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artistic creativity Visiting the Pablo Casals Museum By Jayne I. Hanlin I n the song America from Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story, Rosalia, who is homesick, sings, "I like the city of San Juan." Anita, the girlfriend of Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, quickly responds, "I know a boat you can get on." So do I—Holland America's Eurodam, which has an Eastern Caribbean cruise that stops in San Juan. Recently, Judy (another SAI cellist) and I specifically chose this cruise because we wanted to visit the Pablo Casals Museum there honoring the world-renowned Spanish cellist. Born in 1876, Casals lived in Puerto Rico from 1956 until his death in 1973. After disembarking, we crossed a street and boarded a free trolley, which stopped near the small museum, housed in an 18thcentury building. Casals was not only a cellist but a composer, orchestral conductor, and humanist. The museum's collection includes his memorabilia— music manuscripts, medals, and photographs— as well as his Hamilton piano at which he composed a hymn to the words of W. H. Auden for the 25th anniversary of the United Nations. Nearby, his cello case stands empty as his Jean Baptiste Vuillaume cello is being restored. In the future, this 1843 French instrument will be displayed in a protected exhibit case. There is also a unique straight-back mahogany chair with the carved cello and Catalan flag. In 1962, Sociedad Pro-Arte of Santo Domingo gave him this gift after he conducted a concert there to celebrate the return of democracy in the Dominican Republic. There are two large portraits. In the first, an oil canvas by Hungarian Lajos Markos, Casals, head down and eyes closed, is playing his cello. In the second, painted on wood by Spaniard Alvarez Des, Pablo sits in a cushioned chair and holds a pipe in his left hand. He is staring out, and I felt as if he was gazing at visitors, his warm smile welcoming each of us.  Greeting my friend and me was Sugeily, an attractive young woman and expert guide. She is available to answer questions about the life and work of Casals and give tours on the spot or with advanced booking. Upstairs, visitors can choose to watch any of the 90 VHS tapes from the 500 live recordings of the Casals Festivals dating from 1961-1973. Two 26 PAN PIPES SPRING 2011 sai-national.org At top, A portrait of Casals in his San Juan, Puerto Rico Museum. Above, the museum facade. framed sets of colorful flyers hang on the wall. In one glass case, I spied an old typewritten document listing festival orchestra personnel, all invited by Casals. One cellist was Yuan Tung who played in the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and gave me several cello lessons. Judy and I were in San Juan in January, too early to attend the concerts given from midFebruary through mid-March. At the small gift shop, I purchased a poster-size flyer with a bird motif reminiscent of Song of the Birds, the Catalan folk song that Casals played at the end of every concert after his exile protesting Spanish oppression. A supporter of the defeated Spanish Revolution, he vowed not to return to his native country until the restoration of democracy. But that didn't happen in his lifetime; the dictator Francisco Franco survived Casals by two years. Casals also vowed not to perform in any country recognizing Franco's government. However, he once broke this promise because of his respect for President John F. Kennedy. In 1961, accepting an invitation from him and his wife, Casals gave a concert at the White House where he had performed for President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. To pay tribute to the concert there a half century ago, Yo-Yo Ma (along with Emanuel Ax and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio) performed the same program at the Kennedy Center on January 25, 2011. During my visit to the museum, I recalled buying Joys and Sorrows: Reflections by Pablo Casals as told to Albert E. Kahn in 1970. Reading this $7.95 volume had a profound and lasting effect on me, especially the words of Casals that I shared with parents every year thereafter during my elementary school teaching career at Meet Your Child's Teacher Night: "And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all of the millions of years that have passed there has never been another child like you. "And look at your body — what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your cunning fingers, the way you move! You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. You must work—we all must work—to make this world worthy of its children." With wintry blasts outside, I think about more lyrics describing Puerto Rico: "Island of tropical breezes." I'm eager to return there and attend the Casals Festival. Between concerts, I'll go back to the Pablo Casals Museum to enjoy the recordings — a musical treasure.

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