The British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) is a British organisation of male

barbershop singers Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era (1930s–present), is a style of a cappella close harmony, or unaccompanied vocal music, characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a primarily ...

. It was formed in 1974 and is affiliated with the

Barbershop Harmony Society The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop ...

. Every year the association runs two contests in parallel for barbershop choruses and quartets as part of the BABS Annual Convention. The British convention is the largest barbershop convention of its kind outside of North America. The chorus competition is currently held over one day, while the quartet competition is spread over the convention weekend (with a preliminary round to eliminate all but the top 16 quartets usually held about 6 months prior to the semi-finals). Concurrent with the national quartet contest, BABS holds an International Quartet Qualifying Contest, which past BABS gold medal quartets may also enter, to determine qualification for the next year's BHS International Quartet contest. In conjunction with the preliminary quartet contest, BABS also holds Seniors Quartet and Youth Quartet contests; BHS is asked to permit the respective winners to compete in the subsequent corresponding international contest, subject to a qualifying score. National contest winners (in the categories of

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

) by year are as follows: :

References

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External links

BABS website
Barbershop music A cappella musical groups Cultural organisations based in the United Kingdom