El Vendrell organ, saved by Pau Casals, marks 250 years

El Vendrell's historic Scherrer organ, located in the Sant Salvador parish church, is celebrating its 250th anniversary. The instrument, which maintains a unique Baroque sound in Europe, was saved from destruction during the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War thanks to the intervention of cellist Pau Casals.

Local organist Salvador Guasch recently performed Bach's Choral on the instrument, highlighting its suitability for Baroque composers like Bach and Buxtehude. The organ is considered unique across Europe for retaining its original Baroque mechanism.

Casals, who returned to El Vendrell in 1929 to bury his wife, Fransquira, financed a restoration of the organ. He insisted that its phonic components remain unaltered, preventing the common practice of the time to modernise instruments with more Romantic sounds. This directive allows the organ's original Baroque sound to be heard today.

A Community Effort

The organ's history began in 1775 when the parish rector, mossèn Manuel Aumatell, proposed its construction. This was despite some local opposition due to the perceived high cost. At the time, El Vendrell had 2,200 residents, and its church had been built 37 years prior.

To fund the project, residents contributed money and goods. An additional tax was placed on grape pomace, used for making brandy, which was a key export. Wealthy families also provided advance payments to cover the organist's salary while taxes were collected.

The community commissioned Swiss organ builder Ludwig Scherrer, breaking a century-long monopoly held by the Catalan Boscà family of organ builders. Scherrer, known for his work in the cathedrals of Eivissa, Valls, and Lleida's Seu Nova, introduced Central European sonorities to Catalonia.

Construction and Legacy

The initial contract with Scherrer in 1775 was for 800 pounds, with 250 paid upfront. An extension in April 1776 added the cost of the exterior chair, 48-key keyboards, and seven new sets for the chair, bringing the total to 2,250 pounds.

Scherrer required accommodation, board, and a workshop in El Vendrell, believed to have been located in a house on what is now Les Garrofes street. The construction involved extensive logistics, with materials like melis wood arriving from Barcelona, tin for the pipes from Tarragona, and sheep leather for sealing from various locations. Carpenters, gilders, muleteers, blacksmiths, and masons adapted the church building for the instrument.

The organ's construction was completed on 20 April 1777. Examiners, including Joaquim Trens, then organist of Tarragona Cathedral, described its mechanism and sound as the finest of its era. Debts to residents who had advanced money were settled between 1782 and 1789, with the final payment made on 4 December 1789. Rector Manuel Aumatell noted in his diary that day, "Everything is satisfied."

Casals' Early Connection

In 1860, musician Carles Casals, Pau Casals' father, arrived in El Vendrell as an organ tuner and later became choirmaster, playing the instrument during masses. He met Pilar Defilló, a Puerto Rican woman visiting family and taking violin lessons at the same academy where Carles Casals taught piano. They married, and Pau Casals was born from this union.

Pau Casals was fascinated by the organ from childhood, often asking his father when he could play it. At nine years old, he began assisting his father and occasionally substituted for him on the keyboards. Locals believe the organ was spared during the Civil War because "it was Pau Casals' organ."

With 1,900 pipes, the El Vendrell organ is the only preserved Scherrer organ out of ten that once existed in Spain. Those in France and Switzerland were destroyed, according to a prestigious organ magazine.

Recent Restoration and Future

The organ has undergone three restorations throughout its history: one in the 19th century, the 1929 restoration funded by Casals, and a popular campaign in 2010 leading to a 2011 restoration.

The most recent restoration was prompted in 2008 when François Delort, an organ professor at the Geneva Conservatory, organist at the Swiss cathedral, and Scherrer researcher, visited the church. After playing the instrument, he remarked, "It sounds so good, but it's in such bad shape." This observation spurred the community to undertake a full restoration, similar to the original construction, with residents sponsoring individual pipes to raise funds.

Today, the Amics de l’Orgue del Vendrell association promotes the organ's history and ensures it remains active, played by leading organists. Xavier Mercadé, president of the association, said the organ accompanies religious services and is also used for concerts, sometimes even with traditional Catalan gralles, reflecting its status as a community instrument.