Biography of Agustin Barrios Mangore - Part 5

Back in the New World

Barrios arrived to Caracas, Venezuela in February 1936 and he left in March for Trinidad. There he didn’t play many concerts but he gave guitar lessons to one pupil: Robert Edgeworth Johnstone, who declared about Barrios in 1985, amongst other things:

“But Barrios was obviously not a teacher. One had to get the information out of him by seeing what he did and then asking him about it. By watching the way he did it one learnt a great deal, but one had to drag out of him how he did it, because in some cases he almost didn’t know. He was a rather quiet player; he didn’t aim at volume. I don’t know whether it was his guitar or his technique, or what it was. I can say only at the time I found it very satisfactory. If a good manager had gotten hold of him, he should have been a world figure. A world composer, too. Certainly he was not a man to push his own affairs or drive forward. But he was at least contented. He had no complaints about not being recognized. I didn’t detect any of that sort of attitude.”

Here Johnstone is talking about a typical Paraguayan attitude. Being contented with what one has. Paraguayans very rarely drive forward for an affair, they had to be motivated by extreme needs, friends or social pressure. That is generaly speaking, of course there are exceptions.

Barrios was always pushed by his friends. Pellegrini told him to go abroad to pursue a career, his friends in Buenos Aires pushed him to go to Montevideo, Pagola locked him in a room to write his compositions. Those are just a few examples where Barrios needed the motivation given by a friend to start something. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t have confidence, that’s just the idiosyncracy or “way” of Paraguayans: to be happy with what they have. That most of the people that “pushed” him weren’t Paraguayans makes this clearer.

In August Barrios returned to Venezuela. He played some concerts but didn’t have the great success he had four years earlier. In 1938 he was in Havana, Cuba, where he wrote the Preludio Saudade which he added to La Catedral.

After leaving Cuba, economic problems began. Barrios ran out of work and money. They departed to Costa Rica, where a good friend offered them the use of a home for about a year. He had reduced concert activity during this period, probably due to health problems.

In July of 1939 he departed to El Salvador, where he arranged several concerts. Later he headed to Guatemala and Mexico. In Mexico City he suffered a heart attack. Barrios was debilitated and didn’t have the same strength of youth.

He returned in 1940 to El Salvador. The President of El Salvador, Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, a great admirer of Barrios appointed him Professor of Guitar at the National Conservatory, presenting him with a check for 5000 colones. This was almost an order, not an offer, from the President.

Barrios finally settled down, not in his homeland, but at least in a place where he was loved and admired. He played some concerts in towns of El Salvador, but he was mostly dedicated to teaching. He later played concerts with his pupils.

Barrios in his later years

The Last Years

In March of 1944 Segovia visited San Salvador to play a concert. The two masters met and spent several hours chatting in Segovia’s hotel room. Not even a note was played, as Barrios was in bad physical shape and Segovia felt a certain amount of pity for his “foe”, as he was forgotten and poor in a relatively isolated country and Segovia knew the fame and recognition that his talent merited.

Fifteen years later Segovia would declare that “Barrios was a man who tried to destroy himself, but couldn’t because he was such a genius”.

They had a polite and cordial meeting, where Segovia left Barrios a set of gut strings as a gift.

In these later years the love Barrios had for the guitar didn’t cease, as he practiced four hours a day. In 1944 he was ill and knew the end was near. He called for a priest and uttered his last words: “I do not fear the past, but I do not know if I can overcome the mystery of the night”.

One of the last pictures of Barrios

Surrounded by his friends and his wife, Barrios dies in August 7, 1944. The priest who attended him proclaimed: “This is the first time I have witnessed the death of a Saint”.

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Biography of Agustin Barrios Mangore - Part 4

The birth of Cacique Nitsuga Mangore

Around 1930 Barrios made his mind to leave southern South America and make his way towards northward from Rio de Janeiro, arriving to the United States. He invented the character of Nitsuga Mangore, the “messenger of the Guarani race... the Paganini of the guitar from the jungles of Paraguay”, presenting himself in concert with full Indian costume, with feathers, bow and arrows.

