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Augustin Barrios
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AGUSTIN BARRIOS (1885-1944)
Guitar music, Vol.1
Agustin Pio Barrios Mangoré was born in southern Paraguay on 5th May, 1885, and died on 7th August, 1944, in San Salvador, Ei Salvador. Many consider Barrios to be the greatest guitarist composer of all time. In view of this fact, it is curious that his music lay undiscovered and unappreciated for over three decades after his death. In the mid-1970s comprehensive editions of his music appeared, making it possible for guitarists of Antigoni Goni's generation to include in their study the music of Barrios, augmenting and complementing more traditional repertoire by Sor, Giuliani, Carcassi, Tarrega and Villa-Lobos. The revival began in 1977 when John Williams released an entire recording of music by Barrios which focused a long overdue recognition on this forgotten Latin American guitarist. Today Barrios' music is frequently performed by major concert artists and is appreciated by audiences world wide.
Young Barrios never studied in a formal music conservatory, and completed only two years of high school. He made his living from performing, and had no other professional skills in any other pursuit except playing the guitar and composing music. Performing according to a life-style which required him to travel constantly, Barrios never really settled down in one particular country. He lived extended periods of time in Brazil (1915-1919), Uruguay (1912-1915, 1919-1927) and El Salvador (1939-1944). In none of these places did he estabilsh a conservatory nor did he pursue the systematic publication of his music. He escaped from Latin America only once, in 1934, when he visited Europe, staying just fifteen months, but his lifelong goal of reaching the United States never came to fruition.
Barrios unfortunately never received the recognition and material success that his talent merited. Thus it is particulariy fitting that his music be featured in a number of Naxos recordings. The initial volume offered here by Antigoni Goni begins with Maxixe, an urban dance from BraziI. Barrios himseif recorded this work in 1929 but he did not perform it in concert to any great degree. A virtuoso dispiay of both technical prowess and compositional skill, Maxixe is one of Barrios greatest works in the genre of music inspired by folk tradition.
The lively Maxixe is followed by the majestic tremulo piece Un sueno en la floresta, perhaps the must difficult and compiex tremulo piece ever conceived for the guitar. The extremely romantic flavour and soaring melody belie the fact that the technicai work required here is formidabIe, requiring extended left-hand stretches, long musical phrases, intricate independent movement of voices, a virtuosic cadenza and even a high C that requires a twentieth fret on the traditional nineteen-fret classic guitar. (Barrios had the Brazilian luthier Romeo Di Giorgio make him a speciai instrument with twenty frets). Un sueno en la floresta elevates the technique of tremulo to a new level, carrying it well beyond the earlier Francisco Tàrrega' Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Sueno. Barrios wrote this piece about 1917 and recorded it in 1929.
The romantic waltz, Vals, Op.8, No.4, also called Vals Brillante, was composed in Paraguay in 1923. Only three of Barrios' works carry opus numbers:
Waltzes Nos 3 and 4 of Opus 8 (which supposedly included a total of six waltzes) and Preludio, Opus 5, No.1. The toneful Vals, Opus 8, No.4, is une of Barrios most frequently played pieces and features an extended passage using the technique of campanella (playing stopped strings against a repeated pedal note on an open string).
Barrios was influenced by nineteenth century romanticism (he greatly admired Chopin and Beethoven). A humoresque is defined as a nineteenth century composition of a fanciful, or simply goodhumoured nature. Here the music lives up to this description. Barrios created his Humoresque in Uruguay in 1921 and it is one of only ten works that he ever published.
Sarita (Little Sara) was dedicated to the daughter of a friend and probably written in the early 1920s. Barrios recorded the piece twice in 1924 and 1928. The style here is typical, being an eclectic blend of romantic and popular traits in the classical form of a mazurka.
Madrigal - Gavota again demonstrates the tendency in Barrios to mix and juxtapose in his compositions harmonic forms and ideas from different musical periods. A madrigal is a vocal work dating from the Renaissance and a gavotte is a popular seventeenth century baroque dance where the accent is on the third beat of the bar in common time. Barrios combines a striking melodic line that does indeed sound as if it could be sung with words with the rhythmic accent of the gavotte. Dedicated to one of his six brothers, the poet-playwright Martin, Barrios created this work in 1918 and recorded it twice in 1921 and 1929. It is the first original work that incorporates many characteristics of Barrios music. including four-voiced harmonic texture, a strong melodic identity, use of all registers of the guitar, and an expressive, emotionai quality, which dominates the work.
The traditionai vidalita is a slow, minor key song form dating from the eighteenth century and coltivated by the gauchos of the pampas region of Argentina. Barrios created his Vidalita con variaciones early in his career and recorded it in 1914 in Buenos Aires. This work is typical of Barrios' early period when he performed in cinemas and theatres as interval entertainment.
