Pablo Casals and Music Magic

In the book Anatomy of an Illness, the author tells a story of his meeting with Pablo Casals, one of the great musicians of the 20th century shortly before the cellist’s 90th birthday. The author describes that it was almost painful to see the old man as he started his day. His hands were swollen and his fingers were clenched. He suffered from arthritis that was so severe; he needed help even to get dress. His emphysema was evident in his labored breathing. In short, he looked like a very, very frail and drained old man.

Before eating, the old man made way to his piano. With great difficulty he arranged himself on the piano bench. To bring the clenched and swollen fingers on the keyboard seemed impossible.
However, his state changed when he started to play his music, Bach’s Wohltemperierte Klavier. The author states that “The fingers slowly unlocked and reached toward the keys like the buds of a plant toward the sunlight. His back straightened. He seemed to breathe more freely.”

By the time he walked away from the piano he walk straighter, taller and without a trace of a shuffle, as if he has been cured from his illness. In short, his state has totally changed.