Quarteto em Cy (Quartet in Cy) is a MPB Brazilian vocal quartet originally … Read Full Bio ↴Quarteto em Cy (Quartet in Cy) is a MPB Brazilian vocal quartet originally composed of four sisters hailing from Ibirataia, a town located in the Brazilian state of Bahia: Cybele, Cylene, Cynara and Cyva – their real first names. The group name was given by poet and lyricist Vinicius de Moraes (a joke about the fact that the first names of the four sisters begin with "Cy"). They're considered the greatest Brazilian female vocal quartet, in addition to being the oldest.

Noted for the extraordinary precision of the vocalists' intonation and delivery, the quartet performed and recorded with almost every single major Brazilian artist of the '60s and '70s; their popularity exceeded and still exceeds the borders of their native country. They met with great success in America in the mid-sixties, and have a considerable following in Japan, where they still tour regularly.

They started performing in 1959, appearing on local television in that year. Cyva, the leader of the group, then moved to Rio de Janeiro, and persuaded her three sisters to join her there. They then started to make regular appearances in the boates (small nightclubs) of Rio, particularly Bottle's bar and the legendary Zum-Zum, where they caught the attention of Vinicius de Moraes and other prominent figures of the bossa nova scene. Their first album was released in 1964, and was to be followed by regular releases up to the late '90s, at the frequency of one a year, and sometimes more.

In the late 1960s, the group achieved international success under the title The Girls from Bahia, having undergone changes in its original composition. The first modification happened in 1966, when the youngest sister, Cylene, left the group to marry, getting replaced by Regina Werneck. Later, sisters Cynara and Cybele left the group to form a brief succesful duo that won, in 1968, the III Festival Internacional da Canção. Both got replaced by Sonia Ferreira and Semíramis Rubim, remaining only Cyva from the original formation, but despite the success of the duo, Cynara decided to rejoin the Quartet in the place of Semíramis. After a brief hiatus, the group resumed its activities in 1972 with the singers Cyva, Cynara, Sonia, and recently added member Dorinha Tapajós (replacing Regina). In 1980 Dorinha left for health reasons and was replaced by Cybele, who remained in the group until 2013 and was replaced by Keyla Fogaça, by her own indication. On 21 August 2014, at the age of 74, Cybele died of a lung ischemia at her home in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, after periods of work, Sonia and Keyla left the quartet, adding Corina Viana into the group.

The group's voices have transited through notable Brazilian music composers such as Vinícius de Moraes, Toquinho, Dorival Caymmi, Chico Buarque, Tom Jobim and many others. Their phonographic recordings have been released on more than 30 records - both in Brazil and abroad. With a solid and unwavering career for fifty years, Quarteto em Cy remains one of the most remarkable and expressive vocal groups in the history of MPB.

Tarde em Itapuã
Quarteto Em Cy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Um velho calção de banho
O dia pra vadiar
Um mar que não tem tamanho
E um arco-íris no ar

Depois na Praça Caymmi
Sentir preguiça no corpo
E numa esteira de vime

Beber uma água de coco é bom

Passar uma tarde em Itapuã
Ao sol que arde em Itapuã
Ouvindo o mar de Itapuã
Falar de amor em Itapuã

Enquanto o mar inaugura
Um verde novinho em folha
Argumentar com doçura
Com uma cachaça de rolha

E com olhar esquecido
No encontro de céu e mar
Bem devagar ir sentindo
A terra toda rodar é bom

Passar uma tarde em Itapuã
Depois sentir o arrepio
Do vento que a noite traz
E o diz-que-diz-que macio
Que brota dos coqueirais

E nos espaços serenos
Sem ontem nem amanhã

Dormir nos braços morenos
Da lua de Itapuã é bom

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Quarteto Em Cy's song "Tarde em Itapuã" describe the leisurely atmosphere of a small coastal town in Brazil called Itapuã. The singer wears an old swimsuit and spends the day lounging by the seemingly never-ending sea, admiring a rainbow in the sky. Taking a break in the Caymmi Square, the singer succumbs to laziness and sips a refreshing coconut water on a wicker mat. The song's chorus urges the listener to "pass an afternoon in Itapuã," basking in the sun, listening to the sea talking about love.

The second verse further illustrates the beauty of Itapuã's environment, showcasing a lush greenery landscape coming to life by the sea's edge. The singer then opens up to a gentle conversation, aided by a local sugarcane spirit called cachaça. The verse ends with the singer's focus on the horizon, where the sky and sea meet in a never-ending journey. The final verse suggests Itapuã's sleep-induced tranquility by imagining a peaceful sleep in the arms of Itapuã's moon, with no worries about yesterday or tomorrow.

Overall, "Tarde em Itapuã" is a calm, dreamy song that paints a vivid picture of the small-town lifestyle in Brazil, focusing on beautiful landscapes, rest, and romance.

Line by Line Meaning

Um velho calção de banho
Wearing an old swimsuit

O dia pra vadiar
A day to laze around

Um mar que não tem tamanho
A vast, endless sea

E um arco-íris no ar
With a rainbow in the sky

Depois na Praça Caymmi
Later at Caymmi Square

Sentir preguiça no corpo
Feeling lazy in the body

E numa esteira de vime
And on a wicker mat

Beber uma água de coco é bom
Drinking coconut water is good

Passar uma tarde em Itapuã
Spending an afternoon in Itapuã

Ao sol que arde em Itapuã
Under the scorching sun in Itapuã

Ouvindo o mar de Itapuã
Listening to the sea of Itapuã