2023/12/29
Its official name is Palau de la Música Catalana and it is a masterpiece of Modernism architecture designed by architect Lluís Domenech i Montaner.
Built between 1905 and 1908, this is the only concert hall in the world that is still in use among the buildings that are registered as World Heritage Sites.
A wide variety of events are held throughout the year, from classical concerts to flamenco shows featuring traditional Spanish dance.
In the early 1900s, inspired by the industrial revolution that occurred in England,
an industrial revolution also occurred here in Catalonia, Spain.
The cotton industry was at the center of the industrial revolution, generating enormous wealth and giving rise to a new artistic style unique to Catalonia (modernism).
The Palau de la Musica Catalana was originally built for the Orfeo Catala, a choir that sang traditional Catalan music and was founded in 1891.
The members of the choir were not professionals, but craftsmen and laborers working in the textile factories that were common in Barcelona at the time.
Many of them lived in the secluded area that we see today, which is why the music hall was built there.
Montaner is also famous for teaching Gaudi as a professor at Barcelona’s School of Architecture.
Start at the rehearsal hall of the Orfeo Catala (Catalan Choir), where the foundation stone for its construction was laid in 1905.
The Catalan Choir has been rehearsing here for more than 100 years, since 1908, when the Conservatory was completed.
During the guided tour, you will watch a 15-minute video about the history of the Palau de la Música de Catalunya, and it’s easier to watch from the back seats.
A gorgeous grand staircase with beautifully detailed carvings and decorations ascends and descends as you enter Lewis Millett Hall.
Particularly noteworthy among the decorations on the grand staircase are the handrails, which were very innovative at the time and consisted of spirally twisted columns covered with glass tubes.
Additionally, the stained glass windows feature many floral patterns, one of designer Montaner’s signature decorative motifs.
The concert hall, which feels larger than its actual size, is 12.48m wide and 13.21m high from the first floor to the ceiling, with a total seating capacity of 2,049.
The light that shines through the stained glass on the ceiling, which is the symbol of the hall, beautifully illuminates the entire hall with a perfect combination of color, shape, and light.
One of the highlights is the extremely beautiful smooth glass pattern that changes from yellow in the center to blue on the outside.
In addition, the abyss surrounding the stained glass and the area around it are decorated with Montaner’s signature rose pattern.
The beauty of the stained glass that sticks out from the ceiling is exceptional, and you can clearly see that it is reminiscent of the sun, resembling large drops of light.
Among the motifs decorating the pillars and ceilings, roses are the most common motif, and this comes from the fact that the guardian deity Sant Jordi gave roses to the princess when he saved her from a dragon.
The current entrance on the west side of the Palau de la Musica Catalana is covered with glass, but on the south-east side, where the main entrance once was, you can see the Modernist façade.
Because the building itself had sharp corners, the entire building was made to look like a ship, and a sculpture of Sant Jordi, the popular guardian deity at the time, was placed in the corner corresponding to the bow of the ship.
The thick pillar in the center with its beautiful trencadis (crushed tiles) was originally the ticket office counter, and the person in charge still sits there, and you can still see the remains of those days.
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