Casals, Pablo
Period: Early 20th Century
Born: Friday, December 29, 1876 in Catalonia, Spain
Died: Monday, October 22, 1973 in Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico
Nation of Origin: Spain
Major Works:
Hymn to the United Nations (1971)
El pessebre (The Manger), an oratorio (1960)
O vos omnes, a motet (1932) is often performed today
La Sardana for cello ensemble (1926)
Other Information:
Pablo Casals birth name is Pau (the Catalan form of Pablo). He is best known as perhaps the greatest cellist of his time. He also composed, conducted, and played piano. After beginning his career in the cafés of Barcelona, he quickly found fame teaching and playing in Paris, London, the USA, and other destinations. He played in a famous trio with Cortot and Thibaud. In 1919 he founded the Casal Orchestra. He left Spain for good in 1939 in protest to the authoritarian Franco régime. He died just two years before the Franco government dissolved and democracy was restored in Spain. He founded the Prades Festival in the French Pyrenees in 1950. In 1956 he settled in Puerto Rico where he founded the Casals Festival. He then went on to perform at the United Nations in 1958 and for President Kennedy at the White House in 1961. He was active until just shortly before his death at age 96.
General Bibliography:
Slonimsky, Nicolas, Music Since 1900, Schirmer Books, July 1994, ISBN: 0028724186
Salzman, Eric, Twentieth Century Music: An Introduction, Pearson, October 2001, ISBN: 0130959413
Slonimsky, Nicolas and Kuhn, Laura; Editors, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Gale Group, December 2000, ISBN: 0028655257
Sadie, Stanley and Tyrrell, John; Editors, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Groves Dictionaries, Inc., January 2004, ISBN: 0195170679
Rutherford-Johnson, Tim, Kennedy, Michael, and Kennedy, Joyce The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, 6th Edition, 2012, ISBN: 0199578109
Links to essays at other sites:
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Biographical essay from Wikipedia
Casals biography on NotableBiographies.com
