Antonio Martorell (2)

Antoni Martorell i Miralles (Montuïri, March 9, 1913 - Palma, February 18, 2009) was a Majorcan Franciscan priest, pedagogue and musician. From a peasant family, he studied solfeggio and piano at the conservatory of Valencia and Gregorian chant in Rome. Ordained priest, he was organist and director of music in the Basilica of Santa Susanna for 38 years. From 1964 to 1982 he was a member and later director of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Music of the Diocese of Rome, appointed by Pope Paul VI. He was founder and director of the Musical Update Courses at the Lateranum University for 13 years. In Palma he was the founder and director of the Musical Pastoral Weeks (1972-1982). In 1985 he was declared an illustrious son of Montuïri and the street where he was born was dedicated to him.[1] In 1989 he became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Sebastià.[2] He actively participated in congresses, meetings, conferences, through articles, presentations and symposiums. He is considered a pioneer in the renewal of liturgical singing in Majorcan. In 1999 he received the Gold Medal of the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands. In 2002 he was invested with an honorary doctorate by the University of the Balearic Islands in an event at the parish church of his hometown and in 2004 he was mayor of Puig. In November 2008 I gave the inaugural presentation of the First Days of Local Studies of Montuïri on the cossiers of Montuïri. He died on February 18, 2009 in Palma (Mallorca), at the age of ninety-five, after having been admitted to the Son Dureta Hospital for a few days following a fall on January 16.The funerals were held at 4pm the same day in La Porciúncula de s'Arenal, while the funeral was held at the Church of Sant Francesc de Palma the following day at 8pm.The town of Montuïri, Father Martorell's hometown, celebrated a funeral on Sunday February 22 with the performance of the Cossiers. This fact is almost unusual, since there are few occasions when the dance is performed outside of patronal celebrations and they had only danced at another funeral in 1988, that of the flabioler Joan "Niu". On August 24, 2010, coinciding with the festivities of Sant Bartomeu de Montuïri, a monument to Father Martorell was inaugurated. The author of the bust is Damià Ramis, son of Remígia Caubet, and it is located in the place called les Graons between the Plaça Major and the church.