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{{redirect|Casals|other people with this surname|Casals (surname)}} |
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{{Catalan name|Casals| Defilló}} |
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{{Infobox musical artist |
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|Name = Pau Casals |
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|Img = Pablocasals.jpg |
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|Img_capt = |
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|Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist |
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|Birth_name = Pau Casals i Defilló |
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|Born = {{birth date|1876|12|29}}<br> [[El Vendrell]], [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]] |
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|Died = {{death date and age|1973|10|22|1876|12|29}}<br>[[San Juan, Puerto Rico]] |
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|Instrument = [[Cello]] |
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|Genre = [[Classical Music|Classical]] |
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|Occupation = [[Cellist]], [[Conducting|conductor]], [[pedagogue]] |
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|Years_active = 1891-1973 |
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|Notable_instruments = '''Violoncello'''<br>[[Matteo Goffriller]] 1700<br>[[Matteo Goffriller]] 1710<br>[[Carlo Annibale Tononi|Carlo Tononi]] 1730 |
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}} |
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'''Pau Casals i Defilló''' ([[December 29]] [[1876]] – [[October 22]], [[1973]]), best known during his professional career as '''Pablo Casals''',<ref>[http://www.emiclassics.com/grocreleasedetails.php?rid=20640 EMI official web site]</ref><ref name="nyt">[http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C0CE3DE1031E233A2575AC0A9629C946096D6CF Honors To Be Conferred On English Composers: Series of Concerts Devoted to modern Englishmen to be Given in London], [[New York Times]], 1911-04-09, retrieved 2009-08-01</ref><ref name="classical">[http://www.classicalnotes.net/columns/casals.html "Pablo Casals - the Musician and the Man"]</ref> was a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Catalan people|Catalan]] [[cellist]] and later conductor. He made many recordings throughout his career, of solo, chamber, and orchestral music, also as conductor, but Casals is perhaps best remembered for the recording of the ''[[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]: [[Cello Suites (Bach)|Cello Suites]]'' he made from 1936 to 1939. |
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Casals was an ardent supporter of the Spanish Republican government. After its defeat in 1939, Casals vowed not to return to Spain until democracy had been restored, although he did not live to see the end of the Franco dictatorial regime. |
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== Biography == |
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=== Childhood and early years === |
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Casals was born in [[El Vendrell]], [[Catalonia]], [[Spain]]. His father, Carles Casals i Ribes (1852-1908), was a parish [[organist]] and [[conducting|choirmaster]]. He gave Casals instruction in piano, violin, and organ. He was also a very strict disciplinarian. When Casals was young his father would pull the piano out from the wall and have him and his brother, Enrique, stand behind it and name the notes and the scales that his father was playing. At age four Casals could play the violin, piano and flute. When Casals was eleven, he first heard the cello performed by a group of traveling musicians, and decided to dedicate himself to the instrument. |
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In 1888 his mother, Pilar Defilló de Casals, who was born in [[Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Mayagüez]], [[Puerto Rico]] of Catalonian ancestry, took him to [[Barcelona]], where he enrolled in the ''Escola Municipal de Música''.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url = http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/zmh/zmh_noticias.htm |
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|title = Proyecto de Recuperación de la Casa Defilló |
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|publisher = Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña |
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|language = Espana |
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|date = |
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|accessdate = 2007-01-25 |
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}}</ref> There he studied cello, theory, and piano. |
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He made prodigious progress as a cellist; on February 23, 1891 he gave a solo recital in Barcelona at the age of fourteen. He graduated from the ''Escola'' with honours two years later. |
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=== Youth and studies === |
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In 1893, the Spanish composer [[Isaac Albéniz]] heard him playing in a trio in a café and gave him a letter of introduction to the private secretary to [[Maria Christina of Austria|María Cristina]], the Queen Regent, in [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]. Casals was asked to play at informal concerts in the palace, and was granted a royal stipend to study composition at the ''Conservatorio de Música y Declamación'' in Madrid with [[Víctor Mirecki Larramat|Víctor Mirecki]]. He also played in the newly organized Quartet Society. |
