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Collegiate a cappella (or college a cappella) ensembles are college-affiliated singing groups, primarily in the United States but increasingly elsewhere, that perform entirely without musical instruments. The groups are composed of students and are typically operated and directed by students. The term ''a cappella'' may also refer to the music genre performed by pop-centric student singing groups. As a result, an ensemble that sings unaccompanied classical music is performing ''a cappella'' in the adjective sense of the term, but it may not be considered to be an a cappella group. According to Mickey Rapkin’s nonfiction book Pitch Perfect, a cappella music describes one of the oldest forms of music in existence, “the kind made without any accompaniment at all,” and descended from the tradition of Gregorian chant.〔Rapkin, Mickey. "Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory"- Gotham Books, 2008〕 A cappella music as a form joined this early form with a later Puritan style, known as shape-note singing, which further extended into the American Gospel tradition. Further permutations leaked into the American pop landscape.〔 Today, by some accounts, there exist as many as “twelve hundred collegiate a cappella groups in the United States alone.”〔 ==History== It is not known exactly when or where collegiate a cappella began. The Rensselyrics of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (formerly known as the RPI Glee Club), established in 1873, is perhaps the oldest known collegiate a cappella group.〔 (【引用サイトリンク】 The Glee Club: A Musical Legacy at Rensselaer ) 〕 The longest continuously-operating group is thought to be The Whiffenpoofs of Yale University,〔 (【引用サイトリンク】 The Yale Whiffenpoofs ) 〕 which was formed in 1909. The first a cappella groups at other American Ivy League Universities include the Princeton Nassoons (c.1941), the Dartmouth Aires (1946), the Harvard Krokodiloes (1946), the Jabberwocks of Brown University (1949), and Cornell's Cayuga's Waiters (1949). As Rev. James M. Howard (Yale 1909) suggests, and as is popularly known of collegiate a cappella, the founding of the Whiffenpoofs of Yale was preceded by a decision by members of the Yale music community to create a musical group that would combine the musical style of its Yale Glee Club with a newer, more modern sound. According to Howard, “during the early nineteen hundreds a coveted privilege for any member of the Yale Glee Club was to be chose to sing in what was then known as the Varsity Quartet.” According to Howard, a student at the time, Goat Fowler, suggested the quartet take on the name “The Whiffenpoofs,” from of the lyrics to a current popular Broadway hit, Little Nemo. Such names, normally intended for comedic effect, have come to define in some part the irreverent attitude of collegiate a cappella in the last century since the group began.〔 In recent years, online a cappella communities have burgeoned, allowing for greater discourse involving the shaping of modern a cappella music, including stylistic trends. Among the most prominent online a cappella presences are The A Cappella Blog, Varsity Vocals, and CASA (The Contemporary A Cappella Society). According to The A Cappella Blog’s information section, “The A Cappella Blog was founded in January 2007. Since that time, the site has reviewed over 40 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella competitions. In addition, the site has featured interviews with over 50 a cappella groups and major figures in the a cappella community, including Ben Folds, Jerry Lawson, and Straight No Chaser. The A Cappella Blog has also published guest posts by a cappella luminaries such as Mickey Rapkin, Deke Sharon, Amanda Newman and Bill Hare.” Similarly, the Varsity Vocals compose an international a cappella organization based around their two main competitions, the ICCAs (International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella) and the ICHSA (International Competition of High School A Cappella). According to their website, “owned and operated by Varsity Vocals, the competitions receive applications each fall. For groups accepted to the tournament, ICCA shows are held in three rounds – Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals. Roughly, Quarterfinals are held in January and February, Semifinals in March, and Finals in April in New York City. ICHSA shows are held in Semifinal and Final rounds throughout the spring, culminating with Finals in April in New York City.” 〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://varsityvocals.com/about/faq/ )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Collegiate a cappella」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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