The waltz Junto a tu corazòn (Close to Your Heart) is another unique mosaic of classical and popular elements. This piece is in the form of a valse Boston, known for its sophisticated rhythm and contrasting slow minur key sectiun. Barrios recorded this work in 1928 and it is probable that it was included in the six waltzes of Opus 8.
Mabelita (Little Mabel) is dedicated to the daughter of a good friend in Uruguay and dates from the early l920s.
Tu v Yo (You and I) is a transcription of a work by the nineteenth century computer Alphons Czibulka. Barrios transcribed and perfurmed Tu v Yo early on in his career and the first reference to it is from a programme in Brazii dated 1918. Also called Gavota romantica, this work incorpurates all the pathos and expressiun of popular rumantic music from around the tum of the century.
Villancico de Navidad (Christmas Carol) was written in EI Salvador in 1943 and dedicated to the infant Matilda Arias with the dedication Los angeles del cielo cantan a Matilda en sus d(as (The angels sing to Matilda in her days).
The extended waltz Pepita is a work dating from about 1913 and shows the influence of late nineteenth century composers like Emil Waldteufel (1837-19 15) whose pupular waltzes Barrios admired andd transcribed, often including in his concerts Waldteufels famous Skaters Waltz.
Barrios grouped four works together as the Suite Andina (Andean Suite) though no evidence exists to suggest that he actually perfurmed them in cuncert as such (another such case was the Suite Abonigen, which purportedly included one of his majur lost works, Insocaciòn a la Luna).
Aconquija is the name of a peak in the Andes in northem Argentina. The single note upening phrase is based un a melody Barrios heard a native musician playing un the indigenuos flute called the quena (he alto called this work Aire de Quena). Barrios recorded Aconquija in 1928. Aire de Zamba was written in 1923 and recorded by Barrios twice in 1924 and 1928 and is based on the Argentine folk-dance, the zamba. Còrdoba is Argentina's second largest city where Barrios undoubtedly spent time in his wanderings. This work was written about 1924 and recorded by the composer in the same year. Cueca is a popular folk-dance from Chile, written about 1925 and recorded by Barrios in 1928. In the Cueca and Aconquija Barrios employs the technique of melodie tambora, playing the strings with a percussive stroke of the thumb of the right hand.
Rico Stover
Agustin Pio Barrios Mangoré was born in southern Paraguay on 5th May, 1885, and died on 7th August, 1944, in San Salvador, Ei Salvador. Many consider Barrios to be the greatest guitarist composer of all time. In view of this fact, it is curious that his music lay undiscovered and unappreciated for over three decades after his death. In the mid-1970s comprehensive editions of his music appeared, making it possible for guitarists of Antigoni Goni's generation to include in their study the music of Barrios, augmenting and complementing more traditional repertoire by Sor, Giuliani, Carcassi, Tarrega and Villa-Lobos. The revival began in 1977 when John Williams released an entire recording of music by Barrios which focused a long overdue recognition on this forgotten Latin American guitarist. Today Barrios' music is frequently performed by major concert artists and is appreciated by audiences world wide.
Young Barrios never studied in a formal music conservatory, and completed only two years of high school. He made his living from performing, and had no other professional skills in any other pursuit except playing the guitar and composing music. Performing according to a life-style which required him to travel constantly, Barrios never really settled down in one particular country. He lived extended periods of time in Brazil (1915-1919), Uruguay (1912-1915, 1919-1927) and El Salvador (1939-1944). In none of these places did he estabilsh a conservatory nor did he pursue the systematic publication of his music. He escaped from Latin America only once, in 1934, when he visited Europe, staying just fifteen months, but his lifelong goal of reaching the United States never came to fruition.
Barrios unfortunately never received the recognition and material success that his talent merited. Thus it is particulariy fitting that his music be featured in a number of Naxos recordings. The initial volume offered here by Antigoni Goni begins with Maxixe, an urban dance from BraziI. Barrios himseif recorded this work in 1929 but he did not perform it in concert to any great degree. A virtuoso dispiay of both technical prowess and compositional skill, Maxixe is one of Barrios greatest works in the genre of music inspired by folk tradition.
The lively Maxixe is followed by the majestic tremulo piece Un sueno en la floresta, perhaps the must difficult and compiex tremulo piece ever conceived for the guitar. The extremely romantic flavour and soaring melody belie the fact that the technicai work required here is formidabIe, requiring extended left-hand stretches, long musical phrases, intricate independent movement of voices, a virtuosic cadenza and even a high C that requires a twentieth fret on the traditional nineteen-fret classic guitar. (Barrios had the Brazilian luthier Romeo Di Giorgio make him a speciai instrument with twenty frets). Un sueno en la floresta elevates the technique of tremulo to a new level, carrying it well beyond the earlier Francisco Tàrrega' Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Sueno. Barrios wrote this piece about 1917 and recorded it in 1929.