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In 1895 he went to Paris, where, having lost his stipend from Catalonia, he earned a living by playing second cello in the theater orchestra of the ''Folies Marigny''. In 1896, he returned to Catalonia and received an appointment to the faculty of the ''Escuela Municipal de Música'' in Barcelona. He was also appointed principal cellist in the orchestra of Barcelona's opera house, the [[Liceu]]. In 1897 he appeared as soloist with the [[Madrid Symphony Orchestra]], and was awarded the [[Order of Charles III and Saint Fernando|Order of Carlos III]] from the Queen. |
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===International career=== |
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In 1899, Casals played at [[The Crystal Palace]] in [[London]], and later for [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] at [[Osborne House]], her summer residence, accompanied by [[Ernest Walker]]. On November 12 and December 17, 1899, he appeared as a soloist at Lamoureux Concerts in [[Paris]], to great public and critical acclaim. He toured Spain and the [[Netherlands]] with the pianist [[Harold Bauer]] in 1900-1901; in 1901-1902 he made his first tour of the [[United States]]; and in 1903 toured [[South America]]. |
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#REDIRECT [[Pablo Casals]] |
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On January 15, 1904, Casals was invited to play at the [[White House]] for President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. On March 9 of that year he made his debut at [[Carnegie Hall]] in New York, playing [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Don Quixote (Strauss)|Don Quixote]]'' under the baton of the composer. In 1906 he became associated with the talented young [[Portugal|Portuguese]] cellist [[Guilhermina Suggia]],<ref>Mercier, Anita [http://www.cello.org/Newsletter/Articles/suggia.htm GUILHERMINA SUGGIA], retrieved 2009-08-01</ref> who studied with him and began to appear in concerts as Mme. P. Casals-Suggia, although they were not legally married. Their relationship ended in 1912. |
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The ''[[New York Times]]'' of April 9, 1911 announced that Pablo Casals would perform at the London Musical Festival to be held at the Queen's Hall on the second day of the Festival (May 23). The piece chosen was [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]]'s Cello Concerto in D and Casals would later join [[Fritz Kreisler]] for [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello.<ref name="nyt"/> |
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In 1914 Casals married the American socialite and singer Susan Metcalfe; they were separated in 1928, but did not divorce until 1957. |
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Although Casals made his first recordings in 1915 (a series for [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]), it would not be until 1926 that he again released a recording (on the [[Victor Talking Machine Company|Victor]] label).<ref name="classical"/> |
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Back in Paris, Casals organized a trio with the pianist [[Alfred Cortot]] and the violinist [[Jacques Thibaud]]; they played concerts and made recordings until 1937. Casals also became interested in conducting, and in 1919 he organized, in Barcelona, the Orquesta Pau Casals and led its first concert on October 13, 1920. With the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]] in 1936, the Orquesta Pau Casals ceased its activities. |
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Casals was an ardent supporter of the [[Second Spanish Republic|Spanish Republican government]], and after its defeat vowed not to return to Spain until democracy was restored. Casals performed at the Gran Teatro del Liceo on October 19, 1938, possibly his last performance in Spain before his exile.<ref>Abella, Rafael ''La vida cotidiana durante la guerra civil: la España republicana'' p.422 Editorial Planeta 1975</ref> |
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He settled in the French village of [[Prades, Pyrénées-Orientales|Prada de Conflent]], on the Spanish frontier; between 1939 and 1942 he made sporadic appearances as a cellist in the unoccupied zone of southern France and in [[Switzerland]]. So fierce was his opposition to the dictatorial regime of [[Francisco Franco]] in Spain that he refused to appear in countries that recognized the authoritarian Spanish government. He made a notable exception when he took part in a concert of [[chamber music]] in the [[White House]] on November 13, 1961, at the invitation of President [[John F. Kennedy]], whom he admired. On December 6, 1963, Casals was awarded the U.S. [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071018025824/www.medaloffreedom.com/Chronological.htm CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF MEDAL OF FREEDOM AWARDS], archived 2007-10-18, retrieved 2009-08-01</ref> |
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[[Image:PresMedalFreedom.jpg|thumb|95px|left|Presidential Medal of Freedom]] |
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Throughout most of his professional career, he played on a cello that was labeled and attributed to "Carlo [[Tononi]] ... 1733" but after playing it for 50 years it was discovered to have been created by the Venetian [[luthier]], [[Matteo Goffriller]] around 1700. It was acquired by Casals in 1913.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cozio.com/Instrument.aspx?id=2366 | title= Cello by Matteo Goffriller, 1700c (ex-Casals) | publisher=Cozio | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> |
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====Prades Festivals==== |
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In 1950 he resumed his career as conductor and cellist at the [[Prades, Pyrénées-Orientales|Prades]] Festival in [[Conflent]], organized in commemoration of the bicentenary of the death of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]; Casals agreed to participate on condition that all proceeds were to go to a refugee hospital in nearby [[Perpignan]].<ref name="classical"/> |
