导言：有没有一种歌声既不需要绚丽的舞台效果，也没有夸张的肢体动作，甚至没有乐器伴奏，但依然可以“余音绕梁，三日不绝”？没错，这就是风靡世界的“阿卡贝拉”！下面将为你介绍的是阿卡贝拉的起源和特点。

Acappella (Italian for "in the manner of the church" or "in the manner of the chapel") music is specifically group, or solo, singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It contrasts with cantata, which is accompanied singing. Acappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroqueconcerto style. In the 19th century a renewed interest in Renaissance polyphony coupled with an ignorance of the fact that vocal parts were often doubled by instrumentalists led to the term coming to mean unaccompanied vocal music.

An increased interest in acappella music is evident with recent TV shows like The Sing Off and movies such as Pitch Perfect. Many acappella groups are located in high schools and colleges, and there are amateurBarbershop Harmony Society and professional groups that sing acappellaexclusively. Although acappella is technically defined as singing without instrumental accompaniment, some groups use their voices to emulate instruments; others are more traditional and focus on harmonizing. Acappella styles range from gospel music to contemporary to barbershop quartets and choruses.

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Phrases and Expressions

1.      acappella [ækə'pelə] 无伴奏合声

2.      cantata [kænˈtɑ:tə] 大合唱；清唱剧

3.      polyphony [pəˈlɪfəni] 复调音乐，多音

4.      concerto [kənˈtʃɜ:təʊ] 协奏曲

5.      Sing Off一档以无伴奏合唱为特点的美国电视歌唱比赛

6.      Pitch Perfect音乐喜剧片《完美音调》

7.      barbershop理发店合唱（指用和声法演唱而不借助乐器伴奏的一种唱法）

8.      gospel music 福音音乐（美国黑人的一种宗教音乐）

9.      barbershop quartet 理发店四重唱

10.   chorus [ˈkɔ:rəs] 合唱

编稿：杨燕

更多相关信息也可参阅：http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_cappella