Pablo Casals has been called the greatest cellist who ever lived. He played for U.S. presidents and for the kings and queens of Europe. He has been described as “the greatest man to ever draw a bow,” and his teaching style communicated “irresistible radiance of spirit.”

In 1960, Casals taught a series of experimental classes at the University of California at Berkley. These courses are described in the book The 1960 Pablo Casals Master Class. It’s an informative guide to music, to teaching, and to art. The New York Times declared: “The wisdom imparted has to do with the art of giving vital shape to music in performance – the extraction of maximum beauty and expressivity from a score.”