Guitar Works of Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Vol. II: Solo Guitar

Barrios wrote music that feels inevitable on the guitar; every phrase shapes naturally under the fingers and sings without sounding arranged. This second volume collects pieces ranging from intimate character studies to technically brilliant showpieces, giving your students access to a breadth of his output in a single resource. The collection moves beyond his most famous works while maintaining the same compositional integrity that makes teaching Barrios so rewarding.

Barrios' language here ranges from lyrical and introspective to energetic and virtuosic, often within the same piece. The Minueto pieces carry a nostalgic elegance rooted in European Romanticism, while other works pulse with the rhythmic vitality of South American influence. Throughout, there's a sense of the guitar being made to sing with a human voice.

Intermediate and advanced classical guitarists ready to expand beyond Barrios' most canonical works. Students should have solid command of position shifts, barre technique, and ability to balance multiple voices across the fingerboard. This collection suits both solo recital preparation and curriculum study.

• Allow the natural resonance of the guitar to carry through longer note values; resist the urge to re-strike or add unnecessary articulation.
• Shape the phrasing around harmonic movement rather than strict metric regularity; Barrios often writes across bar lines intentionally.
• Approach the technical passages with clarity and separation, particularly in pieces like Dinora where rapid figuration needs rhythmic precision.
• Use dynamic contrast judiciously. These pieces gain power through tonal color and voice leading, not volume extremes.

Slot individual pieces into student recitals as both opening and closing numbers; Barrios' shorter forms work especially well for balancing longer contemporary works. Consider programming several pieces from this volume consecutively to showcase the breadth of his compositional voice, or use them as pedagogical anchors throughout the academic year as students build the technical and musical maturity to tackle progressively demanding selections.

• Voice leading across non-adjacent strings
• Position shifting with tonal continuity
• Balancing polyphonic texture on a single instrument
• Interpretive phrasing in early Romantic harmonic language
• Baroque and dance form conventions as applied to guitar writing