View source for Cuarteto

{{Short description|Musical genre born in Córdoba, Argentina}}
{{original research|date=November 2012}}
{{unreferenced|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Cuarteto
| image             = 
| caption           = 
| stylistic_origins = {{flatlist|
*[[Pasodoble]]
*[[Tarantella]]
*[[Gaita zuliana]]
}}
| cultural_origins  = {{flag|Argentina}} ([[Córdoba Province, Argentina|Córdoba]]).<br>([[Spaniards|Spanish]] and [[Italians|Italian]] peoples, early 1940s).
| instruments       = {{flatlist|
*[[Accordion]]
*[[Electronic keyboard]]
*[[Piano]]
*[[Double bass]]
*[[Violin]]
*[[Electric guitar]]
*[[Bass guitar]]
*[[Drum kit]]
*[[Conga]]
*[[Trumpet]]
*[[Trombone]]
*[[Saxophone]]
}}
}}

'''Cuarteto''' ({{langx|es|quartet}}), sometimes called '''cuartetazo''', is a musical genre born in [[Córdoba, Argentina|Córdoba]], [[Argentina]].

The roots of the cuarteto ensemble are in [[Italy|Italian]] and [[Spain|Spanish]] dance ensembles. The name was coined because the early dance-hall numbers were invariably four-piece bands ([[violin]]-[[piano]]-[[accordion]]-[[Double bass|bass]]).

Cuarteto is almost always upbeat; its rhythm range is similar to that of modern [[Dominican Republic|Dominican]] [[merengue (music)|merengue]].

In the 1970s, cuarteto became one of the cornerstones of Córdoba's cultural identity&mdash;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|Corrientes province]].

==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, [[La Mona Jiménez|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 (musician)|Rodrigo]] 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 24, 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 [[Hand of God goal|most famous goal]], has become a classic dance song in Argentina, and was covered by Maradona himself in his successful 2005 talk show.

[[Gary (Argentine singer)|Gary]] was another Cuarteto singer with the [[Tru-la-lá]] band, who died of natural causes in 2001.

==See also==
*[[Music of Argentina]]

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070207063943/http://www.cuarteto-cba.com.ar/ Spanish language portal]

{{Music in Spanish}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Argentine styles of music]]
[[Category:Music of South America|Southern Cone music]]
[[Category:Argentine dances]]
[[Category:Dance in Argentina]]