So what is A Cappella singing? First, let’s clear up a point of confusion. There is no agreed spelling and you will find Acapella, Acappella, A Capella and A Cappella commonly used. They all refer to the same style.

The word comes from the Italian phrase alla capella, “in the manner of the chapel,” or “according to the chapel.” In other words, a capella music follows the oldest church traditions of unaccompanied vocal music.

There can be up to five different parts in an A Cappella choir. The style we use has just four parts, enough to give some rich and enjoyable harmonies.

Is it difficult? Not really. Each part needs to be confident in the notes and not be pulled away by the person standing near, singing a different part and different notes. That does take some practice but the resulting music you can make with the group makes the effort worthwhile.