Agustín Barrios Mangoré

1885-1944

"...as a guitarist/composer, Barrios is the best of the lot, regardless of ear. His music is better formed, it's more poetic, it's more everything! And it's more of those things in a timeless way. So I think he's a more significant composer than Sor or Giuliani, and a more significant composer ---for the guitar--- than Villa-Lobos"

John Williams, 1993

 

Agustin Pio Barrios Mangore was born in May 5, 1885, in the small town of San Juan Bautista de las Misiones (Paraguay), into a large family which esteemed both music and literature. He began to play the guitar at a very early age. By the age of 13 he was recognized as a prodigy and given a scholarship to the Colegio Nacional de Asuncion, where, in addition to music, he distinguished himself in mathematics, journalism and literature.

Barrios was quoted as having said: "One cannot become a guitarist if he has not bathed in the fountain of culture". In addition to spanish he also spoke Guarani, the native tongue of Paraguay. He read French, English and German and was immersed in philosophy, poetry and theosophy. Musically he was a tremendous improviser, and his fantastic creative ability enabled him to compose over 300 works for the guitar!

Barrios died in August 7, 1944; leaving a priceless legacy of expresiveness and technical expertise for all lovers of the guitar.

Important note, please read: Barrios's music has been recopilated from various sources in South America. Barrios constantly changed his compositions and often gave away his own transcriptions as gifts to his friends. So, many versions of some songs exist. So please, do not email me telling me that you saw a different note, arpeggio, harmonic, etc, in a Barrios song elsewhere else, it's normal. I will not reply to these emails. Thanks!.

Mazurka Appasionata Zipped Power Tab Text version

Tuning: EADGBE Key: A minor

Comments: I made this tablature of Mazurka Apassionata in Powertab editor, a great freeware program available from here. I made it in this program because it has sheet music as well as tablature. Please tell me what you think! (You have to unzip it)

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

El Sueño de la Muñequita (Dream of the little doll)

Tuning: EADGBE Key: ??? Sample: MIDI Format

Comments: "This is a simplified version of the song (i.e. not very hard to play) I heard on the CD Anthology of Guitar Music Vol.4." (Jeroen Wijnhout, creator of the tab)

Transcription by: Jeroen Wijnhout

Difficulty:

Prelude in C minor

Tuning: EADGBE Key: C Minor Sample: MIDI Format

Comments: This is a beatiful prelude written by Agustin Barrios Mangore. This is probably his easiest piece (That doesnt mean its easy) so its good as an introduction to this author's beautiful music. I'll add left and right hand fingerings in the next version.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

Un Sueño en la Floresta

Tuning: DGDGBE Key: G Major/G minor Sample:No longer available

Comments: This is my favorite song for the guitar. It was composed by Agustin Barrios around 1914 and you'll notice the ambition and grandiosity he reached with this song. This song has tremolo, arpeggios, harmonics, etc, etc. Its one of the most difficult pieces for the classical guitar. There is a tremolo passage done on the 20th fret of the first string! This is a true revolutionary work in all aspects.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

Danza Paraguaya No.1

Tuning: DADGBE Key: D Major

Comments: A great and yet not extremely difficult piece, best played on a sunny day. Try to play the highest notes with a powerful yet sweet tone and let the other notes cascade off.

Transcription by: Ben Neely

Difficulty:

 

Las Abejas (The Bees)

Tuning: EADGBE Key: F Major Sample: WAV Format

Comments: This is one of the greatest arpeggio studies ever written. Very difficult.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

La Catedral 1st movement

Tuning: EADGBE Key: D Major Sample: Temporarily down...

Comments: This is the "prelude" for the piece La Catedral. It was written 19 years after the 2nd and 3rd movements.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

La Catedral 2nd movement

Tuning: EADGBE Key: D Major

Comments: This is the second movement of La Catedral ("andante religioso"). This movement supposedly represents the impression Agustin Barrios had when entering the Cathedral of San Jose in Montevideo, and hearing the organist playing the broad, horizontal chords of Bach music.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

La Catedral 3rd movement

Tuning: EADGBE Key: D Major Sample: MIDI Format 1 (Better) | MIDI Format 2 | WAV Format

Comments: This is the 3rd movement of La Catedral ("Allegro Solemne"). This movement represents the impression Agustin Barrios had when leaving the calm, spiritual atmosphere of the Cathedral of San Jose and entering out into the street, where the hustle and bustle of the real world is represented by incessant 16th note arpeggio figures.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

El Ultimo Tremolo

Tuning: EADGBE Key: E minor/E major Sample: WAV Format | MIDI Format

Comments: This piece is also called "Una Limosnita por el Amor de Dios" (An alm for the love of god), because, according to the story, Barrios composed it after a beggar came to his house to ask for money. This piece is a tremolo composition, and displays Barrios´ total mastery of this technique, the melody in the soprano voice is underpinned by an ostinato rhythmic motif in the middle voice. This motif is said to represent the "knocking at the door" of the beggar. When composing this piece (May 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador), Barrios knew his end was near. He prepared himself for his own death in meditation and tranquility. He began to suffer from cardiac arrest and died in August 7, 1944. If you want to learn the trenolo technique, click here.

Transcription by: David Atkinson

Difficulty:

 

Choro da Saudade

Tuning: DGDGBE Key: B major/G major Sample: Temporarily down...

Comments: This is a very technically demanding piece. There are several BIG stretches of the left hand throught the song that are very difficult to do without a lot of practice. These can easily be defined as one of the greatest choros ever composed.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

Vals op.8 no.4

Tuning: DADGBE Key: G major/D major Sample: Main passage (WAV Format) | Campanella Passage (WAV Format)

Comments: This is a waltz composition of a medium difficulty level.

Transcription by: Gianpiero Ciammaricone

Difficulty:

 

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