Barrios in 1930 before changing to Nitsuga Mangore

He started this approach mainly to attract a greater public. But I think that he also was disillusioned about his lack of success as Agustín Barrios. The man who was rejected in Buenos Aires and couldn’t make his way to the United States and Europe. To know more about the story of Mangore and the reasons why Barrios might have had invented it, click here.

Barrios started to add pieces to his repertoire that reflected his “Guarani origins”, like Diana Guarani and Poema de America. He also changed the name of the piece “Souvenir de un reve” to “Un sueño en la floresta”, that is, a dream in the forest. Apart from these and others original compositions, he continued playing his now standard repertoire, that included Sor, Tárrega, Albéniz and transcriptions of the classics.

He projected Europe and the United States as his future destinations and sometimes as places he had been to attract more public.

On february 20 1931, Barrios gave a concert in Fortaleza where he played pieces by Bach as the fugue from the first violin sonata, transcriptions of Mozart and Beethoven and, according to one critic he was less well received by the public of Fortaleza due to the “excessive classicism of the composer which requires a strict musical education to be duly appreciated”.

The guitarist who was rejected in Chile and Argentina for playing popular tunes now was criticized due to “excessive classicism”!

Touring America

Barrios gave concerts in Brazilian cities and towns until August 1931. On September he journeyed to French Guiana where in the capital city of Cayenne he gave a concert. Two months later he landed in Martinique where on December he gave a concert in the capital Fort-de-France, including a work by the French composer Jules Massenet to please the French-speaking public of Martinique.

From Martinique he traveled to Trinidad, in 1932. At this time the noted British conductor Sir Henry Joseph Wood was in Trinidad and, after hearing Barrios declared:

“Señor Barrios is quite a unique artist, his tonal variety obtained by plucking the strings at three or four different points, his colorful playing, rhythm, perfect intonation and splendid interpretive ability, make his playing a real pleasure and delight to all music lovers.”

Great success in Venezuela

In February he departed to Venezuela, which would be the place where he would have one of the best periods in his career, as the Venezuelan public was one of the most appreciative of Barrios’ music.

Over the next two months he would play 25 concerts in Caracas, proving to be a sensation with the public. He was constantly praised by the press and invited to numerous prominent social functions.

Barrios’ impact on the Venezuelan guitar community was profound. Antonio Lauro, viewed as one of the most important guitarist/composer from Venezuela, met Barrios around this time, he declared:

“Mangore was a very open person and on certain occasions shared his knowledge with us. Whatever anyone asked of him, he would give them. With each question, he would give a long reply, almost a complete class you might say. He gave long explanations regarding pulsation and set us to practicing ligados, arpeggios, general sonority and aesthetics of performance.”

Barrios’ was such a celebrity in Caracas that he even was featured in advertisements! In a poster showing Barrios playing there is a caption saying:

“Barrios is without any doubt, in the world of art, the Indian guitarist who leaves on our souls the imperishable taste of his music without precedent. In the world of the Venezuelian industry, it is something authentic, genuine, incomparable: Caracas Beer”

Colombia, Central America and El Salvador

On May 1932, he suddenly became dangerously ill. There is no records of concerts until September 3 and 4 in Barquisimeto. By October he was by Bogotá, Colombia. The Colombian composer Guillermo Uribe-Holguín attended one of is concerts and declared: “Mangore is the reincarnated soul of the musical geniuses and never again will it be possible to hear an artist of such magnitude.”

Great was the success of Barrios in Colombia, where one critic observed that Barrios had “awakened an enthusiasm never seen before with the cultured, music loving public who admire the great geniuses of classical and modern music.” During the five weeks that he was in Bogotá, he gave a total of 17 concerts.

By March 1933 he was in Panama, where he performed for the President Abdiel Arias. He gave other performances in Panama but there isn’t records of them. The following month he arrived in Costa Rica, where he stayed and played numerous concerts until July, when he traveled to El Salvador. He received great acceptance in all the places he visited, presenting himself as the “Guarani indian” he was accepted by the “brother races”.

