Oriol Martorell i Codina

Who was Oriol Martorell i Codina?

Oriol Martorell i Codina was a musical director, pedagogue and professor of history. He was the son of Artur Martorell i Bisbal, also a renowned pedagogue. While studying music he gained a doctorate in History.

He obtained a BA from the University of Barcelona in 1950 and a master’s degree in Pedagogy from the University of Perugia in 1954.

In 1947 he founded the “Coral Sant Jordi ”, of which he was director during 40 years. It was a symbol of cultural anti-Franchoism and a reference point among European choirs. A specialist in choral direction, he taught on this subject in different countries. he was the founder and vice-chairman of the “Europaeische Foederation Junger Choere”, instructor of the choral movement “À Coeur Joie” and president of the “Federació Catalana d’Entitats Corals”. He worked as a critic for several publications and collaborated in different musical works. He was artistic director of Discos Vergara between 1961 and 1970. He was also co-author with Manuel Valls of the book El fet musical; he also published, with Josep Massot Muntaner and Salvador Pueyo, Els Segadors: Himne Nacional de Catalunya. He was artistic director of the Antologia històrica de la música catalana. In 1983 he was appointed professor of Music History of the University of Barcelona, of which he had already been a teacher since 1970.