Hector Armando Morales Barillas (January 1936 - July, 24, 1984), or better known as Armando Morales Barillas, was born in the town of Esquipulas in Nicaragua in 1936. His parents were Juan Morales Cerna and Tomasita Mairena. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Esquipulas is a town in the Guatemalan department of Chiquimula. ...

Early life

Armando attended elementary school in Esquipulas where his father introduced him to the guitar. He went to Evaristo Carazo primary school in the city of Matagalpa under the supervision of Eliseo Picado. He attended secondary school in Managua (Capital of Nicaragua) and went on to receive an Agricultural Engineering degree in 1955. Matagalpa is the capital city of the Matagalpa Department department of Nicaragua. ... Managua, with a population of about 1,723,100 in 2004, is the capital of Nicaragua. ...

But his passion was the guitar and decided to give up his job as an agricultural technician to pursue a career as a solo guitarist in Costa Rica where he received advanced training from top South American guitarists.

Career

Armando made several artistic performances all over Central, South and North America. He also traveled to Spain where he had the pleasure of sharing stage with Andrés Segovia. He also made several appearances all over Europe. Armando became most famous for being the first Nicaraguan guitarist to interpret melodies and regional music in classical style. His concerts in Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica and Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario in Nicaragua were popular and constantly sold out. Andrés Segovia Andrés Segovia, Marques de Salobreña (February 21, 1893 – June 3, 1987) was a Spanish classical guitarist born in Linares, Spain who is considered to be the father of the modern classical guitar movement by most modern scholars. ...

Armando's popularity led him to start his own radio show called "Una Guitarra de Noche" or "A Guitar of the Night." He also made appearances in National television shows everywhere he traveled.

One of Armando's most famous arrangement is that of "La Mora Limpia" which he arranged as a classical piece and is considered as a second national anthem in Nicaragua. In 1983, he wrote "Florecita de Mayo" which is a classical waltz he wrote for his daughter Ariana Esperanza Morales. Through his music and arrangements, Armando Morales Barillas brought Nicaraguan folk music to many homes of different parts of the world. He mastered in converting regional songs into classical guitar arrangements.

Marriage and personal life

Armando Morales met Leoncia Mercedes Escoto in the mid 1970's. They were married in 1976 and in December 1977, their first son, Hector Armando Morales Jr., was born. In October 1978, Jose Abraham Morales, who is currently a musician himself in Los Angeles, California, was born. Following was Ariana Esperanza Morales in 1980, Guillermo Morales in 1982, and Jeremy Morales in 1984 only 12 days after Armando Morales died.

Throughout his career, Armando Morales struggled with alcoholism. Alcoholism is the obsessive preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that such use interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical, or mental harm. ...

Death

On July 24, 1984, Armando died at the young age of 48 and at the peak of his career. His sudden death left his followers saddened. Nicaragua had lost its maximum exponent of the classical guitar. His legacy is still well remembered and admired. In 2002, Matagalpa celebrated the 18th anniversary of his passing. His son Jose Morales was in attendance and performed two of Armando's compositions in remembrance of his father.

In September 2006, the 3rd annual "Festival de Mazurcas, Polkas y Jamaquellos" will take place in Nicaragua and will be dedicated in the honor of Armando Morales Barillas.

Footnotes

(1)www.freewebs.com/amandomoralesbarillas (2)www.manfut.org/matagalpa/biografias.html