This is a biography of the father of the cello, Pablo Casals. Although the authors are two, Pablo Casals and Albert E. Kahn, as soon as we finish reading “The Song of the White Bird,” we will feel that it is more like an oral transcript, narrated by Pablo Casals; Recorded by American Albert E. Kahn.Sure enough, in the author’s preface, Mr. Kahn stated, “I tried a method of concentrating the textual part of this book on the Q&A in our conversation, but the result was frustrating… After that, I had an idea to delete all my questions and organize Casals’ memories and comments into a whole…” From which we can read that in terms of structure, this is a work that embarrasses the author, but that’s all, “The only thing that can make” Song of the White Bird “stand up is the legendary life of the founder.”.
The most exciting and human legend related to Casals is that he accidentally found the music score of Bach’s six cello unaccompanied suites that had been lost for a long time in a second-hand bookstore. “Suddenly, I found a pile of tattered paper that had faded due to age. That was Bach’s (cello) unaccompanied suite… I was thirteen years old at that time,” he said, The world admires a rare treasure that a 13 year old boy could easily acquire without realizing that it was Pablo Casals who turned this pile of tattered, faded paper into a pearl in the field of classical music. What did Casals do around this stack of faded paper? “After removing the pretentiousness of” The Song of the White Bird, “Casals told us,” the simple narrative became more sincere. It took me twelve years, at the age of twenty-five, to have the courage to publicly perform one of them at a concert. ”
The simplified Chinese version of “Song of the White Bird” invited Mr. Jiao Yuanpu, a classical music promoter in Taiwan, to write a preface to “Bach Capriccio of Casals”, The article describes the difficult problems Bach set for the performer in his “Six Unaccompanied Cello Suite” as follows: “From the first to the sixth, the technical difficulty ranges from low to high, the fourth is in E flat major with difficult finger positions, and the fifth is surprisingly strong in tension…” The layman can sometimes experience some tricks, and through Mr. Jiao Yuanpu’s inspiration, he can involuntarily imagine: from discovering Bach’s music score to daring Dare to play one of them on stage. Has Casals been practicing his cello playing skills for the past 12 years? That’s for sure. In my opinion, during the 12 years before he was ready to perform Bach’s works on stage, Casals was even more cultivating his personal character. Therefore, don’t assume that “The Song of the White Bird” is a biography of the father of the cello, Pablo Casals, and just bypass this book on the grounds that you are not a fan of classical music. “The Song of the White Bird” actually tells us how a person of noble character uses your accomplishments to reverse the world.
In 1876, Pablo Casals was born in Catalonia, Spain, and died at the age of 97 in 1873. When he was young, this century old man probably felt like most Europeans that time would continue in the best state of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Unexpectedly, World War I broke out. During World War I, Casals was young and had not yet gained social status in the future, so he tried to compete with evil forces. Casals was not yet capable. Then, during World War II, Casals set an example. Casals, who has become a world-renowned cellist and conductor, naturally became a contender for the interests of all parties, especially the dictatorships of Nazi Germany and Spain’s Franco. After fleeing from San Salvador, where he had lived for a long time, the plan to seek political asylum in the United States was interrupted due to the destruction of the ship by the Germans. However, such an opportunity had never been far away from Casals. However, he preferred to lie dormant in a cramped house in Prade, a small French town that spoke Catalan language next to Spain, and swear his political views to the Germans and Franco. During this period, the Germans came to his house to intimidate him, and the Franco regime came to intimidate him. However, the man who felt that he had to be a person before becoming a cellist could not be subdued by guns or roses. His persistence has given great solidarity to the Spanish people under the Franco regime during the war.
For friends and music, Casals is a warm ray of sunshine.
Today, Anton Dvorak’s cello concerto is a masterpiece often performed on the world classical music stage. However, in 1906, Dvorak’s newly completed work, many people do not agree with this work, including those famous conductors, such as Gabriel Piene. “How much he hates the works of Dvorak! Kasals is about to come on stage, and he is still shouting in the cellist’s ear, ‘What a terrible piece of music!’ Kasals, who refuses to agree with the conductor’s point of view, actually used a strike to protest his contempt for Dvorak’s works.”.
Eugene Isai was the most accomplished violinist on the world classical music stage in the first half of the last century. As time goes by, talent will gradually fade away. Isai has encountered such setbacks. A failed concert has left Isai in a state of depression. It was Casals, who preferred to shoulder the responsibility of a failed concert and insisted on pushing Isai onto the stage to play the Beethoven Violin Concerto once again, even though Isai was on both ends of the line. “It’s not that Casals brought Isai back on the stage, but that he let Isai leave the world with his final glory and no regrets. The bad news of this is that it’s not appropriate to convey it gently enough.”.
“The Song of the White Bird” is not very thick, and it is difficult to complete the story of the world famous cello that has walked in this world for 97 years with more than 200 pages. Therefore, Pablo Casals made a brief statement, and Mr. Kahn also remembered the concise and warm stories in “The Song of the White Bird”, which can be seen from the generosity and kindness of Casals. Among them, his brief association with Albert Schweitzer is the most moving segment in the book.
German Albert Schweitzer completed the Emperor’s masterpiece “On Bach” before he was 30 years old, and then ran counter to his familiar career, devoting his life to the medical cause in the jungles of Africa. And what about Pablo Casals? In addition to a chance encounter at the age of 13 that doomed the fate of Bach, “Song of the White Bird” tells us that as long as there is no accident, Casals begins every day by playing a piece of Bach on the piano. Two people who have benefited from Bach’s works cherish each other’s life enlightenment: they love the world purely and purely.
As precious as this story, it is the story of Casals’ mother. In reading, I can’t believe that the protagonist of the story, the Puerto Rican woman, lived more than 100 years ago.
Although he could play the piano a little, Casals’ father insisted that his son was more suitable for being a shoemaker. It was his mother who taught Casals music.
“I have learned the end in my hometown, and only Barcelona is a blessed place for young Casals to continue his studies.”. The father of the head of the family was strongly opposed, and his mother accompanied Casals to Barcelona with his two younger brothers.
Sir Murphy can be described as a noble person who led Casals to success. I believe that Casals’ mother would not be unable to judge, but this woman, who insisted on suppressing the recommendation letter from a kind-hearted person, did not take Casals to Madrid to seek Sir Murphy’s advice until three years later, when she was convinced that her son was qualified to seek advice from Sir Murphy… I once closed my eyes and meditated, also my mother, If someone gave me a message that could help my child succeed, what would I do? The practices of Casals’ mother are extremely effective today, aren’t they?
Therefore, “Song of the White Bird” is definitely not a good book that only opens its mind to classical music lovers.