The romantic waltz, Vals, Op.8, No.4, also called Vals Brillante, was composed in Paraguay in 1923. Only three of Barrios' works carry opus numbers:
Waltzes Nos 3 and 4 of Opus 8 (which supposedly included a total of six waltzes) and Preludio, Opus 5, No.1. The toneful Vals, Opus 8, No.4, is une of Barrios most frequently played pieces and features an extended passage using the technique of campanella (playing stopped strings against a repeated pedal note on an open string).
Barrios was influenced by nineteenth century romanticism (he greatly admired Chopin and Beethoven). A humoresque is defined as a nineteenth century composition of a fanciful, or simply goodhumoured nature. Here the music lives up to this description. Barrios created his Humoresque in Uruguay in 1921 and it is one of only ten works that he ever published.
Sarita (Little Sara) was dedicated to the daughter of a friend and probably written in the early 1920s. Barrios recorded the piece twice in 1924 and 1928. The style here is typical, being an eclectic blend of romantic and popular traits in the classical form of a mazurka.
Madrigal - Gavota again demonstrates the tendency in Barrios to mix and juxtapose in his compositions harmonic forms and ideas from different musical periods. A madrigal is a vocal work dating from the Renaissance and a gavotte is a popular seventeenth century baroque dance where the accent is on the third beat of the bar in common time. Barrios combines a striking melodic line that does indeed sound as if it could be sung with words with the rhythmic accent of the gavotte. Dedicated to one of his six brothers, the poet-playwright Martin, Barrios created this work in 1918 and recorded it twice in 1921 and 1929. It is the first original work that incorporates many characteristics of Barrios music. including four-voiced harmonic texture, a strong melodic identity, use of all registers of the guitar, and an expressive, emotionai quality, which dominates the work.
The traditionai vidalita is a slow, minor key song form dating from the eighteenth century and coltivated by the gauchos of the pampas region of Argentina. Barrios created his Vidalita con variaciones early in his career and recorded it in 1914 in Buenos Aires. This work is typical of Barrios' early period when he performed in cinemas and theatres as interval entertainment.
The waltz Junto a tu corazòn (Close to Your Heart) is another unique mosaic of classical and popular elements. This piece is in the form of a valse Boston, known for its sophisticated rhythm and contrasting slow minur key sectiun. Barrios recorded this work in 1928 and it is probable that it was included in the six waltzes of Opus 8.
Mabelita (Little Mabel) is dedicated to the daughter of a good friend in Uruguay and dates from the early l920s.
Tu v Yo (You and I) is a transcription of a work by the nineteenth century computer Alphons Czibulka. Barrios transcribed and perfurmed Tu v Yo early on in his career and the first reference to it is from a programme in Brazii dated 1918. Also called Gavota romantica, this work incorpurates all the pathos and expressiun of popular rumantic music from around the tum of the century.
Villancico de Navidad (Christmas Carol) was written in EI Salvador in 1943 and dedicated to the infant Matilda Arias with the dedication Los angeles del cielo cantan a Matilda en sus d(as (The angels sing to Matilda in her days).
The extended waltz Pepita is a work dating from about 1913 and shows the influence of late nineteenth century composers like Emil Waldteufel (1837-19 15) whose pupular waltzes Barrios admired andd transcribed, often including in his concerts Waldteufels famous Skaters Waltz.
Barrios grouped four works together as the Suite Andina (Andean Suite) though no evidence exists to suggest that he actually perfurmed them in cuncert as such (another such case was the Suite Abonigen, which purportedly included one of his majur lost works, Insocaciòn a la Luna).
Aconquija is the name of a peak in the Andes in northem Argentina. The single note upening phrase is based un a melody Barrios heard a native musician playing un the indigenuos flute called the quena (he alto called this work Aire de Quena). Barrios recorded Aconquija in 1928. Aire de Zamba was written in 1923 and recorded by Barrios twice in 1924 and 1928 and is based on the Argentine folk-dance, the zamba. Còrdoba is Argentina's second largest city where Barrios undoubtedly spent time in his wanderings. This work was written about 1924 and recorded by the composer in the same year. Cueca is a popular folk-dance from Chile, written about 1925 and recorded by Barrios in 1928. In the Cueca and Aconquija Barrios employs the technique of melodie tambora, playing the strings with a percussive stroke of the thumb of the right hand.
Rico Stover