Four Part Harmony
The tradition of writing four part harmony for four voices stretches back for many centuries. The voice ranges – Soprano (S), Alto (A), tenor (T) and Bass (B) – can be shortened to S A T B. When writing SATB harmonies, it is often necessary to double chord tones so that each part has a note to sing.
The most commonly doubled notes are the root and the 5th. The 3rd is rarely doubled. Occasionally it is necessary to triple one of the tones and omit another. If a note is omitted, it is usually the 5th of the chord, and the root is tripled in its place.
There are many conventions and rules in four part writing. It is beyond the scope of this book to discuss them all. If you are interested in four part harmony, it is recommended that you study it with a Classical harmony teacher. With or without a teacher, it is also recommended that you study the vocal music of J.S. Bach, as well as listening extensively to choral music.
In this simple example, Soprano, Alto and Tenor voices sing chord tones together, independently of the melody sung by the Baritone. This kind of harmony is often used in the chorus of a Pop or Rock song. It has been used by everyone from the Beach Boys to Boy Bands.
In lesson 37 there is a fully scored vocal arrangement of a traditional song for four female voices.
