Agustín Pío Barrios: Difference between revisions

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== Influence of Theosophy ==
== Influence of Theosophy ==
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Several Spanish-language biographies of the artist mention his interest in Theosophy, but since few details are given, research is ongoing.  
Several Spanish-language biographies of the artist mention his interest in Theosophy, but since few details are given, research is ongoing.  



Revision as of 20:20, 1 November 2021

Agustín Pío Barrios

Agustín Pío Barrios was a Paraguayan composer and virtuoso performer of classical guitar music who was influenced by Theosophy. He sometimes used the names Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga Mangoré in homage to Paraguay's native Guarani culture. Nitsuga is Agustin spelled backward.

Personal life

Barrios in 1910

Agustín Pío Barrios was born on May 5, 1885 Paraguay to Doroteo Barrios and Martina Ferreira. There is some question of the location of his birth, which may have been in San Juan Bautista or in nearby Villa Florida, both of which are in the southern department [state] of Misiones. His family had great appreciation of the arts, and sent Agustin to study in the capital city of Asunciόn. At the age of fifteen he received a music scholarship at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciόn, and developed great interest in philosophy, literature, and mathematics. He spoke Spanish and Guarani, but could also read English, French, and German. In addition to music, Barrios was quite talented in poetry and in drawing.

Barrios married Gregoria Isabel Villalba. Their son Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba was born on July 4, 1908 in San Roque, Asunción, Paraguay.[1]

From 1903-1908, Barrios worked at various office jobs, but later was able to support his household with his music.

He died on August 7, 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he had been employed as a professor for several years.

Influence of Theosophy

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Several Spanish-language biographies of the artist mention his interest in Theosophy, but since few details are given, research is ongoing.

The Theosophical Society had a presence in Paraguay beginning in 1912, and during the 1929 lecture tour of C. Jinarajadasa was chartered into a national Section.[2] Possibly Barrios participated in lodge activities in Asunción.

Barrios was acquainted with Theosophist Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (1882-1966), the President of El Salvador, who arranged for Barrios to have a professorship in San Salvador. Hernández Martínez joined the Theosophical Society in El Salvador in 1931, serving as president of the Teotle Lodge and as the General Secretary of the Section. During World War II he became a member of the Theosophical Society in America, joining the Brotherhood Lodge on October 15, 1944 while living in New Orleans, and then transferring to the Florida Group after a move to Miami Beach. He subsequently lived much of the rest of his life in Honduras, but maintained a membership in the Miami Lodge.[3] While Hernández Martínez was interested in the occult and believed in reincarnation, his brutal actions as President of El Salvador do not reflect Theosophists' commitment to brotherhood.

It seems likely that Barrios participated in the Teotle Lodge in the early 1940s.

Artistic career

During the course of his musical career, Barrios toured extensively to perform concerts. He composed more than 100 original works, and made at least 200 arrangements of works by other composers including Bach and Beethoven. His classical guitar performances were recorded as early as 1909.

In the 1930s he began to appear in concerts wearing clothing that reflected the native Guarani culture of Paraguay. In concert he performed his own compositions under the name "Mangoré" or "Nitsuga Mangoré" for the first half of the program, wearing native attire such as a feathered headdress. After an intermission he reappeared in formal European clothing to play traditional classical guitar works and Bach.

In 1935 he spent a year with the Paraguayan ambassador to Mexico, Tomás Salomonis, traveling to Belgium, Germany and Spain. He performed in Brussels and Madrid. After leaving Europe, he toured in in Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Compositions

The style of Barrios' original compositions has been called "late Romantic." Central and South American folk songs influenced his work.

His 1921 composition "La Catedral" was inspired by the work of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Bust by Juan Gilberto Núñez

Awards and honors

Barrios is a great source of national pride in his native country. A bank note in the denomination of 50,000 guaranies was issued by the government of Paraguay, with a portrait of Barrios on the front and a guitar on the back. In 1994 several stamps were issued to honor the 50th anniversary of Barrios' death. The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias named a school after the artist in Villa Elisa, a city on the outskirts of Asunciόn.

A bust by sculptor Juan Gilberto Núñez was installed in the Teatro Municipal “Ignacio A. Pane” de Asunción. An international guitar competition is named for Agustin Barrios and features performance of his compositions.

Additional resources

Cover of biography

Biographies

  • Fricke, Hannes Mythos Gitarre: Geschichte, Interpreten, Sternstunden. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 271 pages.
  • Stover, Richard D. Six Silver Moonbeams. The Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré. Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992. Second edition 432 pages. Described in Amazon.com: "featuring 200 photographs, numerous letters, drawings and poems of Barrios, concert programs (over a hundred), harmonic analysis of selected works, commentaries by John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Sila Godoy, original scores of numerous works, plus chapters on 'The Guitar in Paraguay,' 'Barrios and Segovia,' as well as a complete listing of Barrios’ works and recordings."

Websites

Videos

  • Barrios: Life and Art of a Guitar Poet on YouTube. Posted Oct 5, 2021 by Daniele Magli. 2013 film biography called Mangoré - Por Amor al Arte ["Mangoré - For the Love of Art"] in Spanish with English subtitles. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Directed by Luis R. Vera, starring Damián Alcázar, Rafael Alfaro, and Clotilde Cabral. Here is a trailer.
  • Barrios Mangore - Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios. David Russell presents a session of a guitar master class teaching "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" (Alms for the Love of God), one of the most famous and most often performed Barrios compositions.


Audio recordings

Notes

  1. "Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba" in Wikitree, which cites "Paraguay, registros parroquiales, 1754-2015," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKT-9XW2?cc=1922527&wc=WXGH-Y8L%3A217758401%2C217758402%2C218073002%2C218806601 : 3 September 2019), Distrito Capital > Asunción > San Roque > Bautismos 1906-1914 > image 134 of 591; Arquidiócesis de Asunción (Archdiocese of Ascunción), Paraguay.
  2. "Theosophy in Paraguay," The Theosophical Year Book, 1937 (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1937), 123.
  3. "Maximiliano H. Martinez." Membership Ledger Sheets Roll 4. Theosophical Society in America Archives.