The Side Story of Ace Combat 04 and Agustín Barrios

"La Catedral”: Barrios’s Masterpiece#

La Catedral was first published in 1921. Initially composed of two movements, “Preludio Saudade” was later added, bringing it into a three-movement format.

It is one of Barrios’s most famous works, praised by countless guitarists including Andrés Segovia.

1. Preludio Saudade
2. Andante Religioso
3. Allegro Solemne

“Preludio Saudade” was composed by Barrios in Havana in 1938. “Saudade” is Portuguese for a nostalgic longing or yearning.

At the time, Barrios was struggling with health, financial, and personal problems. The “Preludio” expresses that sorrow, anguish, and yearning for better days.

The second movement, “Andante Religioso,” depicts an organist playing a Bach chorale inside a cathedral. The third movement, “Allegro Solemne,” depicts leaving the serene atmosphere of the cathedral and stepping back into the hustle and bustle of the street outside.

There is a fascinating legend regarding the narrative behind La Catedral:

According to one theory, Barrios lost his wife at a young age and wrote the “Preludio” out of that grief. When he had barely reached adulthood, his wife’s funeral was held at the cathedral in Montevideo, and inspired by the atmosphere, he supposedly conceived a three-movement work. But upon finishing it, he perhaps didn’t want to share such an intensely personal first movement with the world. Thus, it’s said he published only the other two movements at first. While this is a beautiful anecdote that adds depth to the piece, whether it’s historically true remains uncertain.

”Una Limosnita Por Amor De Dios”: Barrios’s Final Work#

“An Alms for the Love of God” (Una Limosnita Por Amor De Dios) was composed in 1944, during the final year of Barrios’s life. Also known as “The Last Tremolo” (El Último Trémolo), it is a vital work that stands as the culmination of Barrios’s life and artistry.

There is a fascinating anecdote behind how it came to be written:

In May 1944, while Barrios was living in El Salvador, a beggar would come by across from his house every morning, repeatedly chanting, “Una limosnita por amor de Dios” (An alms for the love of God). This was apparently a phrase commonly used by beggars in Latin America. Barrios was inspired by the beggar’s persistent cries and composed this piece. The bass line persists tenaciously, almost stubbornly, as if mimicking the beggar’s repeated phrase. Meanwhile, the melody uses the classical guitar technique known as “tremolo” to create the illusion of sustained notes.

Una Limosnita Por Amor De Dios is considered one of Barrios’s sacred works. The piece unfolds primarily in E minor, but modulates to E major near the end. This shift to the major key is interpreted as symbolizing Barrios’s acceptance of death and his arrival at a peaceful state of mind.

Why Barrios?#

The side story depicts events in San Salvacion, an independent nation located in the northwestern part of the Usean continent.

Now, which real-world place served as the model for this country? Judging by the sound of the name, it’s almost certainly San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.

Not only do they sound alike, their meanings are practically identical. San Salvador is Spanish for “Holy Savior,” while San Salvación means “Holy Salvation.” While Salvador primarily refers to a person (“savior”), Salvación denotes the act or state of “rescue” or “salvation.” And while Salvador carries strong religious overtones, Salvación can also be used in everyday contexts.

And the place where Barrios died was none other than San Salvador.

Why Did Yellow 13 Choose “Una Limosnita Por Amor De Dios”?#

Let’s entertain the theory that San Salvacion = San Salvador. And let’s assume that Barrios (or a figure corresponding to him) was active in this world just as in reality, and passed away in San Salvacion.

Suddenly, an even deeper layer of emotional weight emerges from the side story.

In Side Story #03, Yellow 13 proposes playing together to the boy. The piece he played on guitar was Una Limosnita Por Amor De Dios, which happened to be the song the boy’s late father loved to play. That was why the boy was able to join the session on his harmonica.

It’s the most striking scene in the side story. At the same time, it was something I’d wondered about for a long time.

For the man who killed his father to play the exact piece his father loved—isn’t that way too convenient to be a coincidence? Isn’t that just a bit too contrived?