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In [[1952]], Casals met [[Marta Casals Istomin|Marta Montañez Martínez]], a young [[Puerto Rican]] student that had gone to [[Spain]] to participate in the Festival. Casals was very impressed with her and encouraged her to return to [[Mannes College of Music]] in [[New York]] to continue her studies. |
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He continued leading the Prades Festivals until 1966. |
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====Puerto Rico==== |
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Casals first traveled to [[Puerto Rico]] in [[1955]], inaugurating the annual [[Casals Festival]] the next year. On [[August 3]], [[1957]], at 80, Casals married Marta Montañez. They made their permanent residence in that country, in the town of Ceiba, and lived in a house called "El Pesebre" (The Manger).<ref>[http://www.festcasalspr.gobierno.pr/historia.html Festival Casals de Puerto Rico: Historia], retrieved 2009-08-01 {{Es icon}}</ref> |
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Casals made an impact in the Puerto Rican music scene, by founding the Puerto Rico Symphonic Orchestra in [[1958]], and the Musical Conservatory of Puerto Rico in [[1959]]. |
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=== Later years === |
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In the 1960s, Casals gave many master classes throughout the world in places such as [[Zermatt]], [[Tuscany]], [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], and [[Marlboro, Vermont|Marlboro]]. Several of these events were televised. |
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Casals was also a composer; perhaps his most effective work is ''La [[Sardana|sardana]]'', for an ensemble of cellos, which he composed in 1926. His oratorio ''El pesebre'' was performed for the first time in [[Acapulco]], [[Mexico]], on December 17, 1960, which he also presented to the [[United Nations]] during their anniversary in 1963. In [[1961]], he was invited to the [[White House]] by President [[John F. Kennedy]]. This presentation was recorded and released as an album. |
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One of his last compositions was the ''Himne a les Nacions Unides'' (Hymn of the United Nations); he conducted its first performance in a special concert at the [[United Nations]] on October 24, 1971, 2 months before his 95th birthday. |
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Casals had his memoirs recorded by [[Albert E. Kahn]] as ''Joys and Sorrows; Reflections'' (1970). |
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=== Death === |
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Casals died in 1973 in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], at the age of 96 and buried at the Puerto Rico National Cemetery. He did not live to see the end of the Franco dictatorial regime, but he was posthumously honoured by the Spanish government under [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|King Juan Carlos I]] which, in 1976, issued a commemorative postage stamp to Pau Casals in honour of the [[centenary]] of his birth.<ref>''El País''/Sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telegrafos 2003</ref> In 1979 his remains were laid to rest in his hometown of El Vendrell, Catalonia. |
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In 1989, Casals was posthumously awarded a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]].<ref>[http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Lifetime_Awards/ Lifetime Achievement Award], [[Grammy Award]] official web site, retrieved 2009-08-01.</ref> |
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== Legacy == |
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[[Image:Pau Casals centenary statue.jpg|thumb|230px|A [[centenary]] statue at [[Montserrat (mountain)|Montserrat]].]] |
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The International Pau Casals Cello Competition is held in Germany under the auspices of the Kronberg Academy once every four years, starting in 2000, in order to discover and further the careers of the future cello elite, and is supported by the Pau Casals Foundation, under the patronage of Marta Casals Istomin. One of the prizes is the use of one of the Gofriller cellos owned by Casals. |
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The first top prize was awarded in 2000 to [[Claudio Bohórquez]]. |
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American comedian [[George Carlin]], in his interview for the Archive of American Television, refers to Casals when discussing the restless nature of an artist's persona. As Carlin states, when Casals (then age 93) was asked why he continued to practice the cello three hours a day, Casals replied "I'm beginning to notice some improvement." Carlin continues, "And that's the thing that's in me. I notice myself getting better at this." |
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In [[Puerto Rico]], the [[Casals Festival]] is still celebrated annually. There is also a museum dedicated to the life of Casals located in [[Old San Juan]]. |
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== Discography == |
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*1926 – 1928: Casals, Jacques Thibaud and Alfred Cortot – the first trios of Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn, the Beethoven "Archduke," Haydn's G Major and Beethoven's "Kakadu" Variations (Recorded in London) |
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*1929, Brahms "Double" Concerto with Thibaud and Cortot conducting Casals' own orchestra. |
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*1929: Dvorak and Brahms Concerti |
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*1929: Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony (Recorded in Barcelona) |
