Who was Pau Casals? Pau Casals was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Born in El Vendrell in 1876, his career is defined not only by his virtuosity on the cello, but also by an artistic and human personality that left a lasting mark both on and off the stage. To this day, his name remains associated with musical excellence and with a culture committed to peace and people. The origins of a universal musician Pau Casals’ connection with music began at a very early age. Raised in a culturally sensitive environment, he grew up in an atmosphere where music was part of everyday life. Those early years in El Vendrell were decisive in awakening a vocation that would later take him onto the international stage. Musical studies and concerts of Pau Casals Pau Casals had his first contact with the cello at the age of 12, when his father and the family barber gave him the instrument. Shortly afterwards, he began his musical studies at the Municipal School of Music of Barcelona. During his training years, he not only studied but also performed in public. In 1889, he played regularly at Café Tost in Barcelona. In 1893, he graduated with honours and Queen Maria Cristina awarded him a scholarship of 250 pesetas per month to study in Madrid at the Conservatory of Music and Declamation. Soon after, he travelled to Brussels to continue his training, but after declining to enrol at the Belgian capital’s conservatory, he lost the royal scholarship. Following a difficult period in Paris, he decided to return to Barcelona at the end of 1895. His return to Catalonia marked a new phase in his career. In 1896, he began giving private lessons, joined the Municipal School of Music of Barcelona as a teacher and, shortly afterwards, was appointed cello professor at the Conservatori del Liceu. At the same time, he started performing in Barcelona’s musical and cultural circles, alongside leading figures such as Isaac Albéniz, Enric Granados and Saint-Saëns.