Juan Morel Campos

Here's a timeline of Juan Morel Campos' life:

• 1857 - Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico
• 1865 - Starts his musical studies with Prof. Antonio Egipacio. During his youth Morel learned practically all of the brass instruments that form part an orchestra.
• 1877 - Joined the Cazadores Battalion of the Madrid Regiment based in San Juan as a euphonium player in this band. The exposure to a complete band setting inspired him to start his own ensembles, La Progresista and La Lira Ponceña.
• 1882 - Won the first prize and certificate of honor in the Ponce Fair and Exposition for his symphonic work, La Lira. In the same fair, he was also given the second prize in conducting his concert orchestra.
• 1883 - Founded the Ponce Municipal Band, the oldest continuously performing band in the Caribbean.
• 1893 - Wrote the symphony entitled Puerto Rico in commemoration of the Fourth Centennial of the Discovery of the Americas.
• 1896 - Passed away shortly after having collapsed of an angina attack in the middle of a performance on April 26 at La Perla Theatre in Ponce.

• Compositions - Delivered over 550 musical works ranging from piano, art song, orchestral, and opera. His patriotic spirit is present not only in the titles of his compositions, but also in the characteristic Puerto Rican musical elements that he garnered with great respect.
• Education - The Free School of Music Juan Morel Campos as well as The Institue of Music Juan Morel Campos in Ponce were named after him, as was Juan Morel Campos Secondary School in Brooklyn, New York and a Jr. High School in Ponce.
• Memorials - The Juan Morel Campos statue was erected in the Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce.
• Holidays - In 1984, the Government of Puerto Rico declared May 16 to be celebrated annually as "Juan Morel Campos Day" and November 23 be known as "The Day of the Composer".
• Awards - In 2001, Morel Campos was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

"Campos, his vigorous genius, agitated by the wrangles and passions of his time, embodying in his immortal danzas the collective spirit of the Puerto Rican people, while also creating the two principle styles that served as a guide for the young generation when they began working on composition."

--Puerto Rican Musicologist Fernando Callejo

If you have time, you should read more about this incredible artist and contributor to Puerto Rican culture on his Wikipedia Page.