The Puerto Rican Cuatro Project
CULTURAL ARCHIVES
FOLKLORIC RESEARCH
EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS
Eusebio González Ocasio, "el Indio de Sábana Grande" (c. 1898) holds his ten-string transitional cuatro.
Modern ten-string cuatro built by Epifanio Valentin circa 1960
the history and music of the cuatro, in brief
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The heritage of the centuries
is deposited in a common memory
that is activated and manifested through music.
All our human behavior;
all our social behavior;
all our style of creating and doing,
somehow it is reflected in the music.
Music tells us what we are, where we came from.
Your emotions are our emotions,
their story is our story, and our culture.
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Featured content
View an archive of retired Featured Content here
The Puerto Rican cuatro now belongs to the world...
The notable North American mandolinist Paul Kaplan is an expert in Irish and Scottish folk music, frequently appearing before his audiences playing his Puerto Rican cuatro. (photo by Juan Sotomayor)
Every day, we hear about new artists and instrumentalists from around the world who have discovered our cuatro and incorporated its distinctive sound into their music—be it popular, rock, or jazz, or even their own folk music. Even some bass players have started using the cuatro because the bass and cuatro share the same string tuning (albeit in different octaves) and bass players can instantly play what they already know without having to adjust to an unfamiliar fretboard. In fact, many renowned Puerto Rican cuatro players, such as Sarrail Archilla and Pedrito Guzmán, were also bassists. Similarly, numerous mandolin players have also switched to the cuatro, albeit with a bit more difficulty, discovering its greater versatility and musical range.
The cuatro, once a musical instrument exclusively used by isolated jíbaro peasants, has now become a global phenomenon.
To highlight all the ways in which the cuatro is adapting to world music, and also the musicians from abroad who lead in this trend, we launch a new page on this site called the Cuatro now belongs to the world.
A video presentation created by the Cuatro Project
A short visit to our Puerto Rican Décima—enjoy!
Get to know CANDELARIO VÁZQUEZ, Bordonuist
Candelario Vázquez Morales (b. 1899) was the bordenuísta (performer of the bordonúa) most admired in Puerto Rico, a native of the Juncos region. Our Project postulates that what is currently called Bordonúa is actually a descendant of the 19th century Vihuela Jíbara and not the disappeared Bordonúa of the same century.
We include a lengthy interview with the featured performer here. In it, Don Candó tells us of his longing for the old days:
"... music is everywhere now, but it was once a rarity. Well, by nature, all instruments sounded good. I think that the acoustics of the environment... there wasn't noise everywhere or anything like that. Instrument sounded beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And loud! I can tell you that at that time, for example, a speaker would come to speak at the public house. He could speak without a microphone or anything, and I think it was clearly heard, all the way to the balcony it could be heard clearly. But today, if the power goes out and the microphone stops working, and even if the speaker's screams and his tongue sticks out, you can't hear him. you hear. Too many sounds have filled the atmosphere. Tthe waves no longer arrive. Those acoustics are over."
Hear Candelario Vázquez playing a dance, playing his vihuela-bordonúa, accompanied by a guitar. Digitized by the Cuatro Project from a homemade cassette found in the Vázquez family home in Juncos, Puerto Rico.
How did Puerto Rican music sound in 1909?
No, you don't need a time machine to hear Puerto Rican singers and instrumentalists playing and singing early in the 20th century. That's because their actual sounds were captured and recorded on wax cylinders-—the oldest form of recording—which remain largely hidden from the public in private collections.
Do you like to hear what an old cuatro sounded like, or a current trombone, or a tiple--just as they sounded 100 years ago? Puerto Rican recorded music expert David Morales is an esteemed member of the Cuatro Project. He has recently provided us with a number of very old wax recordings of singing and performing musicians, which we offer here.
Engraving based on a photo taken in Cayey in 1909
an illustrated comic book for children about our music and culture
A few years ago, the Cuatro Project published a children's comic book, which highlighted the instruments and origins of country craft traditions, as well as the children who excelled in expressing our native music. The magazine is sold out, but you can enjoy a copy here .
