Pablo Casals (1876-1973), considered to be one of Spain's greatest cellist and
conductors during the first half of the 20th century, was born in a Catalonian town
called Vendrell (not far from Barcelona). He was a prodigious child and by the age
of 11 he could play the piano, violin and flute, and would later master the cello.
His professional career (which started in 1897 spanning 73 years) saw him as a
soloist, chamber music member, conductor and composer. He once said, "Can you
imagine. They say I'm a great cello player. I answer, I'm not a cellist. I am a
musician!" This phrase sums up Casals' mind of thought and philosophy.
After having read Casals and the Art of Interpretation various times (written by D.
Blum and published for the first time in 1980), I've decided to share the main
ideas of this highly recommendable book. Here's a link in both English http://www.download-genius.com/download-k:Casals+and+the+Art+of+Interpretation+David+Blum.pdf.html?aff.id=2338&aff.subid=77 and Spanish http://www.libros12.com/casals-y-el-arte-de-la-interpretacion/ where you can download a free pdf version of the book.
Here are some general observations on interpretation which I found to be very
valuable for any musician:
Repetitiveness should be avoided. Repetition in music of either a note or phrase is
just like the repetition found in written or spoken language.
"The Art of Interpretation consists on playing what's not written down."What we see
on paper doesn't express the real meaning of music. This is precisely our job as
musicians.
Rhythm, according to Casals, is the most essential element to all music, if it is to be
considered so. And all fingerings should be subordinate to the musical phrase/con-
text.
Keep it simple without complications. He would always claim that "I like what is
natural."
He emphasized many times that we first have to recognize the expressive possibilities
of each phrase and to be able to do this it's necessary to use a range of dynamics, be
flexible/natural with the rhythm, color and intonation. Varying the dynamics is the
easiest way to bring a melody to life...
