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🎤 No-instrument singing 🎤 Without instruments
a cappella

a cappella

3 5.7
In a way that uses voices only and no instruments
  • idiom
  • /ɑː kəˈpɛlə/
translation icon : a capella
  • During the rehearsal, they practiced the song a cappella to ensure everyone knew their parts.
  • sing a cappella

Examples

  • Farther down, a group of young men sang spiritual songs a cappella.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • They are distinguished from those sung at festas by the fact that they are sung a cappella without drummed accompaniment.

    Academic text (2003)

  • - Then you will have to sing a cappella.

    Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

  • You know, Kat and I were part of the same college a cappella group...

    Joy Ride (2023)

  • Including some a cappella selections in the concert is also recommended.

    Academic text (2000)

  • At Jack's party, they are singing the song a cappella, and Bea kisses Piggy, much to his surprise.

    Blog text (22)

  • They've audiated their starting pitch for several minutes and now begin a stirring a cappella version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

    Academic text (2004)

  • In 1987, she led a live audience of 3,500 children and a home television audience of thousands in singing American folk songs a cappella in MENC's World's Largest Concert.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Central to the program are performances by numerous gospel vocalists from around the city who will either be accompanied by the church's organist, bring their own accompanists, or perform a cappella.

    Blog text (25)

  • The choir performed the entire concert a cappella, showcasing their incredible vocal harmony.

Synonyms

unaccompanied
vsa cappella
  • Specialized
1 5.5

Sung or played without other instruments

specifies only voices perform and is used adverbially

Antonyms

instrumental
4 3.7

A piece of music that has no singing

accompanied
4.4

Performed with musical instruments or voices

How Vocal

a cappella
3 5.7
choral
13 5.5
vocal music
1 2.9
song
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

a cappella positive

Morphology

a + cappella

This is a fixed borrowing from Italian whose meaning ('without instrumental accompaniment') cannot be derived from the English parts 'a' and 'cappella' (the latter will be unknown to a B1 learner). The expression does not follow a transparent English compositional pattern, so learners who only know the constituent words would not predict the meaning.

Etymology

A cappella comes from Italian, where cappella meant 'chapel' and church singers often sang there without instruments. So today a cappella is used to say 'without musical or instrumental accompaniment'.