Juan Morel Campos (statue)

Juan Morel Campos is a statue to the memory of a Puerto Rican composer and danza master Juan Morel Campos[note 1] located at Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The statue's large marble pedestal follows in the Beaux Arts architectural tradition. Within the pedestal are the mortal remains of the composer.

This article is about the statue. For the composer proper, see Juan Morel Campos.

Juan Morel Campos
Statue of JMC
Location of the statue within Puerto Rico
ArtistLuiggi Tomassi
Pietrasanta, Italy
Year1926
TypeMarble
MovementBeaux Arts
ConditionPristine
LocationPlaza Degetau
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°00′41.44″N 66°36′49.86″W
OwnerMunicipality of Ponce, PR

Background
Main article: Juan Morel Campos

Morel Campos was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[1][2] He began to study music at the young age of eight in his hometown.[3] Morel Campos learned to play practically every brass instrument and eventually became one of the founders and directors of the "Ponce Firemen's Band" (La Banda de Bomberos del Parque de Bombas de Ponce). The legendary Band was later renamed the Ponce Municipal Band. The band still plays today. Morel Campos composed over 550 musical works before he died unexpectedly at age 38.[4] His unexpected death was the result of a stroke he suffered while performing with his band on stage during a concert in Ponce on 26 April 1896. He died three days after event, on 16 May 1896. In December 1926, his remains were buried at the foot of his statue in Plaza Las Delicias.[5]

Description

The statue (and its pedestal) are marble. It is the product of the foundry of Italian sculptor Luiggi Tomassi[6] in Pietrasanta, Italy.[7] It was unveiled on 12 December 1926.[8] Stored within statue's pedestal are Juan Morel Campos's remains. He had been initially buried in niche #3, West Wall, First Line, at Ponce's old cemetery, now called Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro,[9] but, in December 1926, his remains were moved to be reburied in a niche at the foot of his statue in Plaza Las Delicias.[10] The 1926 cost to build the statue was $3,000 ($43.3 thousand in 2019 dollars[11]).[12]

Accolades

In 2017, Frank Arias created a 16"x20" acrylic on paper canvas painting of the statue.[13]

Notes
  1. This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Morel and the second or maternal family name is Campos.
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References
  1. "Juan Morel Campos" Archived 28 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Puerto Rico Encyclopedia Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  2. "Repensar a Morel" Archived 25 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine by Federico A. Cordero. El Nuevo Dia: Revista Domingo. May 21, 2006. (in Spanish) Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  3. Juan Morel Campos. Musica de Puerto Rico. Accessed 20 July 2017.
  4. Revive a Morel la Peña Musical. Vangie Rivera. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  5. Juan Morel Campos Music Institute. Travel Ponce.
  6. Atracciones Turisticas: Plaza Las Delicias Archived 7 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Government of the Municipality of Ponce. (Ponce > Ciudad Senorial > Atracciones Turisticas.) Accessed 18 July 2010.
  7. Juan Morel Campos Music Institute. Travel Ponce. Accessed 19 July 2017.
  8. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, Rafael J. Torres Torres, and Carlos Aneiro Perez. Brevario Sobre la Historia de Ponce y sus Principales Lugares de Interes. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1st edition. 1991. p. 106.
  9. Juan Morel Campos. Martin Nieves. Findagrave.com 30 January 2016. Accessed 20 July 2017.
  10. Juan Morel Campos Music Institute. Travel Ponce. Accessed 20 July 2017.
  11. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  12. The Book of Porto Rico. Chapter XIX: Principal Cities. Section "Ponce: A Historical Sketch". Juan Biaschi, Journalist. p. 1071. Accessed 7 February 2018.
  13. Statue of Juan Morell(sic) Campos, Ponce Puerto Rico. Orlando Slice. 17 April 2017. Accessed 20 July 2017.

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