Barrios’ guitar works were largely late-Romantic in character, despite his having lived well into the twentieth century. Many of them are also adaptations of or are influenced by the folk music of Latin America, and mostly of them are of virtuosic nature.
In ways to understand Barrios' musical intent we can break down his works into three essential categories:
- folkloric;
- imitative;
- religious.
Folkloric aspects
Folkloric elements were heavily present in Barrios' guitar work. Namely, the folk music of Paraguay (including the polca paraguaya, vals and zamba) provided the young guitarist Barrios with his first introduction to music. Barrios paid tribute to the music and people of his native land by composing pieces for classical guitar modeled after folk songs from South and Central America.
He also composed Choros (which is a form born out of Rio de Janerio), Tangos (originated in Argentina), Cuecos (from Chile), and Danzas Paraguayas (from his homeland Paraguay), amongst others.
These are just some examples of a perfect marriage between folklore and classical guitar.
The imitation element
Since 1919 Barrios starts studying very seriously the music of the great composers from the previous centuries. Soon he transcribes for the guitar works from Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann.
This discovery of the European repertoire becomes a strong influence on some of his compositions such as Romanza en Imitació al Violoncello, Estudio de Concierto, Mazurka Apasionata and Allegro Sinfónico.
The affinity Barrios felt with the nineteenth-century masters no doubt served as inspiration for some of his music as is the case of his six minuets. Early in his career Barrios transcribed the well known Minuet in D by Beethoven (whom he admired to a great extent), and it is known that he also performed minuets by Fernando Sor.
Imitating the compositional style and techniques of the Baroque period (of Bach’s work, to be more precise) was another side to his craftsmanship. La Catedral may be viewed as Barrios' imitation of Bach. It is believed that this guitar master piece was inspired by a religious experience that Barrios once had which hence deserves to be categorized under religion as well.
Barrios discovered the music of the great Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909) around 1917, and grew to admire him very greatly.
Recognizing the importance of the Spanish master’s work in the development of the guitar, Barrios declared: “Without Tárrega, we would not be”. Thereafter he began composing some of his best works.
In 1939 in Guatemala, Barrios composed Variations on a Theme of Tárrega which consists of a set of six variations on Tárrega’s ever popular "student" work Lágrima, creating a sophisticated virtuoso display of the theme, using arpeggios, appoggiaturas, tremolo, melodic harmonics, and other devices. This piece is one of his most mature compositions, reflecting a lifetime of devotion to and a thorough mastery of the instrument he loved.
This were just some examples on the use of imitation in Barrios' music.
Religious and cultural influences
Religious beliefs and experiences also played an important role in Barrios' compositional process. Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios (An Alm for the Love of God) is another example of a religiously-inspired work. This incredible guitar piece is also known as El ultimo trémolo (The Last Tremolo), or El último canto (The Last Song).
A clear sign of Barrios' mysticism is the birth of his new persona, Cacique Nitsuga Mangoré, the “messenger of the Guaraní race”.
Barrios' religious convictions were more theosophical than strict Catholicism. For him God and Nature are inextricably part of one another, and Man, being part of Nature, is part of God.
A Brazilian newspaper, Jornal do Recife, published an interview on January 5, 1931 containing the thoughts and opinions of Barrios' views on religion:
"In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence."
La Catedral is undoubtedly a monument to religion but at the same a tribute to Bach.
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