Angus Neil

Lifts You Up

The Latin Classical Guitar Masters - Agustin Barrios

Andres Segovia is touted as the father of the Classical Guitar, and he did great work in establishing the guitar as a serious concert instrument.  However the average person might not know about the great Latin American Classical Guitar composers.

This is the first in a series of articles on these great masters of the classical guitar.  What made them so exemplary was the combination of the European classical tradition and the local music of their countries.

It is said that music is the food of the soul and no one understood this better than Agustin Barrios. In the history of Latin music, Agustin Barrios is one of the most adored classical guitarists of all times. 

Agustín Barrios

Agustín Barrios

Agustin Barrios, the Southern American maestro of classical guitar, was born in the year 1885 in San Bautista de las Misiones in southern Paraguay. He had seven siblings of whom loved music. Agustin’s parents, Doroteo Barrios, the father and Martina Ferreira, the mother were both into music and literature. His mother even played the guitar.

Agustin’s love and passion for music and literature started when he was just a child.  His family was mainly his inspiration. If the innocent child that was Agustin Barrios was in the modern world, I wonder if he could be cooped up at the couch playing video games and watching cartoons like most children today. Apart from music and literature, Agustin learned how to speak in Spanish and Guarani and was able to read English, German and French at a tender age.

As a teen, Agustin Barrios developed an interest in musical instruments especially the guitar and was discovered by classical guitarist Gustavo Sosa Escalada who became his guitar teacher. Gustavo saw Barrios passion for music and advised him to join a musical school. This led Agustin Barrios to be one of the youngest students to join the university in the Paraguayan history. He was only 15 years when he joined the Universidad National De Asuncion in 1901 through a music scholarship. While in the university, Barrios excelled in music and was appreciated by the mathematics, literature and journalism departments.

His musical journey began after leaving college when he composed over 300 hundred songs. He toured a lot in South America where he gave out his signed copies of songs and poems to friends and fans. Since he was in love with literature, he gave himself a pseudonym Nitsuga Mangore which was his stage name. The name is a combination of Agustin spelled backwards and Mangore, a name referring to a leader in the indigenous tribes of South America. Besides being known to perform live in the traditional Paraguayan dress, Barrios was also famous for making the best music recordings in Paraguay.

His work was written in late- romantic style and was inspired by South American and Central American folk music. One of his magnum opus, La cathedral (Maestro musician Kolio version is outstanding), was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s work.

Today, Agustin Barrios’ work is highly appreciated in Paraguay. Among his best work is Cueca, Julia Florida, Danza Paraguaya and London Karape. His work has inspired many young guitarists and poets in Paraguay. There is no doubt the Agustin Barrios is one of the greatest classical guitarist and composer in the Paraguayan history.

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