Palau de la Música Catalana

Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona
UNESCO world heritage
	The interior of the Palau de la Música Catalana
National territory:	Spain
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	i, ii, iv
Reference No .:	804
UNESCO region :	Europe and North America
	History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1997 (session 21)

The Palau de la Música Catalana ( Catalan for "Palace of Catalan Music") is a concert hall in Barcelona . It was planned and designed by the Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner , one of the most important representatives of modernism . Construction lasted from 1905 to 1908. It was financed by Catalan textile manufacturers and music lovers - like the Gran Teatre del Liceu for opera and ballet 60 years earlier . Among other things, Alban Berg's Violin Concerto was premiered here in 1936.

history

The building was originally intended to be the seat of the Catalan folk choir Orfeó Català - a function that it still fulfills today. That is why the acoustics of the concert hall were exclusively geared towards optimal sound for choral music. Since classical instrumental and even pop and rock concerts are now taking place in the Palau, the acoustics of the hall had to be fine-tuned. One of the measures used for this was to replace the original wooden seating in the parquet and in the tiers with seats with sound-absorbing undersides.

The Domènech design is characterized by great skill and originality. In its exterior, sculptural elements related to the music mix with elements of Baroque architecture . Inside, the architect also included unusual building materials such as ceramics and glass. Some of the sculptures in the interior were designed by Pablo Gargallo . Hall and stage form a harmonious unit. The upper part of the stage is dominated by organ pipes .

The Palau de la Música Catalana was declared a Monumento Nacional in 1971. A thorough restoration was carried out on this occasion. In 1983 and 2004 the building was expanded and modernized. In 1997, the Palau de la Música Catalana, together with the Hospital de la Hospital de Sant Pau by the UNESCO for World Heritage declared.

Corruption scandal "Caso Palau"

On March 8, 2017, Spanish media reported that the former president of the Palau de la Música Catalana, Felix Millet , testified in court that Ferrovial donated large sums of money to the Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya party to illegally finance the party and received public construction contracts in return.

On January 15, 2015, the main culprits in the Caso Palau (German: "Palace matter") were sentenced to several years in prison. The former president of the Palau de la Musica, Felix Millet, received a prison sentence of nine years and eight months and a fine of 4.1 million euros. Jordi Montur , the number two in the Palau, received a penalty of seven years and six months and 2.9 million euros. Gemma Montur , daughter of Jordi Montur and treasurer of the Palau, four years and six months and 2.6 million euros. Daniel Osàcar , the former treasurer of the party led by Artur Mas and one of the main people responsible for the bribe payments to the party, received four years and five months and a fine of 3.7 million. They are jointly accused of illegal party financing and personal enrichment through disguised awarding of contracts to construction companies. The former CDC party has to surrender all of the illegally received funds of 6.6 million euros.

organ

The organ is a work by the organ builder Walcker (Opus 1353) from Ludwigsburg from 1908. After it had not been playable for about 30 years due to water damage, it has been sounding in new splendor since 2003 - if necessary also computer-controlled. The instrument has 63 stops on four manuals (including two swell works ) and a pedal .

I Orgue Major C – c ⁴
Flautat Major	16 ′
Bordó major	16 ′
Flautat de Cara	08th'
Flauta Xemeneia 0	08th'
Bordó	08th'
Viola de gamba	08th'
Salicional	08th'
Octava	04 ′
Flauta Xemeneia	04 ′
Dotzena	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Quinzena	02 ′
Vintena	1 ¹ ⁄ ₇  ′
Corneta III-V	08th'
Plens III	02 ′
Bassoon	16 ′
Trompeta	08th'
Clarins	04 ′

II Positive C-c ⁴
Quintató	16 ′
Principal	08th'
Flauta Harmònica	08th'
Corn de Camussa 0	08th'
Bordó de Fusta	08th'
Dolciana	08th'
Flauta Dolça	04 ′
Octava	04 ′
Flabiolets	02 ′
Plens III	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Oboe	08th'
Tremol

III Recitatif expressif C – c ⁴
Bordó major	16 ′
Violó Principal	08th'
Viola de gamba	08th'
Flauta de Concert	08th'
Bordó	08th'
Quintató	08th'
Aeolina	08th'
Veu Celeste	08th'
Principal	04 ′
Flauta Octaviant	04 ′
Flautí	04 ′
Sesquiàltera II	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Clarinet	08th'
Tremol

IV Echo expressif C – c ⁴
Corn de Nit	8th'
Bordó	8th'
Flauta	8th'
viola	8th'
Veu Angèlica	8th'
Flauta Cònica	4 ′
Piccolo	2 ′
Veu Humana	8th'
Trompeta Harmònica 0	8th'
Tremol

Pedal C – f ¹
Bordó Greu	32 ′
Contrabaix	16 ′
Subbaix	16 ′
Baix de Violó 0	16 ′
Bordó Dolç	16 ′
Dotzena	10 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Baix	08th'
Violoncel	08th'
Flauta	08th'
Bordó	08th'
Octava	04 ′
Bombarda	16 ′
Trompeta	08th'

Couple
- Normal coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P
- Super octave coupling : I / I, III / I
- Sub-octave coupling : III / I
- Special coupling: bass melody coupling (pedal)
Playing aids :
- Fixed combinations of tutti, crescendo roll , thunderstorm
- Free combination , automatic piano pedal II manual, automatic piano pedal III manual
- Hand register off, roller off, pipe mills off