In Prades' Church of St. Pierre in the French Pyrenees, every pew, aisle and choir stall was crammed with hushed listeners. As the last tones of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata for Soprano and Bass, No. 32 floated away, there was silence. Then, in an unexpected gesture, the tall, white-haired Bishop of Perpignan arose, raised his hands and gave the first clap, signaling an end to the church ban on applause. As bald little Pablo Casals bowed from the podium, the 2,000 listeners clapped so thunderously that a piece of plaster shook loose from the high roof, clattered into the church.
Bow &...
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