Palau de la Música Catalana facts for kids
The Palau de la Música Catalana in 2019
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| Location | Barcelona, Spain |
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| Coordinates | 41°23′15″N 2°10′32″E / 41.38750°N 2.17556°E |
| Type | Concert hall |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1905–1908 |
| Opened | February 9, 1908 |
| Architect | Lluís Domènech i Montaner |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iv |
| Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
The Palau de la Música Catalana (which means "Palace of Catalan Music" in English) is a famous concert hall in Barcelona, Spain. It was designed by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in a special style called Catalan modernisme. The building was created between 1905 and 1908 for a singing group called Orfeó Català. This group was very important in a cultural movement known as the Renaixença (Catalan Rebirth). The Palau opened its doors on February 9, 1908.
Rich business people and families in Barcelona helped pay for the palace. In 1909, the architect won an award for designing the best building of the year. Later, from 1982 to 1989, the building was carefully fixed up and made bigger by architects Oscar Tusquets and Carles Díaz. In 1997, the Palau de la Música Catalana became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means it's a very important place in the world. Today, over half a million people visit the Palau each year to enjoy all kinds of music, from classical to jazz.
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The Architect
The Palau de la Música Catalana was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. He was a Catalan architect and also a politician. Born in Barcelona in 1850, he first studied science. Then, he became an architect in 1873. He taught at Barcelona's architecture school for 45 years. His buildings are part of the Art Nouveau style. They often feature beautiful decorations like mosaics and stained glass.
About the Building
Where It Is
The palace is located on a small street in the old part of Barcelona, called Casc Antic. Many other famous modernista buildings, like those by Antoni Gaudí, are in a newer part of the city called the Eixample.
Its Special Design
The design of the Palau is a great example of Catalan modernism. It uses lots of curves instead of straight lines. It also has many lively shapes and rich decorations, especially with flowers and other natural designs. Even though it looks very decorative, the building is also very smart. It was built to work well as a concert hall. It also used the newest building materials and ideas from the early 1900s, like steel frames. Its walls were some of the first "curtain wall" structures, which means they are not load-bearing.
The people who paid for the palace wanted it to show off Catalan culture. So, the architect hired many local artists and craftspeople. They created the amazing decorations, sculptures, and special parts that make the Palau so famous.
The Outside Look
The outside of the palace is richly decorated. It mixes ideas from Spanish and Arabic architecture. The red brick, iron, mosaics, stained glass, and shiny tiles were chosen to make the building feel open and bright. Even the large sculpture by Miguel Blay on the corner, which shows Catalan music, lets you see inside and out. It's like the building is open and welcoming.
On the second-floor balcony, there are two rows of columns. Each column has unique, colorful tiles, often with flower designs. At night, candelabras on top of the columns light up. Above these columns, you can see large busts (head and shoulders sculptures) of famous composers like Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Ludwig van Beethoven. On the side of the building, there's a bust of Richard Wagner. The very top of the main front has a big mosaic by Lluís Bru. It shows the members of the Orfeó Català singing.
The Entrance
Originally, people entered the palace through two large arches. These arches were supported by thick pillars. The old ticket windows were in the middle pillar. They are beautiful, round arches decorated with flower mosaics made by Lluís Bru.
Inside the Palace
The first room you enter is the vestibule. Its ceiling has shiny ceramic stars. From here, grand marble staircases go up to the second floor. The railings of the stairs are made of marble and have unusual clear yellow glass parts. The underside of the stairs is covered with tiles that look like shining canopies.
Today, visitors usually enter through the foyer. This area was once the offices of the Orfeó Català. The foyer is simpler than other parts of the palace. But it still has wide brick arches with amazing green, pink, and yellow ceramic flowers. There's a large counter where people can get snacks and drinks. This bar is between huge brick pillars and lit by big stained-glass windows behind it. You can also see the Orfeó Català's special banner here.
Lluís Millet Hall
The Lluís Millet hall is on the second floor. It's named after one of the founders of the Orfeó Català. This hall is a popular spot for concert-goers and a place where tour groups learn about the building. It's two stories tall. From its windows, you get a much better view of the detailed mosaics on the columns outside than you do from the street.
The hall also has bronze busts of important musicians connected to the palace. These include Lluís Millet, Amadeu Vives, Pablo Casals, and Richard Wagner.
