Pablo Casals

Pablo Casals was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was born in El Vendrell, Catalonia, Spain on December 29, 1876. His father was a parish organist and choirmaster who taught him piano, violin, and organ. His mother was a Puerto Rican of Catalan descent who encouraged his musical talent. He showed an early interest in the cello and received his first formal instruction at the Municipal School of Music in Barcelona. He also studied composition at the Madrid Royal Conservatory with Víctor Mirecki. Casals made his debut as a soloist in Paris in 1899 and soon became famous for his virtuosic technique and expressive interpretation. He was especially renowned for his performances and recordings of the six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach, which he rediscovered in a second-hand music store in Barcelona when he was 13. He practiced them daily for 13 years before playing them in public for the first time in 1901. He later made his own edition of the suites and recorded them several times. Casals was also a distinguished composer and conductor. He composed various works for cello, voice, piano, orchestra, and choir, including the oratorio El Pessebre (The Manger), which he conducted around the world. He founded the Pau Casals Orchestra in Barcelona in 1919 and conducted it until 1936. He also conducted many other orchestras and festivals, such as the Prades Festival in France and the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico. Casals was a fervent supporter of democracy and human rights. He opposed the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in Spain and refused to perform there after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). He lived in exile in France and later in Puerto Rico, where he married his second wife Martita Montañez in 1957. He received many honors and awards for his musical and humanitarian achievements, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom from John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the United Nations Peace Medal in 1971. Casals died of a heart attack on October 22, 1973 at Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 96 years old. His remains were transferred to his hometown of El Vendrell in 1979 after the restoration of democracy in Spain. His legacy lives on through his recordings, his writings, his foundation, and his influence on generations of cellists.