Agustín Barboza

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Agustín Barboza


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Agustín Pío Barboza
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Born = birth date|1913|05|05|df=y
Asunción, Paraguay
Died = death date and age|1998|12|18|1913|05|05|df=y
Asunción, Paraguay
Genre = Guarania
Occupation = Singer, composer
Years_active = 1998
Label = Philips
Associated_acts =
URL =

Agustín Pío Barboza (5 May 1913 – 18 December 1998) was a Paraguayan singer and composer. He was the son of Alberto Barboza and Pabla Rojas. He started his career acting cappella in musical festivals and in reunions.

Childhood and youth

Barboza was born in Asunción, Paraguay. During his adolescence (1929), he went to Buenos Aires as aggregate of the ship “Mixu”, of Argentine flag. Alternating his work of harbourf stevedore with musical activities, he met Basilio Melgarejo Molinas (“Melga”), with whom he starts his first duo and later the trio “Melgarejo-Barboza-Feliu”.

First steps

In Buenos Aires, he conformed a work group with other singers, such as Samuel Aguayo, Emilio Bobadilla Cáceres and Diosnel Chase, and acted as a soloist in the orchestras of Francisco Alvarenga, Juan Escobar and Julián Alarcón, getting lessons from this last two. He met later José Asunción Flores in 1933 and a year later he recorded “Ñasaindype” (by Flores over a poem by Felix Fernandez), the first “guarania” ever recorded in a cd. Since those initial moments of his brilliant career he hasn’t interrupted his incursion in music, becoming for own right in an example of human and artistic dignity. He integrated, as a sing soloist, the noted “Orchestra Ortiz Guerrero”, directed by Master Flores and conformed by Jose Bragato, Aniceto Vera Ibarrola, Emilio Bobadilla Cáceres, Gumersindo Ayala Aquino, among other great talents.

He comes back to Paraguay in 1943 integrating a delegation headed by the Masters Jose Asuncion Flores, Francisco Alvarenga and the tenor Emilio Vaesken, invited by the Entertainment Commission of Asuncion’s foundation to participate in the parade of August 15. In that opportunity, Augusto Roa Bastos wrote: “Barboza comes with his musical scales in his chest to weight the rhythm/ of old melodies in his town’s voice. / Throw away your sweet storm of songs / you who comes from far away, / serene and transparent, light of clear lumps / by white avenues of herons and winds”.

He also formed a trio with Felix Perez Cardozo and Eulogio Cardozo. In 1944, he continued his singing studies in the Music School of Rio de Janeiro’s University, thanks to a scholarship granted by the government. He also gave concerts and auditions in theaters and radios during the years he lived in Brazil, with the great Master Carlos Lara Bareiro who encouraged him to spread Paraguayan music.

History

In 1947, he traveled from Brazil to Mexico, invited by Gumersindo Ayala Aquino to integrate to the group “Los Guaireños”, with Luis Alberto del Paraná, Digno Garcia and Humberto Barua. He went through large parts of Mexico, Cuba and all Centro American countries. At the beginning of the 50s, he went on a tour around the north countries of South America and Centro America, Mexico, United States and Europe, as a soloist or integrating several groups.

In 1954, Luis Alberto del Paraná calls him to reorganize the great “Trio Los Paraguayos”, with the harpist Digno Garcia. When they got to Europe, they signed a contract with Philips, a Dutch firm, in which they have worked for lots of years. By a decree of the Executive Power they received the naming of “ambassadors of Paraguayan music”.

In 1957 he organized his own group “Barboza y sus compañeros”, with Ramon Mendoza, Leonardo Figueroa and Carlos Centurion, continuing with his spreading work through Europe and Middle East.

In 1962, settled in Paraguay, he gets married with the singer Yvera (Francisca Zayas), conforming an artistic couple to carry out presentations in radios, theaters, and television. In 1968, being in Europe they create the group “Los Barboza”. They record three long plays and carry out presentations in radios, television, theaters, schools, universities and public entertainment houses. Their daughter Diana Barboza, also worshiped popular singing ,joins the family group in 1988.

Mentions

In 1994, the government conceded the award of the National Order of Merit, for his work dedicated to the composition and the spreading of the Paraguayan music.

In 1996 he joined together his life in an anthological autobiographical book named “Ruego y Camino”.

Last years

In 1997 the national congress granted him the National Award of Music in rubrie of Popular Music, for his piece of work “Mi patria soñada”, that has verses by Carlos Miguel Gimenez. In a journalistic interview in September 1998, Barboza stated about his composition:

I was coming from a long tour through Centro America and Mexico, in 1950, when Carlos Miguel visited me one afternoon and showed me the poem he had written two years ago. He passed through such a sorrow, such sadness when the revolution (in reference to the civil war in 1947). He was “Colorado”( from the Red Party) to name him somehow. He wasn’t a politician like me. He wrote “Mi patria soñada” after living all his tragedy. I put it music. We performed it in 1953 for the first time, in Jose Antonio Moreno Gonzalez’s house when all the ministers and the commanders were there… I warned Jose Antonio that he wouldn’t like it. Everyone stayed really quiet listening. Jose Zacarias Asza] was the first one who said, to our surprise “this is a government show.

In 1998, in the opportunity of turning 85 years old and 70 years old of worshipping music, he presented a discographyc work with the orchestras of the pieces of work and the instrumental accompaniment of the Master Oscar Cardozo Ocampo (distinguished musical regulator resident in Argentina, son of the great Paraguayan composer and creator Mauricio Cardozo Ocampo), receiving the unanimous acknowledgment of his fellow countrymen.

Other works

He wrote approximately 80 compositions among the outstanding ones: “Alma vibrante”, “Flor de Pilar”, “Mi patria soñada”, “Sobre el Corazón de mi guitarra”, “Muchachita campesina” and “Mis joyas de Buenos Aires” (with verses of the poet Carlos Miguel Gimenez), “Dulce tierra mía”, “Serenata”, “Viva la vida, viva el amor” and “Muchacha dorada” (over texts by Augusto Roa Bastos), “Oimeva che roga”, “Oñomdiovemi” and “Reservista purahei” (with Félix Fernández), Fromm his own production, in lyrics and music, “Emociones de mi tierra” and “Ruego y camino”, “sombras de ausencia” (with Enrique Ganoso), “Voz del viejo río” (with Aníbal Romero).

References

* [http://www.cabildoccr.gov.py/index.php?pagina=vernovedades&idnovedad=4 Centro Cultural de la República]
* Diccionario Biográfico "FORJADORES DEL PARAGUAY", Primera Edición Enero de 2000. Distribuidora Quevedo de Ediciones. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
* EVP - Wikipedia
* [http://www.evp.edu.py/index.php?title=Portada Enciclopedia Virtual Paraguaya - Portal ]