Judging Criteria To give you a brief idea of how barbershop competitions are judged, the following is condensed from the Contest Judging Handbook of SPEBSQSA. There are three Judging categories: Music, Presentation and Singing . These are all judged separately by three or more judges. However, an audience member experiences the art form of barbershop music as a whole. Thus, even while evaluating a performance from a particular perspective, an audience member will experience the total performance. Each of the three categories—Music, Presentation, and Singing—is intended to be a particular orientation or perspective from which a judge views the total performance and, to some extent, certain elements of a barbershop performance will be evaluated by judges in two, or even all three catgoies. Each category is of equal importance and is awarded a 100-point band per judge per song. In a tie situation only first place is split, this is split by the chorus/quartet with the highest number of points in singing, if points are still the same then refer to the music category, then presentation. [The following is excerpted from SPEBSQSA Contest and Judging Handbook, 9/01, The Judging system pg. 9 and the "Contestant Scoring Analysis, pg 100] Scoring Categories Each category judge will determine a single quality rating or score, on a scale of 1 to 100. The judge will determine whether the level of the performance is excellent (A-level, from 81-100), good (B-level, from 61-80), fair (C-level, from 41-60), or poor (D-level, from 1-40), and award an exact score based upon an evaluation of all the elements in the performance that have an impact on his category. If no quality rating is appropriate owing to an unequivocal and definite violation of the rules, the judge will forfeit his score by awarding a 0. The major responsibilities of each judging category are as follows: A. Music Category Music is defined as the song and arrangement, as performed. The Music judge is responsible for adjudicating the musical elements in the performance. He judges the extent to which the musical performance displays the hallmarks of the barbershop style, and the degree to which the musical performance demonstrates an artistic sensitivity to the music’s primary theme. The primary hallmark of barbershop music is its consonant harmony. Thus, the quality of any barbershop performance depends largely on the presence, accurate execution, and artistic delivery of the consonant harmony traditionally identified with the barbershop style. Indirectly, the Music judge evaluates the work of the composer and arranger. A basic prerequisite for a successful barbershop performance is that the song be appropriate to the barbershop style. Beyond this, the various musical elements should work together to establish a theme. The sensitive handling of musical elements—melody, lyrics, harmony, range and tessitura, embellishments, tempo, rhythm, and meter, musical construction and form—demonstrates musicality in a performance. A strong musical performance is one in which everything provided by the composer and arranger is skillfully delivered and effectively integrated in support of the musical theme. This requires that the music be suited to the performer, and that the performer understand the music. The Music judge is prepared to accept any treatment that is musically plausible. The theme may also change from one part of the song to another. Often, the theme will be the song’s lyrics, while at other times the theme may be one of the musical elements themselves, such as rhythm. Whatever the theme, the Music judge evaluates how the musical elements of the song and arrangement support the theme. E   D   C- C B- B A- A 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Not consonant Rarely consonant Sometimes consonant Primarily consonant Consistently consonant Indiscernible theme Ambiguous theme Inconsistent theme Effective theme Continuous theme Inadequate embellishment Weak embellishment Adequate embellishment Tasteful embellishment Artistic embellishment Meaningless delivery Awkward delivery Mechanical delivery Sensitive delivery Artistic delivery Unskilful execution Poor execution Ordinary execution Good execution Excellent execution Other things the music category is looking / judging for: Melody - stylistic, distinguishable, tonal centre, alteration (s) Lyrics - stylistic, quality, phrasing Harmony - stylistic, barbershop sevenths, major / minor triads, voicing, progressions Range and Tessitura - stylistic, good quality, balance Tempo, Rhythm, Meter - stylistic, forward motion, rubato / ad lib Construction and Form - stylistic, overall concept / contour, unity and contrast, added material Embellishments - stylistic, appropriateness, degree B. Presentation Category Presentation is a “giving,” a “bringing forth,” and a “sharing,” including the thrill of transforming a printed song into an emotional experience and sharing it with an audience. Words, notes, and other symbols on the printed page are the composer’s and, subsequently, the arranger’s gift to the performer. The presentation of the song is the performer’s gift to the audience. Within that presentation, the performer has the freedom to explore individual style as part of a unified performing group provided the individual expression does not override the bounds of good taste or contemporary standards of barbershop performance. The Presentation judge evaluates everything about the performance that contributes to emotional impact upon the audience. Effect and believability are the benchmarks used to evaluate a performance and its impact. In this context impact means the transference of an emotional experience to the audience; it may be gentle and barely perceptible or it may be enormously powerful … but, to be measured favorably, it must be believable and appropriate. The Presentation judge is principally responsible for evaluating the entertainment value in a barbershop performance. Visual and vocal interpretation serve to explain the emotional content of the song as it is understood by the performer and to stimulate the audience’s participation in the experience. The Presentation judge evaluates how effectively a performer brings the song to life—that is, how believable is the illusion of the story/message/theme in its visual and vocal setting. He will, of necessity, respond to both the visual and vocal aspects of the presentation, but he will principally