The Italian word quartet came into our language as a quartet . The first meaning of the term mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary refers to a set of four elements (individuals, animals or objects with common characteristics).
For example: "A quartet of criminals entered the house and took jewelry, appliances and cash" , "The team's success lies in its quartet of attackers" , "The gala will culminate with a concert by the string quartet" .
The notion of quartet has several uses in the field of music . A composition created to be performed by four voices or instruments is called a quartet. A group of four singers or musicians is also called a quartet.
It is important to make two clarifications, as nuances, that can serve to better understand the technical terms in the field of music. First of all, voice does not always refer to the set of sounds that the human (or, in another context, the animal) speech apparatus can emit, but it can also be used to describe each of the musical lines that coexist in a polyphonic composition. , regardless of the instrument with which they must be executed.
On the other hand, the voice is also considered an instrument , and that is why if we talk about a vocal quartet we must understand that its members play musical instruments, even if they are natural. Similarly, treating singers and musicians separately has a derogatory tone, as if the former could not have an academic training equivalent or even superior to that of their peers; However, this distinction is very common, although it is not made with the intention of offending the vocalists.
A string quartet , in this framework, is an ensemble made up of four string instruments. The most common configuration of these groups consists of a cello, a viola and two violins.
Vocal quartets , for their part, are usually female or male, meaning that it is not common to mix female and male voices in the same group. Generally, the feminine ones are made up of a contralto, a mezzo-soprano , a second soprano and a first soprano; The masculine ones, on the other hand, are usually made up of a bass , a baritone, a second tenor and a first tenor. Sarasvati , The Cathedrals , Vocal Femmes and The King's Heralds are some well-known vocal quartets.
As with almost any musical group , quartets can perform a wide range of genres, although historically religious music is one of the most prominent: there are hundreds of religious music quartets, many of which have achieved a great level of popularity thanks to a long history and good dissemination. Religious compositions can be performed and enjoyed by people from any background, as long as it is done with respect, and they represent a fundamental part of music history.
Since most vocal quartets completely dispense with musical accompaniment, they are often associated with the a cappella style. Nowadays, it is common for some of the members to use beatboxing to simulate the presence of other instruments while their companions sing the main melodies. Beatbox is a discipline that seeks to emit sounds and noises that set the rhythm with the voice and the different parts of the mouth.
In the Argentine province of Córdoba , the quartet is a very popular musical genre that emerged in the '40s . Carlos "La Mona" Jiménez and Rodrigo Bueno are two of its greatest historical exponents.
Quartet, finally, is a concept that is used in the field of poetry to name the inclusion of four hendecasyllabic verses in a stanza. The rhyme is usually done in consonant, the first verse with the fourth and the second verse with the third.