In September he was in Guatemala. Here a critic gives a detailed description of a concert by Barrios:

In front, a corral of bamboo and two house palms. Mangoré presents himself with feathers. An anachronism. Something for children. His costume goes with the bamboo, but not with the guitar.

The reception by the public is cold and silent, with ironic comments: “horrendous”, “stupendous”, “shocking”, “he is on marihuana”, etc.

The indian sits, strokes his instrument in a strangely smooth manner and begins. The program does not seem to be in agreement with the situation – it indicates that the indian feels he is a musician, and that he wants to play Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin on the guitar! It seems a sacrilege. We expect a disaster, a fatal musical calamity.

He plays a Serenata Morisca of his own composition. On the mark. Another of his compositions, andante and allegreto. Notable. A Chilean dance. The enthusiasm mounts. Little by little the audience warms up.

The guitar becomes a piano, violin, flute, mandolin, drum. There is nothing that this man can’t do on the guitar. At times it seems the guitar plays itself...

The applause grows, and increases with each piece until at the end of the performance the public is shouting “encore” to which he replies “thank you”, simply “thank you”.

Barrios as Cacique Nitsuga Mangore

He arrived to Mexico in late 1933. He was well received and the critics were favorable, even though Segovia was also concertizing in Mexico at that time.

Finally to Europe

In 1934 he met Tomás Salomoni who was the Paraguayan Ambassador to Mexico. He persuaded Barrios to cease his characterization as Nitsuga Mangore, as it “was not dignified and appropriate.” This way chief Nitsuga Mangore was retired, although he later presented him in concert as “Barrios Mangore”. Salomoni was very interested in furthering Barrios’ career. He knew he must go to Europe.

Salomonis became Barrios’ new patron and “manager” and in July 1934 they embarked to Havana, Cuba where they remained for two months. Barrios had great success in the presentations he made in Havana. In September they finally sailed for Europe.

They arrived in Brussels, Belgium in September of 1934. There resided Tomás Salomonis elder son and eldest daughter. They remained there for several weeks. And there is some evidence that during this time Barrios made friends with Igor Stravinsky.

He played a concert in the Royal Conservatory of Music. Before the learned professors he presented works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, etc. Which did not impress them. In the second part he started to present his own compositions and upon ending the concert the critics shouted “Bravo!”. This was one of Barrios’ greatest artistc triumphs.

Then, the Barrios and Salomonis moved to Berlin, where they lived for approximately fifteen months. Zuni Salomoni, the youngest child, who was 12 at that time recalls that “there was an organ and always on the morning Mangore would awaken us children with music he would improvise on this organ. Sometimes, to entertain us, he would take his guitar and put it up behind his head and play it that way.”

The oldest son Tomás Salomonis recalled that Barrios “had a great respect for my father, but he dod not permit any interruptions during his practicing, which could last ten to twelve hours with him shut up in his room, refusing food, until his practicing was finished.”

In all the time they spent in Berlin, Barrios didn’t play any concert. For whatever reasons, they didn’t made connections with professional impresarios. I think there was discrimination involved on the part of the German hosts.

In 1936 Barrios separated from the Salomonis and sailed to Spain through Portugal. Barrios played a concert in Madrid and met Regino Sáinz de la Maza and the poet Federico García Lorca. He also played for Queen Victoria Eugenia, whose husband Alfonso XIII presented him with a guitar by the Spanish maker Morant. According to luthier Federico Sheppard, who made a replica of this guitar and kindly contacted me, this guitar was made by Spanish maker Ricardo Sanchis and not Morant.

At that time the Spanish Civil War was about to start, and seeing the lack of professional opportunities and feeling concern for his safety, he returned to America. History didn’t give him the opportunity to succeed.

