Happiness in Harmony
Brooke MacCallum
It’s late Thursday evening at the Aldergrove Community League Hall, and rich harmonies can be heard carrying through the hallways. Inside, the Grove City Chorus is mid-rehearsal, practising their a cappella rendition of the classic Christmas tune “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Dressed in matching holiday attire of red sparkly vests and bow ties, their voices blend in a barbershop-style harmony that transports the room to another time.
Barbershop-style singing first began in the United States in the late 1800s, rooted in the African–American improvisational traditions of the South. This style of singing was later adopted and popularized by White male quartets in the early 1900s, who helped shape it into the musical genre known today as “barbershop harmony.” However, by the 1930s, the barbershop style began to fade in popularity in favour of rising genres like blues and jazz.
Then in 1938, the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) was founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a mission to revive the barbershop style. This non-profit has since rebranded as the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), with more than 20,000 members in choruses and quartets around the globe, including chapters in Canada.
Grove City Chorus was formed in Edmonton in 1992, affiliated with the Evergreen District of the BHS. Today, it comprises gentlemen of all ages and backgrounds who gather weekly in their shared passion for barbershop harmony. They rehearse songs both old and new and perform at baseball games, churches, seniors homes, and hospitals to spread joy in the community. Among them is retired teacher and ARTA member Don Werner, who has been a dedicated member and a lead in the chorus for nearly twenty years.
“I like the four-part harmony,” Don says. “Somebody blows a pitch pipe, you take that note and then separate it into whatever part you’re singing.” Barbershop is an arranging style built on close, four-part a cappella harmony. The four parts are lead, tenor, baritone, and bass. The lead carries the main melody, while the tenor harmonizes above it. The baritone adds richness by filling in the middle notes of the chords, often singing close to the lead’s range. Providing the low-end harmonies, the bass anchors the sound.
Some members of Grove City, like Don, are now retired, but there’s no minimum age requirement to join. The chorus also has younger singers and university students who help carry on the legacy of barbershop harmony. “I’m the oldest in the group,” says Don, “but I haven’t been singing barbershop the longest — some of the guys started when they were very young and have been part of a chorus for almost forty years!”
Rehearsing weekly for barbershop has been fulfilling for Don in his retirement. “I think it has helped me physically and mentally,” Don says. “You’re always learning new songs and trying to remember them. My memory isn’t what it used to be, but it stretches that muscle. It’s been good for me.”
You’re always learning new songs and trying to remember them. My memory isn’t what it used to be, but it stretches that muscle. It’s been good for me.
– Don Werner
Don finds barbershop singing deeply rewarding, not just for the music itself, but also for the many heartfelt moments it brings. He recalls one Christmas when the chorus visited a local hospital, singing carols and hymns to bring holiday cheer to patients and their families. At the end of the evening, a nurse approached them with a special request from a family whose father, an elderly German man, wanted to hear “Silent Night.” One of the members sang a verse in German, “Stille Nacht,” moving the family to tears. A few weeks later, Don was stopped in a grocery store by one of the family members who recognized him. “You don’t know what that meant to us,” they said. Their father had passed away shortly after Christmas, but the song had brought him peace in his final days.
The joy that singing can bring to others is one of the most meaningful parts of barbershop harmony, a feeling that keeps members of the chorus coming back week after week. “There’s a camaraderie,” says Don. “It’s a good bunch of guys that like to get together to sing and make music.”
If you are interested in joining or want to learn more, you can visit the Grove City Chorus website at ebhchorus.ca/join-us.
Brooke is the Communications Coordinator for ARTA and holds a public relations diploma from MacEwan University. She enjoys creating engaging resources to help promote a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle for retirees.