a cappella singing
1
3.7
- noun
- /ɑː kəˈpɛlə ˈsɪŋɪŋ/
:
canto a capella
- The comedy follows Beca, a slightly anti-social undergrad who doesn't seem to quite fit in anywhere, as she unwillingly becomes a member of one of the school's a cappella singing groups.
- a cappella singing group
Examples
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The choir specializes in a cappella singing, performing intricate vocal harmonies without any instruments.
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A cappella singing is defined and explored in performance.
Academic text (2011) -
[distant a cappella singing]
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M: Yep, I have yet to see that show, but this movie is about a college with a very competitive glee club music scene... it's a cappella singing here, and this movie is kind of a-ca-awesome.
Blog text (19) -
He also pledged to me that when he gets accepted to a first-rate college, he is not going to be satisfied until he is in the top a cappella singing group on campus.
Academic text (1996) -
At the concert, the group showcased their talent for a cappella singing, captivating the audience with their rich vocal arrangements.
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Many universities have clubs dedicated to a cappella singing, where students sing popular songs without instrumental support.
Antonyms
How Wordless
Surface Forms
Morphology
a + cappella + singing
The phrase 'a cappella' is a lexicalized borrowing (from Italian, originally meaning 'in the manner of the chapel') and the sense 'without instrumental accompaniment' is not transparently composed from the parts 'a' + 'cappella' + 'singing'. A B1 learner who only knows the literal constituents would not reliably derive the idiomatic musical meaning, so the expression functions as an opaque idiom.
Etymology
A cappella singing comes from the Italian words a cappella, meaning 'in the chapel', because church choirs often sang in chapels without instruments. So, the phrase now means singing 'without instruments'.