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*1936-1939: Bach's [[Cello Suites (Bach)|Cello Suites]]'' |
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*1936: Bruch's Kol Nidre - London Symphony conducted by [[Landon Ronald]]. |
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*1937: Dvorak Cello Concerto - Czech Philharmonic conducted by [[George Szell]]. |
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*1945: Elgar Cello Concerto - BBC Symphony conducted by Sir [[Adrian Boult]]. |
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*1950: The first of the Prades Festival recordings on Columbia |
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*1950s Schubert C Major Quintet with [[Isaac Stern]], [[Alexander Schneider]], [[Milton Katims]], and [[Paul Tortelier]] |
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*1953: Schumann concerto in A minor for cello and orchestra op. 129. Casals festival at prades 1953 |
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*1959: Haydn "Farewell" Symphony (No. 45) and Mozart "Linz" Symphony (No. 36) (Recorded live at the 3rd Prades Festival) |
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*1961: Mendelssohn Trio No. 1 with [[Alexander Schneider]] and [[Mieczysław Horszowski]] (Recorded live November 13, 1961 at the White House) |
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*1963: Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony |
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*1964: Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti |
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*1966: [[Orchestral suites (Bach)|Bach’s Orchestral Suites]] |
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*1969: Beethoven’s First, Second, Fourth, Sixth ("Pastorale"), and Seventh Symphonies |
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*1974: El Pessebre (The Manger) oratorio |
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==See also== |
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* [[C-32 (highway)]], a highway in Catalonia named after Casals |
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* [[List of Catalans]] |
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* [[List of famous Puerto Ricans]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* ''Joys and Sorrows; Reflections'', Pau Casals, (1973) ISBN 0-671-21774-7 |
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* [[Song of the birds]], [[Julian Lloyd Webber]], (1985) ISBN 0-86051-305-X |
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==External links== |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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* [http://www.paucasals.org/ Pau Casals Foundation] |
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* [http://www.overgrownpath.com/2008/08/in-search-of-pablo-casals.html 'In search of Pablo Casals' on ''Overgrown Path'' music website] |
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* {{allmusic|41:7147}} |
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* [http://www.elvendrell.cat/ Pau Casals' home town of El Vendrell] |
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* [http://www.histocat.cat/pdf/pau_casals_241071.pdf Pau Casals remarks] at the 24 October 1971 concert at [[United Nations]] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKlkO3Tt3Kw video] |
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* [http://cultura.gencat.net/anc/FitxaFons.asp?CodiFons=340&Codi_Arxiu=1 Pau Casals Orchestra (1920 - 1938)], in Catalan |
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* [http://www.festcasalspr.gobierno.pr Casals Festival], San Juan, Puerto Rico |
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* [http://www.prades-festival-casals.com/ Festival Pau Casals Prades] Prada de Conflent, Catalonia |
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* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5445995792243708180 Historic 26min video of Pau Casals exiliat a Prada 1939-1942 - J.S.Bach Suite n.1 in Sant Miquel Cuixà] Prada de Conflent, Catalonia |
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*[http://www.classicalnotes.net/columns/casals.html Discography and bibliography] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Casals, Pau}} |
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[[Category:1876 births]] |
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[[Category:1973 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Catalan classical cellists]] |
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[[Category:Catalan composers]] |
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[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Music educators]] |
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[[Category:Spanish expatriates in Puerto Rico]] |
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[[Category:People from San Juan, Puerto Rico]] |
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[[Category:Puerto Rican classical cellists]] |
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[[Category:Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists]] |
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[[Category:Spanish classical cellists]] |
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[[Category:Spanish composers]] |
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[[Category:Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur]] |
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[[Category: Alumni of the Madrid Royal Conservatory]] |
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[[Category:People from Baix Penedès]] |
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[[Category:Spanish classical cellists]] |
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Latest revision as of 21:18, 26 October 2018
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