A cappella is an Italian word which means “in the manner of the church”. A cappella form of music is mainly a religious form of music, without the use of musical instruments. Although it has strong roots in Christianity, it is also practiced in Judaism and Islam. In fact, its use amongst a specific group of Muslim singers has increased in modern time. A cappella is performed both solo and in a group. A cappella was initially meant to distinguish Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato styles.

In modern terminology, a cappella may refer to a completely vocal group performance. While rarely a cappella has been used for commercial purposes, it is still a form of music most suited and practiced in religious circles, such as churches. A cappella has also gained prominence due to religious beliefs of certain Christian, Jewish and Muslim circles that music should not be used in worship.

Among more commercial ranks, some a cappella singers even emulate instrumental sounds from their vocal cords and use sound effects for a cappella. In early the 20^th century, Mills Brothers stated on their label that all instrumentation were performed vocally. This artistic effort was the first of its kind in the early 20^th century (during the 1930s). In a recent attempt, the “Twilight Zone” was sung as a cappella. Moreover, The New Addams Family series theme is another example of emulating musical instruments by using the vocal cord.

In Eastern European Orthodox cathedrals and monasteries, a Cappella are performed rather than using musical instruments. Some Christian religious bodies carry out their worship services without music. These include, Presbyterian churches, Old Regular/primitive Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, Churches of Christ, etc. It appears that some of these churches are devoted to the regulative principle of worship and do not wish to use instruments during worship.

Similarly, the use of musical instruments is forbidden on the Sabbath for Jews. Likewise, when Jewish families and groups sing a traditional Sabbath song, (zemirot), they normally do so as a cappella.

The Muslim form of a cappella music is called Nasheed. Some very prominent Nasheed singers over the past few years have gained much fame in the west, particularly among Muslim communities. These singers include, Kamal Uddin, Labbayk, Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Abdullah Rolle and Zain Bhikha.

While it can be argued whether music should or should not be used in religious practice, the beauty of a cappella cannot be ignored.