Cuatristas in the U.S.: Musical Creativities in New Localities

• In Event: Piruetas Transnacionales: Preserving Identity through Eating, Drinking, Learning and Music Making

Abstract

The Puerto Rican cuatro, regarded as the national instrument, has transcended geographical borders and is adapting to new musical settings. The folk music stream associated to the cuatro has expanded to include new variations and characterizations of its traditional forms.
Current localities for cuatro performance are as dispersed as the Puerto Rican population itself. Cuatro players in the U.S. are creating, innovating and showcasing the instrument in a variety of performance settings (from churches to major festivals), making the cuatro more visible to a larger, and not exclusively Puerto Rican audience.
This presentation examines the strategies cuatro players are using to maintain or improve their position within a circuit of U.S. based cuatristas, by exploring their musical creativities and the venues available for them. Cuatristas in the U.S. are redefining contemporary cuatro music, devising new repertoires that demand musical knowledge and mastery of technical skills. The author discusses how cuatro music is being developed in the U.S. and how its performance practice has been crucial for the shaping of a new instrument tradition, as well as the role of U.S based cuatristas in the dissemination and valorization of cuatro performance.

Author

• Noraliz Ruiz