quartette

Forms

quartette m (plural quartettes)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian quartetto, first in the Italian form (1823), then gallicized (Littré, 1869).^[2][3][4] The Italian word is a diminutive of quarta (“four-part ensemble, properly the fourth part”), according to the TLFi, or of quarto (“fourth”), according to Rey and the GLLF;^[2][3][5] it goes back to Latin quartus (“fourth”), the source of French quart.^[5][3]

The jazz sense was borrowed again, borrowed from English quartet, itself from the Italian word.^[2][3][4] The Grand Robert therefore gives the jazz sense a numbered headword of its own (2, from English, 1942) beside the Italian borrowing (1).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Stendhal uses quartetto in his Rossini (1823) for a vocal piece in four parts in an opera finale.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In classical music the word gave way to quatuor.^[3] With jazz it was taken again from American English, as quartett in Giraudoux (1922),^[3][6] and named a group of four jazz or light-music musicians;^[2] Jazz-hot has a jazz quartet in 1935 and quartette in that sense in 1949.^[2] The Petit Robert dates the jazz sense to about 1935 and also gives the spelling quartet.^[7]

The derivative quartettiste (1909) was first used in classical music, where quatuor has no derivative, and passed to jazz in 1952.^[3][2]

Timeline

• 1823 – Stendhal uses the Italian form quartetto.^[2][3]
• 1869 – Littré records quartette.^[2][3]
• 1909 – Quartettiste appears.^[2][3]
• 1922 – Giraudoux writes quartett for a group of four singers.^[3][5]
• 1949 – Jazz-hot uses quartette for a jazz quartet.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) A small quatuor, a piece for four voices or instruments.^[2][1]
2. A group of four jazz or light-music musicians, a quartet.^[2][7]

Word family

• quartettiste

Related words

• quatuor
• quart
• quintette
• Italian quartetto
• English quartet

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
7. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert