Agustin Barrios Mangore

-The Paganini of the Guitar from the Jungles of Paraguay-

By: Nick Lancaster

Today Agustin Barrios Mangore is known through out the guitar-world as one of the

greatest guitarists and composers for the guitar that has ever lived. His music has become

a staple in the modern guitar repertoire, and is considered by some to be the most

challenging, beautiful, and rewarding music to be played on the guitar. However, this was

not always the case.

Fame and fortune managed to elude him during the time he spent on earth. He

devoted his whole life to the guitar, and it is sad that it took so long for him to attain the

recognition he deserved. A nomad by choice, Barrios traveled from town to town all over

South America sharing his art, and giving a concert tour that lasted the greater part of his

life. On his journey he created some of the most beautiful and perfectly written pieces of

music the guitar repertoire has ever seen. The music encompasses the entire range and

abilities of the guitar, and uses these dimensions to bring out all the colors and tonal

capabilities of the guitar.

Barrios was also very interesting and talented man who led a remarkable and

fascinating life. He cared little for his own well being, living in poverty, and dedicated his

life to creating and expanding the musical capabilities of the guitar. Musicians, guitarist,

composers, and fans of guitar music can gain a lot through an in depth study of his life

and music. This paper will be broken into four sections that discuss Barrios’:

I. Childhood and Education

II. Life as a Performer, Composer, and Nomad

III. Relationship with Andres Segovia

IV. Influence and Legacy

I. Childhood and Education

Agustin Pio Barrios was born on May 5th 1885 in the department of Misiones,

Paraguay. It is believed that he was born in the town if San Juan Bautista in Misiones, but

the exact location is still debatable because his baptismal document found in the book of

registries in San Juan Bautista does not list a place of birth.1 Several biographers have

also presented convincing evidence that he was instead born in the nearby town of Villa

Florida.2 The exact location of his birth will probably never be known for sure.

Barrios was the fifth of seven sons born to Don Dorreto Barrios and Dona Martina

Ferreria. Dorreto held the position of vice consul in the Misiones district, and Martina

was a schoolteacher. Both were well educated and had a very high esteem for the arts.

Martina was especially fond of literature and poetry, probably who Barrios inherited it

from.3

Dorreto was also an amateur guitarist, and had a small group with his two

brothers that would play at fiestas and special occasions. Barrios learned the rudiments of

the guitar by watching and imitating his father, at a very young age. His parents quickly

saw the talent in the child and bought him a small guitar to help further his interests.

From this guitar, it is said he “drew forth extraordinary sounds”.4

By the age of 13 Barrios was becoming a talented guitarist. He was able to play

several compositions, and possibly had even written his first piece by then.5 It is

1 Stover pg. 152 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_Barrios3 Antuña4 Stover pg. 105 Stover pg. 10

important to note that there were no classically trained guitarists, let alone teachers, in

this area, and that all the music Barrios was learning was “pop” and “folk” music from

other “amateur” musicians in the area. Also, his siblings also played other instruments

and they would form a “small orchestra”. It would be interesting to find out if Barrios

composed music for the group, but this furthers merit study. It was around this time that

Barrios met the man who would probably have the biggest influence on his life.

Gustavo Sosa Escalada was a professional guitarist and educator living in

Asuncion, Paraguay. Sosa Escalada was friend of Barrios’ older brother Hector, and

accompanied him back home on a trip. While staying at Barrios household, he met 13-

year old Agustin and the two performed for each other. Sosa Escalada was deeply

impressed by the young mans musicality and abilities on the guitar. The young Agustin

also felt a mutual admiration, “I listened to him play and great was my surprise in

discovering that the “pampa instrument” that I played with such joy (but which I never

realized possessed such great resources) contained such marvelous possibilities.”6 After

seeing the guitar in the hands of a trained guitarist, both the performer and composer

inside of the young Barrios probably became overtaken and excited with the unlimited

possibilities of the nature of the guitar. Sosa Escalada was so impressed with Barrios that

he urged his parents to send him to Asuncion to study with him.

In 1899 an adolescent Barrios moved to Asuncion to study with Sosa Escalada,

and lived with his older brothers Hector and Virgilio. In addition to studying the guitar, in

1901 Barrios enrolled in the National High School. Based on his “report cards” he was an

exceptional student, and excelled at math, journalism and literature.7 He was also a

6 Agustin Barrios on the first time he heard Gustavo Sosa Escalada perform7 Antuña

talented artist, and according to his class-mate Luis Campos Cervera, “he would draw

caricatures of students and teachers while class was in session.”8 For some reason,

possibly to focus more on the guitar, Barrios only attended the school for 2 years and

dropped out. It is also important to note that Barrios enrolled in the school when he was

15, which made him two years older than the other first year students9, so it is possible he

felt a little too “mature” for his class, and might have had an effect on his choice to leave.

After leaving the school Barrios began to take full advantage of all of his free

time by devoting himself to the study of the guitar. In his studies with Sosa Escalada he

“Studied all the school of Dionisio Aguado, the complete method of Fernando Sors and

all the compoitions of Julian Arcas and Carlos Garcis Toisa.”10 By studying the works of

the great guitar composers, there is no doubt that Barrios was developing a very solid

background for both composition and performance. He was probably also spending a

great deal of time working on guitar technique and fundamentals.11

Around 1903 Barrios met another person who had a great impact on his musical

life, Nicolino Pellegrini. Pellegrini was born in Viggiano, Potenza, Italy. He studied

violin in Geneva, Switzerland, and Paris. In 1888 he moved South America and settled

down in Asuncion in 1893. He taught violin, tuned pianos, and organized concerts. In

1895 the Instituto Paraquayo was created, and Pellegrini was named the director of the

music program. It’s rumored that one of the main reasons Barrios dropped out of the

national high school was to study music in the Institute under Pellegrini.12 Pellegrini

admired Barrios’ playing and would often feature him in the sporadic concerts he would

8 Stover pg. 199 Stover pg. 1810 Gustava Sosa Escalada on his lessons with Barrios11 Stover 1912 Antuña

hold. Because Pellegrini was a major personality, if not the most important, in the music

society of Asuncion, Barrios’ reputation as a concert performer was beginning to grow.

In addition his skills as a guitarist and composer were also maturing rapidly. His

composition Abri Puerta mi China is dated Dec. 25, 1905. This piece reveals that he had

a complete grasp on the entire range of the guitar, and a correct understanding of

harmony and modulation.13 He was playing more concerts put together by Pellegrini, and

had established a reputation as a “professor of the guitar”.

Around 1908 he put together a small concert tour that included small towns in

Paraguay, but the venture wasn’t very successful. He realized that making it as a

musician is tough, especially for a guitarist, and eventually took on several odd jobs, but

none worked out. He started taking out ads in the local paper that offered guitar lessons,

and began supporting himself through them. His friends began to urge him to leave

Paraguay, and go to a place with a larger market for his music. In 1910 he decided to

move to a bigger venue.

13 Antuña “Agustin Barrios Mangore Site: Everything about Mangore”

II. Life as a Performer, Composer, and Nomad

In 1910 Agustin Barrios moved to “the land of opportunity”, Buenos Aries

Argentina. It is not known if he expected a “red carpet” or a special ceremony for his

arrival, but he certainly didn’t find one. Buenos Aries, at this time, was the capital of the

music business in South America and the logical choice for any aspiring musician to go

(like Nashville, Tenn. for the modern country music singer). The classical guitar scene

was thriving, and populated by such greats as Antonio Jimenez Manjon, Julio Sargreras,

and Domingo Prat. Moving to Buenos Aries was the best decision, short of moving to

New York, NY. or Europe, that Barrios could have done. Now he was able to absorb the

atmosphere of a large musical community, and he was able to see world-class guitarist

perform on a regular basis. This was probably a very exciting and inspiring time in his

life.

He did have several patrons in Buenos Aries, short of his arrival, and he would

often play at private functions for them. The most notable was Saenz Valiente, who gave

Barrios his first fine guitar, by the acclaimed Spanish luthier Jose Ramirez. Having

several patrons was probably very beneficial, although he still needed to support himself.

Luckily, he was able to find several musical gigs to support himself. He played incidental

music for theaters and provided soundtracks to silent films. His time spent playing music

for silent films was more than likely greatly improvised, which most definitely influenced

his later compositions, giving them a unique “cinematic” touch.

Also during this time, Barrios began traveling. It suspected that he went to Chile’

and even as far as Peru.14 Somewhere during his journeys he meet his greatest patron,

Don Martin Borda y Pagola of Montevido, Uruguay. Borda y Pagola was a successful

rancher of livestock and also an amateur guitarist. It is not exactly known how they met,

but some suspect a friend gave Barrios Borda y Pagola’s address, and he visited him to

gain a patron relationship.15 However, Borda y Pagola had a deep respect for Barrios as

an artist, and would often help him financially (for over 15 years). It is interesting that

Barrios seemed very comfortable with the patron/musician relationship. He never had a

problem asking, sometimes almost begging, for financial aid. This was to be expected in

the times of Mozart and Haydn, when musicians were hired by their patrons to write

music especially for them. But Barrios seemed to feel that just by sharing his music with

his patrons he was some how privileged to be supported by them.