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Biography of Agustin Barrios Mangore - Part 3

Barrios and Segovia

In June, 1920, Barrios returned to Montevideo from Brazil. At this time, Segovia was also in Montevideo giving concerts. The two guitarists never met during the five weeks they were both in Uruguay. That would have to wait till the following year in Buenos Aires. It is interesting to compare the repertoire of both guitarists at this time. Both included transcriptions of the classics (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin). Segovia included numerous pieces by Sor and Tárrega, he also played Granados and Albéniz. This represented the “modern” concert guitar repertoire of the times (he hadn’t yet met Ponce, Tórroba, Villa-Lobos). Barrios, apart from the classics played mid 19th century Spanish music by Arcas, Parga, Broca and also Tárrega and music by Latin Americans (Albano, García Tolsa).

The main difference is in the area of original compositions. Segovia only originals were his arrangements of music by classical composers. Barrios played many of his compositions in his concerts because, as he said, there wasn’t many pieces by others that “inspired him”.

In 1921, they met in Buenos Aires, they were introduced by a friend after a concert. Some time later, Barrios went to visit Segovia at his home. He played for the Maestro, and he was greatly pleased. According to Klinger, Barrios’ biographer: “Barrios played a cascade of musical gems for the great Segovia who was surprised...better yet: he was floored. Nearly 2 hours later he was congratulated by the Maestro. One particular work he liked very much and indicated he would play in his concerts. Barrios gave him an original copy with a dedication. The work that Segovia said he would like to program in his concerts he never played. And logically so: if he had played it, with the extraordinary abilities he possessed he would have elevated Barrios to inaccessible heights, thus detracting from his own artistic prestige."

Barrios (right) with his brother Martín in Montevideo

The work that Segovia liked very much was La Catedral. In 1921, Segovia wasn’t in the omnipotent position he would occupy in subsequent decades, so, he didn’t accept any competition. If he had been sincere he would have programmed La Catedral and other pieces, and helped Barrios to arrange concerts in Europe and the United States. Many years later, Barrios would realize that Segovia wasn’t his friend and say about him that he was “deaf in the heart”. Barrios acknowledged that Segovia was an outstanding technician but he didn’t see himself as being in any way “less of a technician”. Barrios was proud of his identity as a composer, which involved skills and talents quite beyond the “mere” acquirement of physical virtuosity.

La Catedral: a masterpiece

On April 14, 1921, Barrios said this in a interview with an Uruguayan newspaper: “As much as my precarious state of health has permitted, I have been able to compose five works for these recitals. I consider the most important, after Vals de Primavera, of a romantic cut, La Catedral, which consists of two movements, an 'andante religioso' and an 'allegro solemne'."

This is the first reference to Barrios most widely played work. He was inspired by an experience he had entering the Cathedral of San José in Montevideo. The Andante with its broad chords represent his impressions of an organist playing Bach in the cathedral. The Allegro represent the sensation when he leaves the calm atmosphere of the cathedral. He enters into the street, the real world, where everyone is in a hurry and doesn’t have time to think. He represents this perfectly with incessant 16th note figures.

The third movement, the Preludio Saudade would be added years later.

The return to Paraguay

During 1922 Barrios journeyed again to Chile and Brazil. After this, he returned to Paraguay on August 21. He undoubtedly had the desire to finally settle down in his homeland, but he would soon realize that this was impossible.

The return of Barrios to Paraguay was triumphal, he didn’t made a great amount of money but nevertheless was viewed as one of the greatest guitarists in the world.

He would play eleven concerts in Asuncion over the next 8 months. This was a time of welcoming for Barrios from all the ones that played a major role in his formation and now were proud of what he had become: Gustavo Sosa Escalada, Nicolino Pellegrini and Viriato Diaz Perez.

He would attempt an “open air” concert at the Plaza Uruguaya, along with his brothers who presented poetry. The event turned to be a great success, crowds of people went to the Plaza to see the Barrios clan. But this turned to be a problem, Barrios had to suspend the function because of the noise from the crowd and the lack of acoustics.

In April 26, 1923, he would travel to Rosario, Argentina, where he would stay approximately 5 months. He stayed with a friend and classical guitar teacher, Baptiste Almirón, whose daughter Lalyta was a prodigy on the instrument and who would become one of the better known concert guitarists in Argentina.

