Naming an Honoris Causa Doctor is always a cause for rejoicing, but on January 20, 1939, when the University of Barcelona, with Franco's troops already close to setting foot in the city, awarded that title to the cellist Pau Casals, the solemn act of delivery could not be celebrated. It had been enough for the rector, Pere Bosch Gimpera, to undertake that last attempt at normality in university life.
The Catalan musician, forced to flee due to his firm republican convictions, would later receive the title in hand and without any ceremony, but for him it had a special significance and he kept it until the end of his days. “Peace has always been my greatest concern,” he declared in his speech to the UN, upon receiving the organization's peace medal in 1971.
