The musical expression a cappella denotes music sung without accompanying instruments. And it means "in the manner of the chapel" because it comes from the times when the music heard in churches was only sung. It is thus opposed to the cantata which, of course, is sung, but accompanied by instruments. An outstanding example of a cappella music is the Gregorian chant, typical of Catholic ritual, born around the ninth and tenth centuries.
The Swingle Singers
In the 20th century, a vocal group born in 1962 from an idea of the American vocalist Ward Swingle went a little further. Not only did he do away with instruments, but he proposed to replace them with onomatopoeias and the vocal technique known as scat singing. They are the famous Swingle Singers born in France in 1962 and, after their dissolution, reborn in London in 1973, and still active today.
One of their most famous works was their version of the aria in G from Bach's Suite No. 3, a task that today would be child's play compared to what they were later able to do, with, for example, the vocal version of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture or the no less famous Bolero by Maurice Ravel.
Ravel's Bolero, a cappella
The group currently consists of seven members: two sopranos, a contralto, two tenors, a baritone and a bass. Although they may occasionally be supported by a double bass and some percussion, the version of the Bolero presented here is entirely a cappella. Only seven people have been able to create this astonishing eight-minute version of Ravel's popular piece (the original version lasts seventeen, approx.).
And if anyone has ever wondered what exactly is the rhythmic – or melodic – pattern known as ostinato, just pay attention to the basses that are heard neatly at the beginning of the piece, and which, as the ostinato that it is, will be maintained without variation or respite until the end.
