Close Harmony

Close harmony is a delightful genre that took root in the early 20th century, primarily in the United States, where groups enthusiastically sang in tight, beautifully layered vocal arrangements, often a bit too well for their own good. It’s like a choir held a pleasant dinner party and suddenly everyone decided to harmonise their way through the menu, producing rich, blended chords that float elegantly through the air, often with a cheeky nod to popular songs of the time. This genre paved the way for barbershop quartets and acapella groups, proving that sometimes, a bit of vocal overlap is the best way to make a point—or at least to sound marvellously festive.