Not concertizing as much as he wanted and beset by financial woes, he was clearly in a reflective mood, as the piece carries the subtitle “ Saudade.” This Portuguese word sometimes carries a melancholic shading and cannot be exactly translated into English, but the closest we can get is “reminisce.” There is currently only one known source for this prelude, a hand-written manuscript from the archives of the Paraguayan guitarist Caya Sila Godoy (1919–2014). The Prelude to La Catedral, composed in 1938 and only added to the second and third movements a year and a half later, was written while Barrios was visiting Cuba.
A polymath who some believe never fully realized his potential, Barrios died in relative poverty, largely unknown outside of Latin America. OVERVIEWĪgustín Barrios has become regarded as perhaps the leading modern Romantic composer for the guitar. Agustín Barrios has become regarded as perhaps the leading modern Romantic composer for the guitar. This lesson will explore its modern arpeggios, left-hand- independence, melody and accompaniment, and the campanella effect. This first movement is distinctive, evocative, and blissfully stands on its own as a concert piece.
Although it was originally composed in 1921, when the Paraguayan guitarist/composer fell ill while touring western Uruguay, the piece’s famous opening Prelude in B minor was added 18 years later, debuting in concert at the National Theatre in San Salvador, El Salvador, in July 1939 thus completing the master work we know today. La Catedral by Augustín Barrios (1885–1944) is a programmatic piece that instantly captures the imagination of most who hear it, and as such sits at or near the pinnacle of pieces that classical guitarists yearn to play. From the Spring 2017 issue of Classical Guitar | BY RHAYN JOOSTE
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