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The Ministry of Popular Power for Culture
declared 2013 as the Year of the Cuatro, to pay tribute to all those farmers
who study and implement this national instrument, which represents liberation,
sovereignty and identity of the Venezuelan people.
"In every corner of the country you
visit, you will see a cuatro, this instrument represents a bit of Venezuela and
the soul of the country." This declaration is meant to generate a special
effort to publicize their teachings, to diffuse its history through
exhibitions, publications, seminars and workshops.
El cuatro se
considera, entonces, "como elemento integración de las expresiones
manifestaciones culturales, tradicionales y musicales que identifican a la
República Bolivariana de Venezuela y que representan nuestra identidad cultural
por su amplia difusión y aceptación en la colectividad y por su versatilidad en
la interpretación de numerosos ritmos musicales nacionales".
The cuatro is considered to be, "an
element of integration of the cultural expressions and musical manifestations
identifying the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and a representation of our
cultural identity for its wide dissemination and acceptance in the community
and for its versatility in the interpretation numerous national musical
rhythms".
Venezuelan cuatro
The cuatro is the principal icon of traditional
Venezuelan music. It is often learned at an early age and accompanies the
majority of songs that recount the country's folklore. The cuatro is present in
almost all forms of musical expression, from the coastal drums to the calypso
music of the south.
Traditional choirs are often joined by a
cuatro, and cantors also base their songs on the instrument. A love for the
cuatro has also reached citizen media: songs of the joropo and gaita styles of
music are shared here, and its history, musicians and even how to play the
instrument, are widely discussed.
A recent evolution in playing technique has
made the cuatro a versatile instrument capable of handling, on its own, solo
parts including both melody and harmony. The technical and musical knowledge
and expertise required to be able to play the instrument in this way is
astounding. The results have made Venezuelan traditional music leap to a whole
new level of complexity, many times encompassing the utilization of Jazz
harmonic structures and melodic phrasing to enrich many traditional tunes.
An example of this is the exceptional
technique and knowledge of the instrument demonstrated by Venezuelan musicians
like Cheo Hurtado, Edward Ramírez, Héctor Molina, Henry Linarez, Marcel
Moncourt, Luis Pino, Lisseth Hernández and the famous Jorge Glem and his C4
Trio. The cuatro of Venezuela has four single nylon strings, tuned (ad'f#'b).
It is similar in shape and tuning to the ukulele, but their character and
playing technique are vastly different. A cuatro player is called a cuatrista.
