In the words of W.H. Auden-
“The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable.” And a cappella is one of the simplest forms of music.
A cappella is Italian for “in the manner of the chapel”. A cappella music is group or solo singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term “a cappella” was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroqueconcertato style.
Northeastern University has its own all-female a cappella group named Pitch, Please! And they’ve won the collegiate division of a regional singing competition televised by the Boston station WGBH. Pitch, Please! qualified for Sing That Thing! by topping 40 other ensembles to win the 22nd Annual A Cappella Competition at Faneuil Hall in Boston in October 2018. The group bested The Zumbyes from Amherst University in the season finale of Sing That Thing! by performing renditions of “Same Old Blues” by Phantogram and “My Mind” by YEBBA.
“We didn’t go into this expecting to win,” says Olivia Triplett, president of Pitch, Please, “Our mentality was to just put ourselves out there and be proud of what we do.” Triplett says that some members of Pitch, Please! expressed reservations about performing “My Mind,” a ballad with lyrics about betrayal and infidelity. But the a cappella group ultimately decided to sing the song despite its slow tempo and weighty themes.
One judge, vocalist Annette Philip, praised the group’s performance of “My Mind.” “To have you come in here and own the song, own the emotions, and own this space effortlessly with poise. There was just a zing.”
Pitch, Please! next plans to perform the national anthem at Fenway Park on Tuesday, June 11 before the Red Sox take on the Texas Rangers.
Ishwarya Varshitha