ANGEL BARRIOS  

Ángel Barrios Fernandez was born in Grenada in 1882, the son of a flamenco guitarist. Ángel Barrios (as he is known) studied classical guitar and composition in his native city, but concentrated on a career as a professional guitar. He later studied in Paris, and though he was to be a touring artist, unlike many other Spaniards, he did remain a national musician. He founded the Trio Iberia in 1900 for which he made many arrangements, and they enjoyed a considerable vogue in Europe. He was quite a productive composer in his younger years, but the Spanish Civil War had a considerable affect on him, and he wrote little in later life. His catalogue of works includes opera, zarzuelas, a number of orchestral scores and solo works for piano and guitar. They are all written in a style influenced by the Romantic era, and relied heavily on a populist Spanish folk influence.