Heartfelt Harmony

Four men in formal attire stood on the porch of the home of Ulli Krause at just after 9 Saturday morning.

One of them knocked and Krause opened her door.

“Hello, we’re the Valleyaires, and we’ve come to sing you a happy Valentine’s Day,” said one of the debonair gentlemen.

After a few seconds, Krause’s embarrassment--she was still in her nightgown and slippers, after all--turned to joy as the Valleyaires broke into song. They all moved into the living room and Ulli’s husband, Marshall--who had arranged the serenade--joined in, turning the barbershop quartet into a quintet for a version of “Heart of My Heart.”

“I used to sing in a quartet myself and I just think it’s really neat,” Marshall said. “I’d already done the flowers and the candy and I thought, OK, what’s next?”

This quartet was not the only Valleyaires group spreading Valentine cheer throughout the Valley on Saturday.

At the start of the day, four Valleyaires quartets gathered at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, where they divvied up the 20 requests that had been made for their services. Then they warmed up their vocal chords.

“It’s run almost like a military operation. We get all these orders in and then we scramble to cover them all,” said Tom Mayfield.

Based in Van Nuys, the Valleyaires represent the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America Inc., which, with 34,000 members, bills itself as the largest all-male singing organization in the world.

If success on Valentine’s Day was measured by joyful tears, then it was clear that the Valleyaires’ vintage love songs were a big hit Saturday. With the price of a dozen delivered roses now at $50 or more, the $40 it cost to have four skilled vocalists come to one’s home for a live performance was a relative bargain.

The fees go toward buying outfits for the group and to local charities.

The Valentine’s Day program, which the group has offered since 1995, has spawned a couple of spinoffs, said Mayfield. He said the Valleyaires plan to offer the service on Mother’s Day and National Secretary’s Day.

“We’re like the Marines, we’re always looking for a few good men, who can sing,” said Bill Cohen, who joined the group five years ago.

Cohen said the Valleyaires, who are made up primarily of men in their 50s, 60s and 70s, consider themselves to be both singers and music preservationists. They gather every Wednesday at St. Mark’s to keep their voices sharp and to enjoy each other’s company.

“We’re trying to preserve a style of harmony that is uniquely American,” he said. “But mostly we just have a really good time.”

One Valleyaires group went to the North Hollywood home of Hank Pollard, a former Valleyaire.

During the singing, the Pollards--who were married just 25 days ago--stared into one another’s eyes and softly sang along.

“That was beautiful, just beautiful,” said Connie Pollard as the serenade came to an end.

“I just loved it, so very touching.”