Agustín Pío Barrios [also known as Agustín Barrios Mangoré] was born on May 5, 1885 in San Juan Bautista de las Missiones, south of Paraguay, and died in San Salvador, El Salvador on August 7, 1944. He is a member of a large family - the fifth of the seven sons - each playing at least one instrument. His parents attach great importance to culture and art, especially literature, drama and music.
Agustín's father, Don Doroteo Barrios, was born in Corrientes, Argentina, and played the guitar himself. It is well known that Doroteo plays with his brother and used to entertain the locals of San Juan Bautista. Inspired by his father's guitar, Barrios began playing the instrument at a very young age, learning what he could do from his father's "folk" skills.
His mother, Dona Martina Ferreira, is a native of Humaitá, Paraguay. She is a teacher who likes literature and drama very much. Agustin's affinity for other areas such as poetry and language must have been partially inherited by his mother [although the younger guitarist's exposed social environment is more decisive].
The place where Barrios was born is still and is still a small and quite small town. Today visitors can walk on their unpaved streets and admire the two monuments in the same park on the main square of Bautista in San Juan. One can easily think that, just as Barrios is about to become a young and talented guitarist, he will not obey the simple and cultural opportunities that this small and humble town can offer him.
Barrios will prove that he is a versatile person who is passionate about culture. He once said: "If you don't bathe yourself in the fountain of culture, you can't be a guitarist." In addition to Spanish, he also talked about Paraguay's native Guarani. He knows French, English and German. His other interests are philosophy, poetry and theology. Barrios has also become an excellent calligrapher and talented cartoonist.
As a young man, Barrios never studied at a formal music school. In 1898, he was officially introduced to classical guitar tracks by Gustavo Sosa Escalada - perhaps the most influential person in Barrios' life. At that time, the young Barrios had already created works for the guitar, and also played works by his former teacher Alias, such as La Chinita and La Perezosa.
Under the influence of his new teacher, Barrios continued to perform and study the works of Tárrega, Vinas, Sor and Aguado. Sosa Escalada was impressed with his new student, who persuaded Barrios' parents to move him to Asuncion to continue his guitar education.
Now, in the capital of Paraguay, Barrios lives with his two older brothers Hector and Vigilio. At the age of 15 [March 1901], he studied at Colegio Nacional ["National High School"]. Although he did well, especially in terms of language and arithmetic, there is no evidence that he has studied at Colegio for more than two years. Obviously, his interest is mainly in music, and when he drops out, he becomes more serious and more focused on the guitar.
Orignal From: A short biography of Agustin Barrios Mangore I - Early life in Paraguay
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