evaluate the interaction of these aspects as they work together to create the image of the song. E   D   C- C B- B A- A 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Not believable Rarely believable Sometimes believable Frequently believable Consistently believable No vocal expression Rare vocal expression Some vocal expression Frequent vocal expression Vocal artistry No visual expression Rare visual expression Some visual expression Frequent visual expression Visual artistry Not a unit Rarely a unit Sometimes a unit Frequently a unit Consistent a unit Never in command Rarely in command Somewhat in command Strongly in command Totally in command Other things the presentation category is looking / judging for: Appearance - attire, focus / energy, facial / body Dynamics - volume, fullness, inflection, colour, vitality Motion - flow, tempo, rhythm, pace, timing, gestures Comedy - (if applic.) humorous concept, believable characters, character development, action / reaction / timing, punch line (s) C. Singing Category One ingredient that clearly identifies barbershop music is its unique sound. The best barbershop singing combines elements of technique and emotion to create an artistic result: the transformation of a song into an emotional experience for the performer and audience. Primarily, the Singing judge listens for the pleasing effect of in-tune singing from voices that are free and resonant and exhibit no signs of difficulties. He expects to hear the ensemble as a unit, free from distractions by individual differences of quality or delivery. Furthermore, enhanced by the choice of harmonies, voicings, and voice relationships characteristic to barbershop, the ensemble sound can achieve a sound that feels greater than the sum of the parts: a “lock” or “ring,” or the feeling of “expanded sound.” The ring of a barbershop chord will always be the hallmark of the style. Any listener to a barbershop performance expects to be thrilled by the sound of a ringing climax, or awed by the purity and beauty of a soft and elegant expression of a song. Great barbershop singing demands mastery of vocal and ensemble skills to create the breathtaking effects of barbershop musical artistry. The Singing judge evaluates the degree to which the performer achieves artistic singing in the barbershop style. This is accomplished through precise intonation, a high degree of vocal skill, good vocal quality, and a high level of unity and consistency within the ensemble. Mastering these elements also creates a feeling of fullness, ring, and expansion of sound throughout the performance. When artistry is present, these elements are natural, unmanufactured, and free from apparent effort, allowing the performer to fully communicate the theme of the song. E   D   C- C B- B A- A 1 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Not in tune Rarely in Tune Sometimes in tune Frequently in tune Consistently in tune Offensive vocal quality Improper vocal quality Satisfactory vocal quality Pleasing vocal quality Excellent vocal quality Not a unit Rarely a unit Sometimes a unit Frequently a unit Consistent a unit Insignificant expansion Rare expansion Some expansion Frequent expansion Consistent expansion No artistry Rare artistry Some artistry Frequent artistry Consistent artistry Other things the singing category is looking / judging for: In tune? - melodic, harmonic Vocal quality?- support, free, resonant, vibrato / tremolo, bright / strident / nasal / raucous swallowed throaty, oversung. Unity?- single voices, timbre match, word sound match, balance, attack and release, synchronisation, flow, pronunciation, enunciation. Expansion?- degree of, quality of, R,3,5,7 Artistry?- musical, technical, tone colour use. Style Elements Shared By All Categories Those aspects of a barbershop performance that are evaluated by judges in all three categories are: the preservation of the barbershop style; ringing, in-tune singing, vocal quality; the suitability of the song to the performer; self-expressiveness and heartfelt performance. A. Preservation of the Barbershop Style 1. All judges are responsible for preserving the barbershop style from the standpoint of their respective categories. All judges adjudicate the technical elements described in I.A.1 and 2. The degree to which each category is affected by the artistic elements of the style varies, as described in the each of the Category Descriptions. B. In-tune Singing 1. Since barbershop harmony is a style of vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note, to which the harmony parts are enharmonically adjusted in pitch in order to produce an optimum consonant sound, in-tune singing is a concern of every judge. C. Vocal Quality 1. The use of similar word sounds sung in good quality helps to produce the unique full or expanded sound of barbershop harmony. 2. Performances should be characterized by a natural, resonant, full-voiced presentation, though tenors may not be singing full voice. D. Suitability of the Music to the Performer 1. All judges will evaluate the suitability of the music—the song and the arrangement as performed—to the performer, though the orientation of judges will differ from category to category. 2. Performers are encouraged to choose music that they enjoy singing, and that features the strengths and minimizes the weaknesses of the ensemble. It may be risky for performers to choose a particular piece of music because another ensemble has achieved success with that music. Judges evaluate the performance of the music rather than any inherent advantages or disadvantages in the elements of the music. Moreover, there are no benefits in choosing difficult or easy music—only in choosing music that your ensemble can perform well. E. Self-Expressiveness and Heartfelt Performance 1. Within the parameters of the judging system there is sufficient freedom to bring a multitude of individual styles and performance preferences to the contest stage. Judges will adjudicate each performance on the basis of an individual lifetime of listening and viewing experience, and evaluate the particular performance as much as possible without regard to prior performances of the music and without preconceived ideas of how the music “should” be performed. 2. Performers should strive to commit themselves to contribute something to the audience in an authentic, sincere, and heartfelt manner.
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