Barrios taught Lalyta some of his original pieces, and was stunned with the little gifted artist. He declared about her:

“Anything that I can say about this young child, is little, compared to her enormous talent. My surprise had no limits when, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, with her lovely smile, she played Study No. 22 of Coste and the Canzoneta of Mendelssohn. Works of challenge, even for masters, burst forth as enchanting art in a shower of crystalline notes from her agile fingers, which in giddy movements resemble hummingbirds over the strings.”

During the 5 months that they were together, Lalyta learned Romance en Imitación al Violoncello, Vals No.4 and Contemplación.

Barrios spent his time in Rosario composing new works. It was evidently a productive time, at least 17 works are dated from this period.

He traveled to Buenos Aires and Uruguay, where he played some concerts. In August 1924 he was back in Paraguay. He had the desire to establish a music school in Asunción, for which he made a petition to the government. Although he wasn’t active in politics, his inclination was towards the Partido Colorado, which was in opposition to the Partido Liberal then in power. This made for a quick negation of his request.

In 1925 he was in Uruguay with his friend Luis Pasquet and also with Borda y Pagola. He played concerts in Montevideo and towns of the interior. He spent a year in Uruguay.

Goodbye to the indifferent Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, the great city that promised him fame and fortune was the one that most rejected him. Barrios was back there in 1928. On June he programmed three concerts in the Theatre La Argentina, of which only one was performed, the other two cancelled due to lack of public. Disgusted with his failure, he vowed never to return to Argentina again.

The guitar public of Buenos Aires rejected Barrios with his metal strings and 19th century type repertoire. To accentuate this, Segovia was also at this time in Buenos Aires, filling theatres presenting a “modern repertoire”, including music by Ponce, Tórroba, Turina, Tansman, etc.

This rejection proved to be a very critical point for Barrios and I think that is one of the mains reasons why he would change his identity to Nitsuga Mangoré.

In 1929 he left Buenos Aires and journeyed to Brazil, where he gave concerts in Pelotas, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The public of Sao Paulo was very welcoming to the music of Barrios. On October 25 1929 in the Municipal Theatre a great Literary-musical festival was given to celebrate Barrios’ farewell to Sao Paulo.

During this year he also met Gloria Seban, who would be his companion until the end of his days. He presented her as his wife although there is no corroboration that they were married. She was a practical woman who took care of Agustín’s everyday needs. She was musically uneducated and was described by some as being unaware of Barrios genius. But she obviously loved him as she stayed with him during the next 14 years.

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Biography of Agustin Barrios Mangore - Part 2

In the Land of Opportunity

Buenos Aires was a center of commerce, politics and art. This city had extensive immigration in the previous years, specially from Italy, and it had a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Barrios had the opportunity to watch top European artists in the great Teatro Colón, established in 1908.

In 1910, the year Barrios arrived, was the centenary of the independence of Argentina, so, the city had even a more festive mood. He attended guitar concerts that were performed regularly. He was particularly impressed by Miguel Llobet, whom he probably saw in concert during this year. Years later Barrios declared Llobet to be the greatest guitarist he had ever heard.

It wasn’t easy at first for Barrios, he didn’t just arrived to Buenos Aires and started a concert career. He made his living playing in movie theaters providing music for silent films. He also played incidental music for theaters.

Metal Strings, Popular music and the Paraguayan

Sometime in early 1911 he traveled to Chile and even as far as Peru. Reportedly he gave a concert in Santiago, which was harshly criticized, because he presented an inferior program composed mainly of popular tunes, and he used metal strings!

At this time, our artist didn’t present in concert what was considered the standard for classical guitarists. He played mainly popular tunes. I think that this was caused by many factors. First of all, he used metal strings. He was harshly criticized for this in Buenos Aires by the elite of Classical music. After that he was ashamed to present works of classical guitar by Sor and Aguado that he probably knew.

