Rock River Valley
Barbershop Chorus

About the Rock River Valley Barbershop Chorus (RRVBC)

The RRVBC Chorus is the Sterling Rock Falls, Illinois chapter of The Harmony Society. For 57 years now, we in the Sterling Rock Falls chapter have entertained thousands of people with our barbershop-style singing.

We have 45 active members, ranging in age from 16 to 70. Our members include men from various occupations. While most of our members live in the Sterling - Rock Falls area, we also have members who drive in for rehearsals every week from such outlying points as Clinton Iowa, Morrison, Dixon, Franklin Grove, Byron, Princeton, New Bedford, Prophetstown, Polo, Milledgeville, Mt Morris, Lyndon and Fulton.

We put on several performances each year, including a show each Spring, Christmas walks in November & December. We also deliver Singing Valentines throughout the Sauk Valley area in February. All of this activity helps us to raise money to cover our chorus expenses (sheet music, uniforms, vocal training, etc.). But we are most proud of our ability to make financial contributions each year to many area organizations. Since 1995, we have donated over $32,000 to such causes!

Many of our members have formed their own quartets, and are available for private performances.

Our Purpose

To provide our members with the opportunity to share love through music and fellowship.
To enhance our members' enjoyment of music and singing.
To help our members improve their ability to sing and perform.
To provide our audiences with top quality, family entertainment.

Our Objectives

To attract new members.
To improve the quality of our performances.
To develop a strong sense of organizational pride.

About The Harmony Society

The initials stand for the "Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America". We are also known informally as the "Barbershop Harmony Society". Our international headquarters are in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Society saw its beginning in 1938. During the 30s, the increased popularity of radio resulted in a trend toward practically eliminating self-produced harmony. One man rebelled against this trend, and in doing so, he brought about a marked change in the music pattern of North America. This man was Owen Clifton Cash, a tax attorney in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cash, a true partisan of quartet singing, decided to attempt to preserve an American tradition. He found a supporter in Rupert I. Hall, an investment man also from Tulsa.

26 men attended the first meeting of the "Society for the Preservation and Propagation of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in the United States." (This name was changed to its present form shortly afterward.) This historic song-fest was held on the roof garden of the Tulsa Club in the Alvin Hotel at 6:30pm on Monday, April 11, 1938.

The Society now boasts more than 800 chapters with over 40,000 members, the largest organized all-male singing society in the world.

About Barbershop Harmony

Barbershop harmony is a style of unaccompanied male singing with three voices harmonizing to the melody. The voice parts are called tenor, lead, baritone and bass. Characteristically, the lead sings the melody and the tenor harmonizes above.

Barbershop quartets and choruses are dedicated to preserving the music that is in the style of the "old songs" and the style is further identified by chords that are harmonious. Tuning is as nearly perfect as is vocally possible. The style is distinguished by uniformity of word sounds and a special emphasis on close harmony.