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Classical Music Work of the Week - October 23, 2005

Pablo Casals: O Vos Omnes

By Aaron Green, About.com

Pablo Casals' motet, O Vos Omnes, is an incredibly sombre piece of music, with rich, complex harmonies that can cut through fog. Casals' motet, written for choir (TTBB/SATB), expresses the intense text:

O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte si est dolor sicut dolor meus.
Translated in English: all you who pass along this way, behold and see if there is any sorrow like unto my sorrow.

I recommend the album Cantus... against the dying of the light. It's TTBB and sounds fantastic. You won't be disappointed.

Pablo Casals was a famous cellist, conductor, and composer born in Spain in 1876. Like the musical geniuses before him, Pablo Casals was able to perform solo cello recitals at the age of 14. Casals devoted much of his time developing his technique, practicing any moment he could. He believed it was his job as an artist to perfect the music and perform it as effectively as possible. He played for Queen Victoria of England in 1899, and many other venues before his death in 1973. Pablo Casals mastered the cello and was known to give electrifying performances. As a composer, one of Casals most famous work, La Sardana, is for an ensemble of cellos.

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