One of the principal characteristics of Paraguayan people (I know how they are, I am one and live here) is that one of their greatest fears is to be publicly ashamed, to be rejected. This was what happened to Barrios, he was an outsider from the guitar community because he did not use gut strings. And for whatever reason he didn’t want to change his metal strings.

Miguel Herrera Klinger, an Uruguayan friend of Barrios declared that on a certain occasion he was in Buenos Aires at a sheet music and guitar store, Agromayor and Co. It was where the guitar world would meet every day. He says that he overheard a conversation between Andrés Segovia, Regino Sáinz de la Maza and Domingo Prat regarding Barrios. Sáinz de la Maza was the only one who did not reject steel strings, as long as it was Barrios who played on them. To what Segovia said: “Well, as far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t know what to do with that wire fence”.

He directed himself more towards the popular music public that didn’t bother if he used metal strings, playing tangos, marches, etc.

Barrios’ great friend: Martín Borda y Pagola

At some point in 1912 Barrios journeyed to Montevideo, Uruguay. Martín Borda y Pagola was a successful rancher of livestock who was an amateur guitarist. He was the owner of various instruments of great value, for which his house became a center for talented guitarists. It is probable that friends of Barrios in Buenos Aires gave him Borda y Pagola’s address and he journeyed to Montevideo to seek a “patron” relationship.

Borda y Pagola was a great supporter of Barrios, giving him at various times either financial or emotional help during the next 15 years. There is a story that Borda y Pagola became Barrios’ protector and he constantly urged him to write down his compositions (something at which he wasn’t very interested). At some point, Borda y Pagola became so frustrated with Barrios that he locked him in a room, declaring that he would not free him until he had written down many compositions.

The first recordings

In 1914 he returned to Buenos Aires where he began recording for the Argentine labels Atlanta and Artigas and produced seventeen 78 rpm phonograph records that show what kind of repertoire he was playing at this time.

They were all original works or popular tunes, marches and tangos. He developed this kind of folkloric repertoire playing in cinemas, where he had to “fill time”.

These are the first recordings ever made by a classical guitarist.

Expansion and growth in Uruguay

During the years 1912 to 1916 he must have spent a lot of time in Borda y Pagola’s ranch, where he made many friends. Some of this friends also offered Barrios a place to stay, something Barrios was particularly fond of. He reputedly lived one entire year with guitarist Luis Pasquet in Salto. These “visits” to friends would be a pattern he would repeat throughout his life, and he always would “pay” them with his art. During these years he also performed in many towns of Uruguay.

During the period of 1914 to 1916 he traveled forth from Uruguay to Brazil. We have a recorded program from a performance in Rio de Janeiro in 1916 that reveals a more substantial and “classical” repertoire, which includes transcriptions of Bach, Verdi, Chopin, Grieg and Mendelssohn, as well as music by Aguado, Giuliani, Coste and Arcas. He also played, of course, some original works.

The conquest of Brazil

From 1916 until 1920 Barrios was in Brazil. He based himself in Sao Paulo, probably with a supporting patron. He was constantly expanding his knowledge of music and the guitar. He now incorpoarated in his concerts more standard pieces for classical guitar, like Capricho Árabe by Tárrega. He also continued transcribing works by Bach, Beethoven, Bufaleti, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Schumann.

He also made a great step upward in his compositional skills. Some of his masterpieces are from this period, like Un sueño en la Floresta, Mazurka Apasionata, Allegro Sinfónico and Romanza en Imitación al Violoncello.

He played concerts in Sao Paulo and Southern Brazil with great success. He gained the reputation of an outstanding artist. This made him possible to meet the Brazilian luthier Romeo Di Giorgio, who made a guitar with 20 frets specially for Barrios. He utilized the high C now possible on his magnificent piece "Un sueño en la Floresta". He also met Arturo Napoleao, a Brazilian pianist/composer, whose “Romanza” barrios had transcribed for guitar.

The first “death” of Barrios

In 1918, due to a confusion with a musician of the same name, newspapers from Asunción reported that Barrios had died in the town of Melo, Uruguay. Of course he was alive and well in Sao Paulo.

