Silvio Puggina, the unknown restoration of the Vendrell Organ of 1939. Book presentation
Arxiu Comarcal del Baix Penedès octubre 30, 2022
Cover of the book "Silvio Puggina and the unknown restoration of the Vendrell organ"
Last Friday, a book written by Nativitat Castejón Domènech, director of the Baix Penedès Regional Archive and Xavier Mercadé Pascual, president of the Orgue del Vendrell Association, was presented in the Parish Church of El Vendrell.
This is a new edition with updated information (the first was published in 2021). In this edition, we will learn about the 1939 restoration carried out by Silvio Puggina..
Link to download the PDF of the book. The text is in Catalan.
Organ of the parish church of el Vendrell
Photo by: Enfo
December 8, 2011
License CC 3.0
Silvio Puggina was originally from Italy, but he chose Collbató as his home and in 1925 founded an organ factory that became a benchmark. It was the Nuestra Señora de Montserrat Organ Factory, S.A.
He also worked on organ restoration. Organs are a technically complex and fragile heritage that requires specialized knowledge and skilled hands.
In this video, Salvador Guash explains the history of the organ in the parish church of El Vendrell. Guash is one of the organists and the organ's custodian.
Productor and Director: Vic Ferrer
Shared on YouTube on September 17, 2023
Tribute to Benvingut Socias
Benvingut Socias i Mercadé (1877 - 1952)
1896
Photo by:Josep Esplugas Puig
Arxiu Comarcal del Baix Penedès
This event was also a tribute to Benvingut Socias i Mercadé, who in 1941 gave the inaugural concert on the restored organ.
Benvingut Socias was a concert pianist, organist, composer, and piano teacher at the Barcelona Municipal School of Music. He also had an international career, giving concerts in London, New York, and various cities in France and Germany.
In the 19th century, Benvingut Socias Mercadé (1877-1952), Bonaventura Dini (1876-1936), and Pau Casals Defilló (1876-1973) were born in El Vendrell. These musicians were childhood friends.
But Casals's influence is profound in the musical and humanistic spheres. Everyone remembers that Casals was born in El Vendrell, but few recall that Socias and Dini were prominent musicians and friends of Casals, and they are not as widely remembered as they deserve.
Nativitat Castejon Director of the Baix Penedès Regional Council and Xavier Mercadé Pascual, president of the association of friends of Vendrell Organ
The event was organized by l'Orgue del Vendrell, Arxiu Comarcal del Baix Penedès (Generalitat de Catalunya), the Vendrell Town Hall, the Tarragona Provincial Council, the Parish Church of Sant Salvador of El Vendrell, and RTV El Vendrell.
A concert concluded the event.
Latest update January 21, 2026
María Dolores García Martínez
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