Cuarteto
Encyclopedia
Cuarteto sometimes called cuartetazo, is a musical genre born in Córdoba
, Argentina
.
The roots of the cuarteto ensemble are in Italian
and Spanish
dance ensambles. The name was coined because the early dance-hall numbers were invariably four-piece bands (violin
-piano
-accordion
-bass
).
Cuarteto is almost always upbeat; its rhythm range is similar to that of Dominican
merengue
.
In the 1970s, cuarteto became one of the cornerstones of Córdoba's cultural identity—together with Hortensia magazine. Both reflected a local brand of popular culture overlooked by the establishment, and proposed an alternative to the Buenos Aires
-centered culture that television was spreading to the rest of the country.
Cuarteto was one of the genres that gave birth to the Buenos Aires tropical scene, which was renamed as bailanta in the 1990s following the usage of Corrientes province
.
In the 1980s, Carlos Mona Jiménez
became the foremost exponent of cuarteto after the break-up of his two-member Cuarteto de Oro ("Golden Quartet"). He established a pattern of nonsense humour and extravagant behavior that many tried to ape without much success. One of his most popular songs was Quién se ha tomado todo el vino ("Who drank all the wine?"), which was danced with a characteristic hand move.
Others, such as producer-bandleader Negro Videla, travelled to the Dominican Republic and Colombia
to expand the range of their repertoire. Videla is the unofficial ambassador of Dominican music in cuarteto, with successful covers of merengue hits.
Since the late 1980s, the Tru-la-lá band has had great support from dancers. At one point they were endorsed by the Catholic
church for avoiding racy themes in their lyrics. All in all, they have sold over a million records.
Rodrigo Bueno
became the leading cuarteto singer in the mid-1990s, and made inroads into Buenos Aires middle-class audiences. He died in a car crash on June 25, 2000. Many people believe the crash was not an accident, as Rodrigo was (allegedly) a pawn in a feud between rival mobsters. His song La mano de Dios (The Hand of God), which celebrates Diego Maradona
through his most famous goal, has become a classic dance song in Argentina, and was covered by Maradona himself in his successful 2005 talk show.
, some of the most popular cuarteto artists are:
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
The roots of the cuarteto ensemble are in Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
dance ensambles. The name was coined because the early dance-hall numbers were invariably four-piece bands (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
-piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
-accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
-bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
).
Cuarteto is almost always upbeat; its rhythm range is similar to that of Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
merengue
Merengue (dance)
Merengue El camino1ro de Secundaria-In popular culture:* Merengue was mentioned as a song performed between Babs and Charlie in the song by Steely Dan....
.
In the 1970s, cuarteto became one of the cornerstones of Córdoba's cultural identity—together with Hortensia magazine. Both reflected a local brand of popular culture overlooked by the establishment, and proposed an alternative to the Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
-centered culture that television was spreading to the rest of the country.
Cuarteto was one of the genres that gave birth to the Buenos Aires tropical scene, which was renamed as bailanta in the 1990s following the usage of Corrientes province
Corrientes Province
Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
.
Famous Names
Cuarteto Leo was the leading cuarteto band for almost 30 years, back in the 1970s. It established the sonic texture that prevails in cuarteto to this day.In the 1980s, Carlos Mona Jiménez
La Mona Jiménez
Juan Carlos Jiménez Rufino , known as La Mona Jiménez, is a cuarteto singer. He was born in Córdoba, Argentina....
became the foremost exponent of cuarteto after the break-up of his two-member Cuarteto de Oro ("Golden Quartet"). He established a pattern of nonsense humour and extravagant behavior that many tried to ape without much success. One of his most popular songs was Quién se ha tomado todo el vino ("Who drank all the wine?"), which was danced with a characteristic hand move.
Others, such as producer-bandleader Negro Videla, travelled to the Dominican Republic and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to expand the range of their repertoire. Videla is the unofficial ambassador of Dominican music in cuarteto, with successful covers of merengue hits.
Since the late 1980s, the Tru-la-lá band has had great support from dancers. At one point they were endorsed by the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church for avoiding racy themes in their lyrics. All in all, they have sold over a million records.
Rodrigo Bueno
Rodrigo Bueno
Rodrigo Alejandro Bueno , mostly known as Rodrigo, was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. His nickname among cuarteto fans was el potro ....
became the leading cuarteto singer in the mid-1990s, and made inroads into Buenos Aires middle-class audiences. He died in a car crash on June 25, 2000. Many people believe the crash was not an accident, as Rodrigo was (allegedly) a pawn in a feud between rival mobsters. His song La mano de Dios (The Hand of God), which celebrates Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
through his most famous goal, has become a classic dance song in Argentina, and was covered by Maradona himself in his successful 2005 talk show.
, some of the most popular cuarteto artists are:
- Carlos Rolan
- Carlitos "La Mona" Jiménez
- La Banda XXI
- La Barra
- La Fiesta
- Tru-la-la
- La Banda de Carlitos
- Jean Carlos
- Rodrigo BuenoRodrigo BuenoRodrigo Alejandro Bueno , mostly known as Rodrigo, was an Argentine singer of cuarteto music. His nickname among cuarteto fans was el potro ....