Pau Casals20th Century Classical Composer1876-1973

Pau Casals• One of the greatest conductor, composer and

cellist. • Born in El vendrell (Catalonia), December 29, 1876.• Father was a musician and therefore taught his son

a lot .• Age of 8 – violinist.• Age of 10 – piano, organ, violin and cello. • Age of 12 – school of music in Barcelona.• Showed his teachers how the cello should be played. • Pablo Casals - commonly called in English

Pau Casals

• Internationally recognized as one of the finest performers and orchestra conductors of his times.• As a performer, he made innovative changes in

the way of playing the cello, introducing new technical and expressive possibilities.• He sought depth of expression - the musical

essence which he achieved with the cello.

Pau Casals

• Pau Casals was always a staunch defender of peace and freedom. • His numerous benefit concerts, his commitment

to humanitarian actions and his various speeches at the United Nations characterized him clearly as a man of peace.

Pau Casals• 1899 – played for Queen Victoria (England)• 1904 – played for president Roosevelt (U.S) • 1914 – reputation reached peak • 1919 – created an orchestra for the city of Barcelona• 1931 – orchestra played Beethoven’s ninth symphony at the birth of the

Republic • Founded the workers Association of concerts• 1935 – Refused to play in Germany after Hitler passed the anti-Jewish

laws, as well as in Italy because of fascism• 1939 – went into exile because of the outcome of Spanish civil war – was

a first in France then in Puerto Rico.• 1962 – Worldwide performances of his oratorio “El pessebre” (the

nativity).• 1971 – First performance of his “Hymn of peace” (performed to the

United Nations)

Pau Casals• Received :• Legion d’honneur in France.• Honorary doctorate in Edinburgh. • United Nations peace prize.• The royal Philharmonic society Gold Medal in England.

• Died at the age of 96 in san Juan, Puerto Rico.• Great admirer of Beethoven.

United Nations Speech- 1971

• In 1971 the Secretary-General of the United Nations, U-Thant, awarded Pau Casals the U.N. Peace Medal. The speech that Pau Casals gave to express his gratitude for this distinction, and afterwards his performance of "El cant dels ocells" (The Song of the Birds), form one of the most impressive testimonies to his human dimension.

WORDS OF PAU CASALS AT THE UNITED NATIONS - 24 OCTOBER 1971•

This is the greatest honour of my life. Peace has always been my greatest concern. I learnt to love it when I was but a child. When I was a boy, my mother - an exceptional, marvellous

woman -, would talk to me about peace, because at that time there were also many wars. What is more, I am Catalan. Catalonia had the first

democratic parliament, well before England did. And the first United Nations were in my country. At that time - the Eleventh Century - there was a meeting in Toluges - now France - to talk about

peace, because in that epoch Catalans were already against, AGAINST war. That is why the United Nations, which works solely towards the peace ideal, is in my heart, because anything to do with peace goes

straight to my heart.

I have not played the cello in public for many years, but I feel that the time has come to play again. I am going to play a melody from Catalan folklore: El cant dels ocells - The Song of the Birds. Birds

sing when they are in the sky, they sing: "Peace, Peace, Peace", and it is a melody that Bach, Beethoven and all the greats

would have admired and loved. What is more, it is born in the soul of my people, Catalonia.

Discography

• InstrumentalRonda de Nadal: Place and date: Prada de Conflent, 1939. Andante: Place and date: Prada de Conflent, 1942.• Vocals

El Pessebre: Place and date: Prada de Conflent 1943-Puerto Rico 1960. First edition: New York, 1962

El Cant dels ocells- The Song of the Birds•Catalan folk song•Recorded at the White House,

Washington, D.C., 13 November 1961 (concert).• Received at The White House by

President Kennedy, while being exiled from his homeland - Catalonia - during Franco´s dictatorship.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKoX01170l0&feature=related

Pau Casals

•“Music, this marvelous universal language, would have to be a source of communication between all people.”

Bibliography • Catalan Culture (GL/CAT/HUMA 2670 3.0), copyright Shaudin

Melgar-Foraster, 2011-book• http://www.paucasals.org/en/PAU-CASALS-lbum/24/on-the-

beach-/ -web site• http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/culturacatalana/ – web

site