The information was corrected the same year. When Barrios was informed of this, he responded humorously, saying “I was able to assist my own funerals, death is such a nice thing”.

The most curious of this is that, this happened again later, when his death was falsely reported in 1934 first in Mexico and later in Venezuela.

Barrios and Gino Marinuzzi

Gino Marinuzzi was the world famous conductor of La Scala Opera of Milan. He was in Rio de Janeiro around 1919 presenting some performances at the opera house. He had heard of Barrios and invited him to play at a special private get-together of about 20 friends (many of whom were knowledgeable professional musicians).

The outcome was very positive. Barrios was applauded and warmly congratulated by the Maestro and gave him a photo of himself with the following text: “To the great Barrios, who has revived the art of Galilei and Simon Molinari, with affectionate admiration, Gino Marinuzzi. Rio, September 30, 1919.

This was a great achievement for Barrios, to receive approval from one of the leading musicians of the day, not only as a performer but also for his talent as a composer. If he had been able to maintain contact with Marinuzzi, Barrios undoubtedly would have been able to arrange a tour to Europe much earlier, and his life would have turned much more different than it did.

On November of this successful year, he received a special invitation from the Presitdent of Brasil, Epitasio Pessoa, to perform at the Presidential Palace a concert for diplomats and ministers. After his performance the high ranking diplomats raised their champagne glasses for the great artist.

This successful period for Barrios was also of extraordinary progress in composition. Ever since 1919 all of his works are masterpieces of the guitar repertoire.

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Biography of Agustin Barrios Mangore - Part 1

Early Years

In the year 1885, Barrios was born in the small and quiet town of San Juan Bautista in the Department (district) of Misiones. Located at Southern Paraguay, an agricultural and undeveloped area, as was much of the country. If you would have seen this simple little town at the time Barrios was born, and then today, you wouldn’t notice many changes, except two monuments to his memory in the central plaza. Although born to a musical family, nobody would have guessed that this boy in this small country in South America would become one of the most successful masters of an instrument.

Agustín’s father was an Argentinean, Doroteo Barrios, married to a Paraguayan woman, Martina Ferreira. Doroteo held the position of Argentine vice consul in the Misiones Department. Martina was a school teacher. Agustín probably inherited from her the love for poetry and literature.

Both parents were cultured persons, who loved the arts. Doroteo had an extensive library, one of the most complete in the area of Misiones. Seven sons were born to them: Rómulo (1874), Héctor (1875), Virgilio (1874), José (1881), Agustín (1885), Diodoro (1888) and Martín (1895).

Doroteo played the guitar, and with his brothers Pedro and Cornelio, who played the violin and the flute formed a musical trio that played for special occasions. Doroteo was a folk guitarist who played rhythm to popular tunes, such as polcas, vals and zambas. Barrios learned by imitating his father. Doroteo got for him a small guitar from which he “drew extraordinary sounds” and delighted his friends.

Later, his family formed a new “small orchestra”. Rómulo played the harp, Héctor the violin, Virgilio the flute and José, Agustín and Diodoro played guitars.

Barrios’ only teacher, Sosa Escalada

In 1898, Barrios met one person that would be one of the most influential in his life: Gustavo Sosa Escalada (1844-1944). He was an argentine-born Paraguayan. He spent his youth in Buenos Aires where he studied classical guitar with Carlos García Tolsa, Juan Alaís and Antonio Ferreyro.

He returned to Paraguay in 1895, where there is a record of his participation in a concert in Asunción. He taught classical guitar from 1897 to 1909 in a private school. He utilized the guitar methods of Fernando Sor, Dionisio Aguado and Fernando Carulli. He had a friendship with Héctor Barrios, which led him to spend some vacation time in San Juan Bautista in 1898. During this stay in the Barrios home he first heard Agustín play the guitar. He immediately began giving lessons to the talented boy. And then advised his parents to send him to Asunción to continue with his studies of music and the guitar.

