Agustín Barrios
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Agustín Pío Barrios (born May 5, 1885 in San Juan Bautista de las Misiones, Paraguay; died August 7, 1944 in Salvador, El Salvador), also known as Agustín Barrios Mangoré was a Paraguayan guitarist and composer, whom John Williams has called the greatest guitarist, who composed for the guitar, of all time. (guitarist who wrote guitar music)[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
When he was a child, Barrios began to develop a love for music and literature, two areas that were very important to his family. Barrios would eventually speak two languages (Spanish and Guarani), and read three more (English, French and German).
Barrios began to show an interest in musical instruments, particularly the guitar, before he reached his teens. He went to Asunción in 1901, at the age of fifteen, to attend a university (Colegio Nacional de Asunción) with a scholarship in music, thus becoming one of the youngest university students in Paraguayan history. Apart from his studies in the college's music department, Barrios was also well appreciated by members of the college's mathematics, journalism and literature departments.
After leaving college, Barrios dedicated his life to music and writing poems. He composed more than 300 songs for which he would first write the lyrics and then the guitar accompaniment. Barrios made several friends during his multiple trips across South America. He was known for giving his friends and fans signed copies of his poems. Because of that, there are several different versions of his poetical works which have surfaced across South America, other areas of Latin America and the United States. Many current collectors warn potential buyers to be careful when they come across a poem reportedly autographed by Barrios.
[edit] Career
Barrios was famed for his phenomenal performances, both live and on gramophone recordings — the first classical guitar music ever committed to disk. For some years, it was his habit to perform in concert in traditional Paraguayan dress (he was partly of Guarani origin), assuming the persona of Nitsuga Mangoré (Nitsuga being Agustín spelled backwards).
His works were largely late-Romantic in character, despite his having lived well into the twentieth century. Many of them are also adaptations of, or are influenced by, South American and Central American folk music. Very many of them are of a virtuosic nature.
The Bach-inspired La Catedral (1921) is often considered to be his most impressive work, even winning the approval of Andrés Segovia, who otherwise seemed to have had little regard for his compositions. The posthumous rise in Barrios's critical stock, both as composer and player, is seen by some to have come at the expense of Segovia, formerly an untouchable icon of the instrument.[citation needed]
[edit] Death and legacy
Barrios died and was buried in the Cementerio de Los Ilustres in San Salvador, El Salvador on August 7, 1944.
Barrios is still revered in Paraguay, where he is seen as one of the greatest musicians of all time by many. His works have been championed by John Williams, among others, as some of the greatest in the classical guitar repertoire. Williams has said of Barrios: "As a guitarist/composer, Barrios is the best of the lot, regardless of era. His music is better formed, it's more poetic, it's more everything! And it's more of all those things in a timeless way. So I think he's a more significant composer than Sor or Giuliani, and more significant composer — for the guitar — than Villa-Lobos."[citation needed]
Many guitarists have recorded music by Barrios, including Sila Godoy, David Russell, Sharon Isbin, Berta Rojas, Abel Carlevaro, Carlos Barbosa-lima, Eduardo Fernández, César Amaro, Li Jie, Laurindo Almeida, Antigoni Goni, Iakovos Kolanian, Wulfin Lieske, Angel Romero, Enno Voorhorst and many other guitar players around the world. In 1974, Jesús Benites Reyes, a Peruvian guitarist who lived in Mexico, was the rediscoverer of Barrios and is considered by the Barrios students as "the Last Mangorean". In 2007, a Double Compact Disc with the best of A. Barrios played by Jesus Benites was released only in Mexico and Japan. These recordings, according to students of Barrios, are better and more sensitive than the John Williams interpretations.
[edit] Folk music
The folk music of Paraguay (including the polca paraguaya and vals) provided the young Barrios with his first introduction to music. In 1898, Barrios was formally introduced to the classical guitar repertoire by Gustovo Sosa Escalada. At that time, Barrios had already composed works for the guitar, and also performed pieces written by his former teacher Alias, such as La Chinita and La Perezosa. Under the influence of his new teacher, Barrios went on to perform and study the works of Tárrega, Vinas, Sor and Aguado. Sosa Escalada was so impressed with his new pupil that he convinced Barrios's parents to let him move to Asunción to continue his education. Having already surpassed the technical and performing abilities of most guitarists, Barrios began seriously to compose around 1905.
[edit] Composing
Barrios's compositions can be divided into three basic categories: folkloric, imitative and religious. Barrios paid tribute to the music and people of his native land by composing pieces modeled after folk songs from South America and Central America. Imitating the compositional style and techniques of the Baroque and Romantic periods was another side to his craftsmanship. La Catedral may be viewed as Barrios' tribute to Bach. It is believed that La Catedral was inspired by a religious experience for Barrios; therefore, the piece may also be categorized under religion. Religious beliefs and experiences also played an important role in Barrios' compositional process. Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios (Alms for the Love of God) is another example of a religiously-inspired work. Breaking down the works of Barrios into these three categories helps the guitar enthusiast to understand Barrios's musical intent.
[edit] Discography
- Agustin Barrios The Complete Guitar Recordings 1913-1942. This 3 CD set was transferred and digitally remastered from 78rpm gramophone recording from Atlanta, Odeon, Artigas labels and some Barrios' personal home recordings.
[edit] List of works
Agustín Barrios composed more than three hundred pieces in his lifetime. The more outstanding pieces in his repertoire are the following:
- Aconquija
- Allegro Sinfónico
- Cueca
- Danza Paraguaya
- Estudio de Concierto
- Jha, Che Valle
- Julia Florida
- Las Abejas
- La Catedral
- London Karape
- Madrigal-Gavota
- Maxixa
- Mazurka Apasionata
- Preludio
- Sueño de la muñequita
- Un sueño en la Floresta
- Una limosnita por amor de Dios (Also known as "El ultimo trémolo" or "El último canto")
- Vals no 3
- Vals no 4
- Vidalita
- Danza Guaraní
He also wrote a few poems:
- Mi Guitarra
- El Bohemio
[edit] Bibliography
- Six Silver Moonbeams: The Life and Times of Agustin Barrios Mangore, Richard D. Stover
- Mangoré: Vida y Obra de Agustín Barrios, Sila Godoy, Luis Szarán, Editorial Don Bosco/ Ñanduti Vive. Asunción, Paraguay.
- Dos almas musicales: Agustín Pío Barrios y José del Rosario Diarte, Nicolás T. Riveros, Asunción, Paraguay
[edit] References
- ^ Agustín Barrios - Youtube: John Williams on Agustín Barrios
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- An extensive biography
- Sheet music and tablature
- CHIEF NITSUGA - A blog tribute to Agustín Barrios Mangoré
- Agustin Barrios International Guitar Competition
- Augustín Mangoré Barrios, Madrigale Gavotte video
- Pagina Cultural del Paraguay
- Pagina Cultural del Paraguay: Breve Recordacion a Mangore
- Agustín Barrios Mangoré: The Folkloric, Imitative, and the Religious Influence Behind His Compositions
- Song Julia Florida by Duo Roldan (video and mp3)
- fan page on Barrios-Mangoré
- Danza Paraguaya (Agustín Pío Barrios) performed by Sila Godoy
- Free scores by Agustín Barrios in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
The major exponents of the classical guitar in Paraguay, heirs of Mangore's techniques:
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