…No, absolutely not! This wasn’t a coincidence; it was inevitable.

Yellow 13 figured the boy was very likely to know it, and specifically chose a piece by Barrios, the famous composer of San Salvacion.

Even in the midst of war, Yellow 13 demonstrated cultural appreciation and respect for the occupied territory. It’s an episode that reveals his noble spirit.

Or perhaps Yellow 13 sensed his own death looming right before his eyes—and that was why he chose Barrios’s final work.

Why Does the Story Begin with “Preludio Saudade”?#

Saudade is a feeling of longing for things that have passed; similar to “nostalgia,” but carrying the implication of resignation or fate—that one will never encounter them again.

「saudade)」の意味・使い方・表現

saudade 【名】〈ポルトガル語〉サウダーデ◆過ぎ去ったものを懐かしむ気持ちで、「郷愁」に似ているが、そ... - アルクがお届けするオンライン英和・和英辞書検索サービス。

eow.alc.co.jp

The boy harbors saudade for the days he spent with his family. Using this piece in such a scene was, once again, sheer inevitability.

Barrios, Bach, and the “Meaningless War”#

Barrios revered Bach. La Catedral is written in the Baroque style and is virtually an homage to Bach. What’s more, he reportedly once said, “How well Bach elevates us to the eternal.”

Now, I recently came across a very interesting piece on the internet regarding Bach.

『時計じかけのオレンジ』 - および、ベートーヴェン／ハトよめ／バッハ - エッコ　チェンバー　地下

『時計じかけのオレンジ 完全版』 - 早川書房 アンソニー・バージェス著『時計じかけのオレンジ』（1962）──何らかのかたちで皆さんもご存じであろう、20世紀の名作文学です。 ⬇ €nｇlisｈ ꚍҽχt Ъełoш! ⬇ この小説『オレンジ』のことを、私が久びさに思い出したのは……。ツイッターにて〈ヤングアダルト層への推せん図書！〉として、かのHKE（Lucid）さんが、そのタイトルを挙げていたからなのです（☆）。 と言われた《HKE》とは、もちろんデヴィッド・ルッソさん（☆）。ずっとこのブログが、ヴェイパーウェイヴの関係のヒーローのひとりとして注目してきている……ああ、その人です！かつ。…

ongaku-modkey.hatenablog.com

Looking at this made me reflect on a certain fundamental greatness in the music of J. S. Bach—an unmatched sublimity distinct from the likes of Beethoven and others. That is: no matter how you look at it or where you strike it, there is nothing in Bach’s music that stirs an impulse toward violence!

And—not to diss them or anything—perhaps the music of people like Mozart or Beethoven is, while not completely devoid of it, slightly weaker in its power to awaken one to the preciousness of peace… Or maybe that’s just how it is.

Has there ever been a piece of writing that put into words the brilliance of Bach so well?

And if I let my imagination run wild, surely Barrios loved Bach for reasons just like that.

On January 5, 1931, the Brazilian newspaper Jornal do Recife published an interview documenting Barrios’s thoughts and views on religion: “In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence.”

The side story in 04 unfolds in a matter-of-fact, detached manner as the boy looks back on the past. The reason it feels so detached is that he records almost exclusively objective facts. There is virtually no mention of his subjective emotions—nothing about how sad he was when his family died, or how thrilled he was when the town was liberated.

The only glimpse we get into his personal perspective is this passage from the final side-story cutscene:

1
I know it must have brought him unexpected joy to have an opponent like you,
2
at the end of that meaningless war.
3
At least that's what I want to believe.
4
Only you...the pilot who shot him down,
5
can confirm this. And so I write to you...

To him, virtually everything we players accomplished was “meaningless.”

Surely Barrios held the same view regarding the two World Wars and other bloody conflicts that occurred during his lifetime.

And presumably Yellow 13 did as well—just as Barrios loved Bach’s music, philosophical worldview and all.