Juan Morel Campos is one of the most significant exponents of Puerto Rican Danza in the island’s history. Campos was born in Ponce on May 16, 1857 to Manuel Araujo from the Dominican Republic and Juana de Dios Campos Collazo, from Venezuela.

He began his studies at eight, under the watchful eye of Professor Antonio Egipciaco, and was the protegé of “The Father of the Danza,” Manuel Gregorio Tavarez. Morel Campos played the cello, flute, bombardino (bass trombone), the euphonium (a 3 or 4 valve tenor-voice brass instrument resembling a tuba), and the organ.

In 1877 Morel Campos was the principal baritone player in the San Juan Battalion in Madrid, Spain. When he returned to Ponce in 1882, he organized the Fireman’s Band, which he conducted until his death. Also, he was a conductor of dance music and the founder of the municipal orchestra, La Lira Ponceña.

In addition, he arranged operas and zarzuelas and toured South America as the director and conductor of the Compañía de Zarzuela Española Bernard y Arabella. In total, he composed approximately 500 works. Of those, about 300 were Danzas. Some of his best-known compositions include Felices Días (Happy Days), No Me Toques (Do Not Touch Me), Idilio (Idyll), and Maldito Amor (Damned Love).

Many of the themes revolve around unrequited love. In the play Torbellino: A Story of Unrequited Love, written and directed by Adriana Pantoja, the melodramatic montage flows between stories and legends about Juan Morel Campos and his alleged forbidden love. The script recreates how the teacher Juan Morel met his disciple Mercedes Arias, how he falls madly in love with her, and how influential he was in her compositions. Similarly, the actors dramatize how Mercedes’ father opposes their union, how the couple conspires to meet secretly, and how love prevails. According to his granddaughter, Morel Campos’s sadness stemmed from his inability to study abroad. “Although he was from a very poor family,” she emphasizes, “he ended up being more renowned than many who studied abroad.”

It’s worth noting Campos made history when he passed the baton to Ana (Anita) Otero, who holds the distinction of being the first woman to direct an orchestra in Puerto Rico. According to her grandnephew Robur Otero, “Juan Morel Campos gave her the baton in Ponce and Julio Andino handed her the baton in San Juan. She also conducted insular bands in San Germán and Mayagüez.”

On April 26, 1896, while conducting a concert in Ponce, Juan Morel Campos suffered a massive stroke. He died on May 12, 1896, just short of his 39th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Secundina Beltrán Collazo and five children, Olimpia, Eugenia, Belén, Plácido, and Manuel.

Although his life and career ended abruptly, his legacy survives through his extensive body of work. In large part, due to the fact, Morel Campos transcribed many of his compositions and made them available to the public.