a great extent singing is such a natural act. And when is the last time you heard a man whistling a tune?
My husband and I went to a Barbershop Quartet competition years ago—a mission of mercy, I suppose, because one of his co-workers was competing and hoped his friends would show up. As it turns out, one of the women’s groups included the soprano from my parish’s Schola Cantorum. Until then, “Barbershop Quartet” brought to mind that “I love Lucy” episode and little else. However, we ended up enjoying ourselves—-the singing was very good and I was surprised at the humorous and highly entertaining nature of many of the songs.
There's something very charming about this particular harmonization style. And it's not entirely easy to perform, as becomes evident if ever you hear it done poorly!
Great stuff! How seemingly effortless was the harmonization of the great Mills Brothers. Thank you for keeping alive this era of American popular music. And speaking of easy listening and barber shops, one thinks of Perry Como, a singing barber by trade before launching his professional vocal career.
Steve! Yes, I do remember now hearing somewhere that Como started as a singing barber! The Mills Brothers were tremendous, and (though it isn't "kosher" in a barbershop number, I liked that little hint of guitar in their version of "Sweet Adeline." Of course they weren't going for a strict barbershop arrangement -- but they did a great variation, didn't they?
I’m so happy you covered this today! It’s big in my aunt’s family, now for 3 generations. Here’s a sample from her son’s quartet, number one in the country a few years ago. https://youtu.be/HHFwHRQI1is?si=Sak19FgWd6d8tSK2
Wow, Monica, thanks for sharing this one. I haven't heard that song in years, and never sung this way. That's some high quality music for sure.
Barbershop
For any unfamiliar with the TV show 'Scrubs' (taking place in, and literally filmed in Sacred Heart Hospital).................Here is Ted's band doing the Underdog theme.........
From a show scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNiGeKzc-98
From their album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9SugGHNuAw
Mark, we are big Underdog fans (a childhood favorite for us), and the song was wonderful on its own. But this clip! Haha, terrific. We haven't seen the show, but the band is great. It reminded me of an old episode of Emergency wherein the firemen enter a Barbershop Quartet contest. It begins with their singing a single chord. So you expect that they will master it. But -- alas! (and humorously) no!
Don't remember the show too much, now.......but the theme song has always been a favorite...for all its "cartoonishness", it really is a heroic song...
It was a brilliant bit of satire, and with the dweeby voice of Wally Cox as Underdog. Yes, the song is heroic. And as it turned out, Underdog ALWAYS won!
So help me, my brother once dated a young lady who was the living image of Sweet Polly Purebred.😆
Hahaa! <3