The Concert Hall
The concert hall of the Palau is truly special. It can seat about 2,200 people. It's the only auditorium in Europe that gets all its daylight from natural light. The walls on two sides are mostly made of stunning stained-glass windows. Above, there's a huge stained-glass skylight designed by Antoni Rigalt. Its center is an upside-down dome in gold and blue, looking like the sun and sky.
Every decoration in the concert hall is a work of art, but it also helps with the music. The hall isn't really a theater because big sculptures near the stage make it hard to use scenery. And even though there's a grand pipe organ behind the stage, it's not a church.
The main theme in the concert hall's rich decorations is choral music. This makes sense, as a singing group built it! A choir of young women surrounds the "sun" in the stained-glass skylight. On the left side of the stage, there's a bust of Josep Anselm Clavé, a famous choir director. Under his statue, sculpted girls sing a Catalan folk song.
The large arch over the front of the stage was sculpted by Dídac Masana and Pablo Gargallo. On the right side, it shows a scene from Wagner's opera Die Walküre. Underneath, there's a bust of Beethoven. So, the arch brings together folk music (on the left) and classical music (on the right).
Around the back of the stage, there are 18 figures of young women, often called the 'muses'. Their upper bodies stick out from the wall, sculpted by Eusebi Arnau. Their lower bodies are colorful mosaics created by Lluís Bru, blending into the wall. Each muse plays a different instrument and wears a unique outfit. In the middle, there's a mosaic of the coat of arms of Catalonia. One muse even has the coat of arms of Austria on her dress.
Above, in the upper balcony, there are sculptures of winged horses. These honor Pegasus, the horse from Greek mythology, a symbol of great imagination.
Between the pillars and glass walls, you'll find white medallions with the names of famous musicians. These include Palestrina, J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Mozart, and Wagner. Other medallions celebrate important figures in Catalan music.
Updates and New Parts
Between 1982 and 1989, parts of the building were restored to their original look. They also added new technology and expanded the palace for more uses. The new parts were built using the same materials and style as the original building. One important addition is a six-story building next door. It has dressing rooms, a library, and an archive.
More restoration happened from 2006 to 2008. They put back the lantern on top of the corner tower and other decorations on the outside.
Petit Palau
The Petit Palau (meaning "small palace") opened in 2004. It's located 11 meters below the ground, under a square built during the 1980s renovations. It can seat 538 people. This smaller hall has special features to change its sound for different types of music or speeches. It also has the newest audio and video technology. Like the other new parts, it was designed to match the spirit of the original Palau. It's bright and open, but also very flexible for different events.
Seen in Films
On September 7, 2018, the palace appeared in a TV show trailer for Doctor Who. The trailer showed Jodie Whittaker, as the first female Doctor, breaking through the palace's amazing skylight.
Music History
Since it opened in 1908, the Palau has always supported local composers and artists. After World War I, the Orquestra Pau Casals performed there. Many famous musicians, like Pablo Casals and Alicia de Larrocha, have played or sung at the Palau.
First Performances
As a major concert hall, the Palau has hosted the very first performances (called "premières") of many musical pieces. Here are some of them:
- 1908: Enric Granados's symphonic poem Dante.
- 1911: Enric Granados's piano suite Goyescas (first book).
- 1921: Eduard Toldrà's string quartet Vistes al mar (Sight to the sea).
- 1926: Manuel de Falla's Harpsichord Concerto.
- 1936: Alban Berg's Violin Concerto.
- 1940: Joaquín Rodrigo's famous Concierto de Aranjuez.
- 1945: Xavier Montsalvatge's Cinco canciones negras (first four songs).
- 2017: Many new choir pieces were performed during the 11th World Symposium on Choral Music.
Images for kids
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The Palau de la Música Catalana in 2019
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Architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner
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Miquel Blay's sculptural group (The Catalan song) on the corner.
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Former ticket box, in an entrance pillar.
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Mosaic on balcony façade
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A detail from the entrance
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Vestibule and staircase
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Stained-glass skylight
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Stage with the muses in the background
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The muses on the right side, with one showing the coat of arms of Austria and double-headed eagle
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The new six-story tower, projected by Oscar Tusquets and officially opened in 1989, houses dressing rooms, a library, and archives.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio de la Música Catalana para niños
- List of theatres and concert halls in Barcelona
- List of Modernista buildings in Barcelona
- List of concert halls