In addition, the 20th century brought many changes to every industry. One of the

greatest impacts was seen on the music industry with the creation of records and record

labels. No longer did one have to attend a concert or be musically adept at an instrument

to enjoy music. Records made it possible to listen to almost any piece of music from the

comfort of a person’s home. Since the recording technology at the time had certain

limitations (no play back or editing, etc…), most performances had only one chance to be

recorded. This meant only the best of the best were chosen to record, musicians who were

capable of successfully performing a composition once with little or no mistakes. Barrios,

was one of these musicians, and tells a lot about his abilities and reputation as a guitarist.

It’s not known if Barrios understood the revolution that would take place from the

14 Stover 3815 Antuña “Agustin Barrios Mangore Site: Everything about Mangore”

recording industry in the years to follow, but he was probably motivated financially by

the prospect of recording. In 1914 he began recording music for Argentinean record

labels, performing mainly his own compositions. These were the first recordings ever

made of a classical guitarist.

Around this time, Barrios began playing more concerts in different cities

throughout South America. This initially started in 1912 and would continue for the rest

of his life. He would travel to different countries, settle with a patron, perform concerts

around that area, and move on to another country and patron to start the whole process

again. He would often have great success with his concerts, but since he didn’t come

from a “classically” trained and educated background, he lacked connections with

important members of academia. By having their support he would have been able to

book bigger venues, and establish himself as a proper classical musician.16 Not having the

proper credentials hindered his career, and many members of academia saw him as little

more than a street musician. However, he continued on with his nomadic lifestyle,

sharing his music and slowly changing the minds of his critics.

Furthermore, one of the biggest set backs Barrios had in his career was his use of

metal strings instead of gut strings. In the classical world, guitarist do not use metal

strings. By using metal strings it was hard for any critic to take seriously, and to see him

as more than just a gimmick. Barrios learned the guitar on metal strings (probably

because it was almost impossible to get gut strings in Paraguay during his youth17), he

preferred the sound, and so he saw no reason to change.

16 Stover17 Stover pg. 45

Another reason for his lack of success in traditional music scene were his

compositions. Barrios played standards of the guitar repertoire, but his music was

uniquely his own. He took elements from all over South America and merged with

traditional European music. Mixing European harmony with South American folk

rhythms such as the cueca, saudade, milonga, tango, choros, and galopas.18 Also, he

would regularly perform arrangements of popular South American folk songs. Although

this wasn’t unheard of at the time, Barrios music was very nationalistic, but on a

continental level. Celebrating not only his home of Paraguay, but of all the countries in

South America. Which was probably hard for the traditional European musical society

living in South America to accept, because the general thought at the time was that

Europe was the height of the musical art, and he should be showing a greater respect by

not playing South American “pop” music along with works of Bach, Mozart, and

Beethoven.

In addition, another set back in his career definitely had something to do with the

fact that Barrios very rarely attempted to publish his own work. He rarely ever wrote

them down in fact. While staying with Don Martin Borda y Pagola, he apparently

frustrated his patron so much that Borda y Pagola locked him in his room and declared he

would not free him until he had written done many of his compositions.19 How could

Barrios expect to gain a reputation as a composer when he wasn’t trying to publish his

work? The reason is not known, but there could be a couple explanations. Barrios was

known as a master of improvisation, maybe he felt his music was always changing and

growing and he didn’t want to set it in stone. Or maybe he felt like the great ancient

18 Jeong “Agustín Barrios Mangoré: The Folkloric, Imitative, and the Religious Influence Behind His Compositions Agustin Barrios Mangore Site: Everything about Mangore”19 Stover pg. 42

Greek philosopher Socrates did, if he wrote it down, he would forget it. Or maybe he just

didn’t like the idea of people he didn’t know having access to his most personal of items,

his music. Whatever the reason, this was definitely something he should have been doing

in order to advance his career in the direction he wanted it to go.

