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What Is Four Part Harmony?



The term "four-part harmony" refers to music written for 4 voices, where the various parts give a different note of each chord of the music. Typically, the 1st of the 4 parts will sing (or play) the melody, with the other 3 parts providing the supporting harmonies. It is unusual for any of the 4 parts to share the same note, although it happens at times.

In choral music, the 4 main voices are typically labelled as: soprano (or tenor), alto (lead), baritone, and bass. Because most singers have a relatively limited range, the upper notes of the soprano or tenor part cannot be sung by a bass singer. Conversely, the lower notes of the bass part typically cannot be reached by a soprano voice, with some notes so low that baritone voices cannot reach them either.

Groups of just 4 people, singing as quartets, can perform in four-part harmony. A special genre in this music is the "Barbershop Quartet" usually consisting of 4 men who sing tenor, countertenor, baritone, and bass parts. A barbershop quartet typically sings with extra focus on emphasizing, or exaggerating, the harmonies in a piece of music, rather than singing in quiet supporting roles to a louder, solo melody voice.

All four voices often sing with such intensity that it is difficult to mimic the sound from just hearing the melody part separately, where the supporting voices can provide counterpoint melodies, close harmonies, or a walking bass to the melody line.