Xavier Mercadé i Salvador Guasch

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Chronicle of the conference "Carlos Casals and the organ of the parish church of El Vendrell)

This activity is part of the events of the 50^th Anniversary of the death of Pablo Casals and the Associació Musical Pau Casals del Vendrell (AMPC)

El Vendrell can boast of having an exceptional organ and, in addition, has an association that knows the great material heritage value that this instrument has, therefore it works to preserve it and at the same time also works to spread the intangible heritage that being able to listen to its music represents. This is the Friends of the Vendrell Organ Association (Orgue del Vendrell).

All of this, together with a broad social network involved in cultural matters, makes El Vendrell a musically vibrant city.

On this occasion, Xavier Mercadé (president) and Salvador Guasch (vice president, founding member of the organization and organist), in collaboration with the Pau Casals Musical Association of El Vendrell (AMPC), offered us a lecture to explain precisely and in detail the complex process that took place between 1776 and 1777 to make the installation of the organ in the parish church a reality. They included the context, the costs, the financing systems and all the steps followed to ensure that Ludwig Sherrer was its builder, of whom a brief but complete biographical reference was included.

They also described the organ's peculiarities and highlighted its musical characteristics, which make it a pleasure to play for organists from El Vendrell and any other country in the world, because every year many great performers come to El Vendrell because they want to play it and enjoy the magnificence and quality of its sound.

They also explained some of the various restorations it has undergone over the years, especially the 1929 restoration financed by Pablo Casals. This restoration is particularly noteworthy because, in the initial project, the restorer proposed changing the organ's appearance to give it a more romantic style; Casals refused. Thanks to this, El Vendrell now boasts the only organ in Europe made by Ludwig Sherrer and one of the best-preserved in its original state of all those made by the Sherrer family.

Accounting entries, referring to the return of an advance made by Rector Manuel Aumetell Ferrer (1773 - 1809). (In some writings he appears as Aumatell).

As for Carlos Casals, Pablo Casals's father, he came to El Vendrell at the suggestion of Pere Simó Vilella (Peret Barber), the town's barber and guitarist.

Pere Simó knew Carlos Casals because they had worked together in a piano repair shop; therefore, he called him because the organ in El Vendrell needed repairs.

Carlos Casals was also a musician. During his time in El Vendrell, he founded a quintet with Simó, along with Evaristo Julivert, Gil Boixadós, and Joanet Vidal Socias, in addition to giving piano lessons to his sons Pablo and Enrique, and to other young men who went on to become prominent musicians such as Benvingut Socias and Bonaventura Dini.

Carlos Casals remained connected to the organ in El Vendrell because he was appointed organist and choirmaster, a position he held until his death.

Carles Casals i Ribes (1852 - 1908)

El Vendrell has another great advantage: the number of people who appreciate its tangible and intangible heritage. This aspect was highlighted by the speakers at the beginning of the event, who cited several attendees who have conducted studies and possess documents related to the organ or to Carlos Casals. Among them was Àngels Santacana, who organized a magnificent exhibition on Carlos Casals. Another example is Natividad Castejón, director of the Baix Penedès Regional Archive, who consistently collaborates, contributes to, or generates activities related to promoting knowledge of the region's rich cultural heritage.

Regarding the organ, it is worth mentioning its still largely unknown restoration, carried out in 1939 by Sílvio Puggina, and documented in a book written by Natividad Castejón herself and Xavier Mercadé.

The event was a success. The multi-purpose room of the Municipal School of Music Pau Casals (Escola Municipal de Música Pau Casals - EMMPAC)was plenty of people that love cultural history of El Vendrell.