In 1930, after almost 18 years of being “on tour” and not nearly gaining the

recognition he deserved. Barrios decided it was time for his career to have a make over,

and Nitsuga Mangore “messenger of the Guarani race... the Paganini of the guitar from

the jungles of Paraguay” was born. This is the alter ego and title that Barrios began

billing himself by. Mangore is the title of chief in the Guarani Tribe. The Guarani tribe

was one the few tribes that were able to successfully defend themselves from the Spanish

invasion. Nitsuga is Agustin backwards. Barrios would perform in full Guarani attire,

looking like an Indian chief with feathers and full bow and arrows. The following article

from a Guatemalan newspaper best sums up the reactions he was getting.

“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”.”20

In 1934 Barrios made a new Patron, Tomas Salomoni, the Paraguayan

Ambassador to Mexico. He convinced Barrios to drop the Indian routine, and to act more

appropriately. Though he continued to present himself as Agustin Barrios Mangore.

Salomoni was very interested in Barrios’ career, convinced him to go to Europe. Barrios

spent time touring around Europe, failing to impress with his performances of traditional

guitar repertoire, but astonishing the audience with his own compositions. During this

time Barrios met and became friends with Igor Stravinsky, although not very much is

known beyond that. In 1936, before the start of the Spanish Civil war, Barrios saw no

further opportunities and decided to return to South America.

On his return, he continued his tour and set up several concerts, but he was

running out of work, and money. In 1940 he settled down in El Salvador, finally ending

his lifelong tour. He was appointed Professor of the Guitar at the National Conservatory,

and lived out the rest of his days until his death on August 7, 1944.

III. Relationship with Andres Segovia

20 Stover Pg. 149 (critical response from the Guatemalan newspaper Nuestro Diario)

Andres Segovia is the most famous name in the history of the classical guitar. He

"..rescued [the guitar] from the hands of flamenco gypsies"21 as he liked to say. He was

known to be a very kind man, but he was also known for being very mean, critical,

arrogant, and stubborn to others, especially guitarists. Among the later, was Agustin

Barrios Mangore. In some circles it is even believed that he attempted, and successfully,

sabotaged Barrios’ career.

The first time Segovia heard of Barrios and his use of metal strings he was quoted

saying, “…I wouldn’t know what to do with that wire fence.”22 Not really an insult, but

he is stating that he does not approve that Barrios is not using gut strings like everyone

else.

The two first met in 1921, and Barrios performed for several of his pieces for

Segovia. Segovia was surprised and very impressed. He asked for a copy to one of his

pieces “La Catedral” and said he would perform it. However, it is not known if Segovia

ever received the score, because he never performed it. This leads some to believe that

Segovia received it but never played it. If Segovia had put the piece into his repritore and

played it at concerts, then Barrios would become famous. Segovia might have felt if

Barrios became famous worldwide as a composer, it would only be a matter of time

before the public realized that he was also a virtuosic guitarist. Segovia might have felt

threatened and did not want to help someone who could possibly replace him. Although,

Barrios was very reluctant to write down his music, so it is possible he had no copy to

give. So the reason Segovia never performed “La Catedral” is still a mystery.

21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andres_Segovia22 Antuña “Barrios Vs Segovia - Friends, Foes, Or Just Different?” overheard by Miguel Herrera Klinger

In addition, Segovia has been quoted many times stating that Barrios is not a good

composer for the guitar. He never performed any of Barrios’ music, and, according to

John Williams, he even banned all of his pupils from playing any pieces written by

Barrios.23 Why would he do this? It probably has something to do with Segovia’s out

look and vision for the guitar.

Segovia sought to bring the guitar out of the bars, into the concert halls, and

establish a respectable repertoire. He might have viewed Barrios music as a bit too

folkloric, and going in the wrong direction from where he wanted the guitar to go. The

following is a review of Segovia’s debut concert in 1910: "They laughed when Andres

Segovia sat down to play the guitar. The nerve of the man, bringing a flamenco

instrument into the hallowed precincts of the concert hall. That stupid young fellow is

making useless efforts to change the guitar -- with its mysterious, Dionysiac nature -- into

an Apollonian instrument. The guitar responds to the passionate exaltation of Andalusian

folklore, but not to the precision, order and structure of classical music."24 This helps to

shine a light on the way Segovia felt about the guitar. It might also help to understand

Segovia’s lack of appreciation for Barrios’ use of folklore in his music, since Segovia

was trying very hard to separate the guitar from it. Although, he did perform works by

Fransico Torroba, Hector Villa-Lobos, and other composers who utilized folk elements in

their compositions.

