In 1963, a trio formed by Rui Alexandre Faria (Rui, the lead vocalist), Aquiles Rique Reis (Aquiles), and Milton Lima dos Santos (Miltinho) in Niterói (Rio de Janeiro) started to perform at the Popular Center of Culture (CPC) of the National Student League (UNE). The CPC of Niterói was founded in Aquiles' home. At the same time, Magro (Antônio José Waghabi Filho) had a bossa nova group with Miltinho and a flutist, bassist, and drummer, called MPB-5. With Magro (the group's lifelong musical director) invited to join the original vocal trio, the quartet became known as Quarteto do CPC. With the extinction of the CPC (and of the UNE) after the military coup in 1964, the group adopted the name of MPB-4, playing in local bars and doing a double single with the first recording of Zé Kéti/Elton Medeiros' "Mascarada" with "Samba Bem" (Luís José) and other songs.
With all of them as college students, they took a period of vacations in 1965 to go to São Paulo, where they did their professional debut at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica's Theater (Tuca). They met producer Chico de Assis and were invited by him for a season with Quarteto em Cy (which was already professional), on the condition that they abandon other aspirations to devote themselves full-time to their group. Deciding for the music, they opened with Quarteto em Cy at the show No Samba Que Eu Vou, when they met Chico Buarque, also introduced to them by de Assis. From 1969 to 1974, Buarque was almost the fifth member of MPB-4 as all of his shows were with the quartet. Together they toured several countries and were deeply influential on the Brazilian youth. de Assis also introduced them to Manoel Carlos, who was one of the directors of the O Fino da Bossa TV Record show hosted by Elis Regina. MPB-4 participated right on the first show singing together with Regina, which was their definitive consecration.
Back in Rio, they participated in the show Contraponto, together with Quarteto em Cy, Oscar Castro-Neves, and Rosinha de Valença. At the Opinião theater, MPB-4 participated in the historic show O Samba Pede Passagem with Aracy de Almeida, Baden Powell, Ismael Silva, and others. The show was recorded live and released in June 1966 as O Samba Pede Passagem. Also in 1966, they released their first LP, which had the first recording for Buarque's "Olê Olá." Having participated in Nara Leão's show Quem Tem Medo de Nara Leão?, in the same year they defended "Canção de Não Cantar" (Sérgio Bittencourt) at the II Festival de Música Popular Brasileira (Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, FMPB, TV Record of São Paulo), which won fourth place. In the next year's edition of the same festival, the group was consecrated definitively with "Gabriela" (Maranhão) and "Roda Viva" (Buarque), achieving, respectively, sixth and third places. Also in 1967, they participated in the II FIC (International Song Festival, TV Globo, Rio) with "O Sim Pelo Não" (Alcivando Luz/Carlos Coquejo) and "Cantiga" (Nelson Motta/Dori Caymmi), which reached sixth and ninth places. In 1968, they opened a show shared with Buarque at the Teatro Toneleros, and also had a season in São Paulo. Three years later, they did the historic show Construção at the Canecão with Buarque, Jacques Klein, and the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (Brazilian Symphony Orchestra) conducted by Isaac Karabtchevski. In the next year, MPB-4 toured Portugal and in 1973, Buenos Aires, Argentina, both with Buarque. In 1975, they participated, with Buarque, in the show República de Ugunga. In 1980, the group released, together with Quarteto em Cy, the children's LP Flicts/de Ziraldo e Sérgio Ricardo. Recording another children's LP in the next year with "O Pato" (Toquinho/Vinicius de Moraes), they had the song presented in the TV Globo musical A Arca de Noé. The LP Caminhos Livres (1983) had another of their hits with an Aldir Blanc song, "A Nível De..." (with João Bosco). In 1991, the quartet launched another of their themed albums, the CD Sambas da Minha Terra, dedicated to the works of Dorival Caymmi, Toquinho/Vinícius, Zé Kéti, and Ary Barroso, among others. Always doing shows and recording frequently, the group commemorated their 30-year career in 1995 with the show Arte de Cantar and the eponymous album. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi
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Viva Zapátria
MPB-4 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aterrisam falcões, onde estou?
Carabinas, sorriso, onde estou?
Um compromisso a sirene chamou
Duplicatas, meu senso de humor
Se perdeu na cidade onde estou.
Beijos, abraços, ano um chegou
Salve Zapátria, ê, viva Zapátria, ê
Esta cidade foi uma herança só.
Viva Zapátria, saudando o senhor
Horizonte aberto onde estou
Esta América mãe onde estou.
The lyrics to MPB-4's song "Viva Zapátria" are filled with powerful metaphors and allusions to the struggles and triumphs of the Latin American people. The first verse describes the singer's "blood boiling with love," which makes falcons (a symbol of power and authority) land wherever they are. The second line refers to "rifles and smiles," suggesting a tension between violence and happiness, while the last line of the verse poses a question about the singer's current location.
The chorus of the song is a call to celebrate Zapátria, which can be understood as a metaphor for Latin America itself. The word "Zapátria" seems to be a combination of "Zapatista" (a revolutionary movement in Mexico) and "pátria" (homeland), invoking a sense of national pride and resistance. The verse that follows the chorus describes the singer's sense of duty to the cause, as exemplified by the sound of a siren calling them to action. The line "duplicatas, meu senso de humor" (duplicates, my sense of humor) could be interpreted as a reference to the duplicity required of revolutionaries, who must often conceal their true intentions with a smiling face. The final line of the verse repeats the question from the first verse, underscoring the sense of disorientation and displacement.
The final verse of the song is a celebration of the beauty and power of Latin America, embodied in the "horizon" and the "mother" that comprise the singer's current location. The repetition of "Viva Zapátria" emphasizes the importance of solidarity and unity in the face of oppression and inequality.
Line by Line Meaning
Esse meu sangue fervendo de amor
My blood boiling with love
Aterrisam falcões, onde estou?
Falcons landing, where am I?
Carabinas, sorriso, onde estou?
Rifles, smile, where am I?
Um compromisso a sirene chamou
A commitment called by the siren
Duplicatas, meu senso de humor
Duplicates, my sense of humor
Se perdeu na cidade onde estou.
Lost in the city where I am.
Viva Zapátria, saudou esse meu senhor
Long live Zapátria, greeted by my lord
Beijos, abraços, ano um chegou
Kisses, hugs, year one arrived
Salve Zapátria, ê, viva Zapátria, ê
Hail Zapátria, oh, long live Zapátria, oh
Esta cidade foi uma herança só.
This city was an inheritance only.
Viva Zapátria, saudando o senhor
Long live Zapátria, saluting the lord
Horizonte aberto onde estou
Open horizon where I am
Esta América mãe onde estou.
This mother America where I am.
Contributed by Nathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.