Bernard Greenhouse Describes Lessons with Casals

Bernard Greenhouse shares his experiences studying with Pablo Casals. He notes that Casals was critical of his musical instincts, specifically pointing out a resemblance to Fritz Kreisler, who Casals did not admire. He recounts working on Bach’s D Minor Suite, and that for 3 weeks Casals played him the suite and instructed him to copy all of his bowings and fingerings.

Greenhouse eventually expressed his concerns that he would sound like a Casals imitation and In response, Casals played the suite again, altering fingerings and bowings, and demonstrating a new interpretation that was both beautiful and original. He emphasized that once a musician has internalized a piece, they have the freedom to improvise and make it their own.