There was a mutual admiration that each man had for the other, although they

probably didn’t approve of what the other was doing (Barrios has been quoted stating

Segovia was “deaf in the heat”). However, just months before Barrios’ death Segovia

23 Antony24 Bellucci

visited him in El Salvador, the two had a very polite conversation, and as Segovia left, he

left a pack of gut strings on the desk. It is very hard to place all of the blame of Barrios’

failure to achieve fame on to Segovia.

IV. Influence and Legacy

It is a true sign of a great composer when their work can achieve greater fame

after their death than it did in their lifetime. Barrios’ music is now included in the canon

of guitar works of today, that ironically was created by Segovia.

After his death in 1944, the music of Barrios was kept alive by a handful of

dedicated pupils and the recordings we have of him. Although, His music laid

undiscovered for over three decades.25 In the 1970s guitarist of a new generation

discovered the music of Barrios almost by word of mouth. These guitarist began to study

the man and his music, and realized the treasure they had discovered.

In 1977 the world-class guitarist John Williams, who ironically was a pupil of

Segovia, recorded an album of entirely Barrios’. For the first time the music of Agustin

Barrios Mangore was given a worldwide audience. This began a revival of the music, and

almost every major concert guitarist now performs his music. It is interesting that one of

the industries he helped pioneer (the recording industry) helped him to finally gain

notoriety decades after his death.

In addition to the wide spread release and admiration of his music, he is even

having influence on the way guitarists practice. His dedication to the instrument inspired

many guitarist to rethink the ways they practice. Barrios was know to practice up to 12

25 naxos.com bio on Barrios

hours a day, and he even had some unique practice habits. For instance, he would try to

successfully perform a piece of music perfectly one hundred times in a row. He would

keep count by having a bag of one hundred rocks. Every time he successfully completed

a piece, he would remove a rock, but if he failed to do so, he would re fill the bag and

start over. This kind dedication of is almost unheard of in today’s world, and makes

serious students of the guitar want to become even more serious. The legacy and

influence Barrios’ has had on the modern guitar world is growing rapidly every day.

In conclusion, Agustin Barrios Mangore was a very remarkable individual. He

was a virtuoso guitarist and a composer of the world. He pushed the boundaries and

expanded the harmonic and compositional aspects of the guitar. He used traditional

means and found new possibilities to create beautiful colors and timbres on an instrument

that had been neglected and looked down on for hundreds of years. He helped to

champion the music of South America through his compositions, utilizing different

rhythms and folk songs. He spent his life creating and sharing his music with the world.

Although it is sad that he never received the acclaim he deserved in this life, it is

gratifying to know that his music has stood the test of time, and is now considered by

some to be the greatest music ever composed for the guitar. Barrios is one of the most

important figures ever the world of the guitar.

Bibliography

Antony, Mark. “Segovia and Barrios: Exploring the Relationship Between Andres Segovia and Agustin Barrios”. http://www.guitar.markantony.net/2008/11/segovia-and-barrios/

Antuña, Pablo Javier. “Agustin Barrios Mangore Site: Everything about Mangore”.

http://barrios-mangore.blogspot.com/2009/02/biography-of-agustin-barrios-mangore.html

Antuna, Pablo "Barrios Vs Segovia - Friends, Foes, Or Just Different?." 15 Mar. 2008 EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?Barrios-Vs-Segovia---Friends,-Foes,-Or--Just-Different?&id=1048739.

Bellucci, Renato. “IMPORTANT GUITAR INSIGHTS”.http://www.mangore.com/guitar_knowledge.html

Jeong, Johnna. “Agustín Barrios Mangoré: The Folkloric, Imitative, and the Religious Influence Behind His Compositions,” http://www.cybozone.com/fg/jeong.html.

Stover, Richard. Six Silver Moonbeams: The Life and Times of Agustin Barrios Mangore. Clovis, CA: Querico Publications, May 1992.

Summerfield, Maurice. The Classical Guitar: Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1800. London: Ashley Mark Publishing Company, 2003.

Wade, Graham. Mel Bay Concise History of the Classic Guitar. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. 2001.

Unknown Author. “Agustín Barrios”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agust%C3%ADn_Barrios

Unknown Author. “Barrios Mangore, Agustin Biography”. http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/Agustin_Barrios_Mangore_25968/25968.htm

Unknown Author. “Barrios, Agustin Mangore”.http://creativeguitar.org/sheet-music/barrios-agustin-mangore

Unknown Author. “Biography of Agustín Barrios”. http://www.classiccat.net/barrios_a/biography.htm

Unknown Author. “Andres Segovia”.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andres_Segovia