Later, in a Guatemalan newspaper, in 1933, Barrios declared about this first meeting:

“I listened to him play and great was my surprise in discovering that the “pampa instrument” that I played with such joy contained such marvelous possibilities.”

To the Capital

In 1899 young Agustín went to Asunción. He lived with his older brothers and studied guitar with Sosa Escalada. He entered the National High School in 1901. He was 15 years old, two years older than most of his fellow first-year students.

Barrios was a talented artist who many times would draw caricatures of classmates and teachers while classes where in session. He also was an avid reader, whose favorites were Don Quijote, Martín Fierro and A Thousand and One Nights.

By 1903 he became more and more involved with the guitar and left high school. No doubt during this period a good deal of time was spent studying classical guitar fundamentals and developing his skills. In December, 1903, he made his formal concert debut as a guitarist. This concert had a last minute change in its program: a singer named María Barbero was to have performed a vocal selection, due to illness she wasn’t able to assist. This gave him the opportunity of performing a guitar duo with Juan de la Cruz Samaniego, “Fantasía en Imitación al Piano” by Viñas.

Even though he was only a last minute replacement, this was an important step forward for him as an artist.

However, he realized that he couldn’t make a living from a guitar. He began trying various jobs: as a scribe at a Bank, in the Paraguayan Navy and even as a newspaper reporter. He wasn’t successful at any of these posts. His only true passion was the guitar.

Barrios and the Maestro Pellegrini

At this time he met another important person in his life and career. Nicolino Pellegrini, born in Viggiano, Potenza, Italy. Studied violin in Geneva, Switzerland and Paris. In 1888 he traveled to Porto Alegre, Brazil. He came to Asunción in 1893. Settling there, he began teaching violin, tuning pianos and organizing concerts. He then formed a student orchestra, and was the conductor for most of orchestral concerts of the day.

In 1895 was created the Instituto Paraguayo, and Pellegrini was named the director of its music program. It’s said that Barrios abandoned the National High School in 1903 to study music seriously in this Institute under Pellegrini. He also learned a bit of violin and cello.

Thanks to Barrios’ relationship with Pellegrini, the principal personality in the musical society of Asunción, his appearances in concert began to increase. As his popularity.

Barrios' early repertoire

From this time is known his original composition Abrí la Puerta mi China, the manuscript is dated December 25, 1905. This piece reveals that Barrios knew the entire range of the instrument and had a correct knowledge of harmony and modulation.

In addition to this original composition, we know he played some popular Paraguayan tunes and some music by Aguado, Sor and García Tolsa. He didn’t know Tárrega’s music yet, as it wasn’t available in South América. We also know that he played an early version of the sonatina A mi Madre.

He was constantly chosen by Pellegrini to participate in concerts, but as these concerts were sporadic, he spent his time playing serenades “every night” during the years 1905-1909. He had established a reputation as a “professor of guitar”.

By this time he was beginning to feel that he needed to travel abroad to further his career as a concert performer, as he has already conquered the small musical scene of Asunción.

He first tried to tour the small rural towns of Paraguay. But probably by a lack of market he returned to Asunción, and realizing he couldn’t make a living as a concert guitarist in Paraguay, he started teaching.

Preparing to fly

At this point he met another important person for him: Viriato Díaz Pérez, a Spaniard who emigrated to Paraguay. He influenced Barrios in the areas of philosophy and metaphysics, introducing him to theosophic doctrines and beliefs.

He also urged and helped him to leave Paraguay and seek new horizons. In January 1910 he wrote a letter of introduction to an Argentine friend, Mario Villar Sáenz Valiente, publisher of the Buenos Aires newspaper La Nación. Barrios at this time was playing concerts in Argentine towns Corrientes, Posadas and Resistencias. Valiente reportedly heard Barrios play in the town of Corrientes and invited him to come to Buenos Aires.

He now was ready to depart to the great city of Buenos Aires, which was the major center of culture in South America, the perfect place to pursue his career. His desire to depart Paraguay was also fueled by Nicolino Pellegrini who took a month long trip to Buenos Aires to arrange for the publishing of pieces by him.

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