Hello my dearest Steemians, in this post I will try to synthesize, the best possible I can, the story of the Cuatro. A four string instrument, which is the soul of every musical genre in Venezuela.

Here we go. My intention to related the story of this amazing instrument it is not mere chance. I have, approximately, 15 years linked with the popular culture of Venezuela and, since I was a child, I felt a spellbinding an indescribable gladness when listening the tunes of this inherited instrument.

But, we need to come back to the story. Product of the invasions of the Moros to Spain, the Láud came. Arabian u Oud, ethat was in the XIII century with four orders or strings. Of this instruments derives a series that are, commonly, called “enguitared”. However, recently, in the XV century appears the most popular instrument in the renaissance Spain. In that moment the Vihulea and, afterwards in the same century, the guitar that we know nowadays with six strings and even seven. It is probable that the background or origin of the guitar be it from the XVI century where became popular in the Baroque period. . One of their highest exponents was the poet and musician Vicente Espinelwho is attributed for add the fifth and sixth order in what we know today as Baroque guitar , either knowing as the creator of the décimas that appears in the compilation of his work. Volume diverse rhymes, where we can appreciate almost every meter that existed until then.

The guitars and Vihuelas arrive to the Canary Island and for 1492 they must to come in the caravels that were going in the wrong direction, considering that Cristopher Columbus, actually, went to the India for demonstrated or proved that the world was not flat.

Now that we know the origin of the Cuatro in Spain, we need to check how was assimilated for the culture of the misnamed new world.

In Venezuela, the cuatro arrived for imposition of the catolic royalty, who command to the settlers to pleach the cristian faith through music.

^{Workshop of fabrication of instruments}

Once that instrument arrives in Venezuela and is taken by enslaved groups, it started like that our musical story. In this way, they took over of the tenth.

Juan Liscano Velutini, a great writter and essayist is, is who define in his contenst two groups of tenth. Tenth to the divines and tenth to the human. Given the characteristics of the development. They played the cuatro accompanied of the tenth that were guided to the cristian deities as the case of the music called “Aguinaldos” (Not bonuses) and the various appearances of the virgin María and the cross. All that, group the tunes cycle toward the religious side. On the other hand, the sing to love, the flowers, the satire, the dead and the popular tales as a inspiration source.

^{Fabrication detail of a Cuatro}

Among the most representative genres we have as first in the list the Joropo our national dance; then we hace the Zulian Bagpipes, Callao Calypse, Christmast Carol, Aguinaldos and Pageant, The Galerón, The Polo and Jota, The Malagueña, valls, The merengue of Caracas, Gunboat music,Country music, Two step, The fulía, lThe tune, Polka dance Among others popular venezuelan rythms.

Construction of the cuatro

Without underestimating to all the artisans that have callaborated with the construction of the cuatro in Venezuela, there is one of them that stands out among the rest because the way of the structure of the modern cuatro. He is Cruz Quinalthe king of the mandolin. Born in Sucre state he is self-taugh, and learned by himself the way to fabricate instruments, reaching the right way to construct the amazing number of 10 000 cuatros and more than 50 types of instruments.