Delfí Abella

Who was Delfí Abella?

Delfí Abella i Gibert was a Catalan psychiatrist, essayist and songwriter.

A medical psychiatrist by profession, he was head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Hospital de Santa Creu i Sant Pau, professor of psychiatry at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and author of works on psychiatry.

In 1961, Abella became one of the earliest members of the Nova Cançó group Els Setze Jutges. He released three EPs as a member of the group, recording twelve songs in total. Abella's Catalan-language adaptations of songs by French chanson singers including Barbara, Anne Sylvestre, and Guy Béart were performed and recorded by some of the younger members of the Els Setze Jutges: Maria del Mar Bonet, Guillermina Motta, Maria Amèlia Pedrerol, and Joan Manuel Serrat. Els Setze Jutges received the Medal of Honor from the Parliament of Catalonia in April 2007. Abella's widow accepted the award in his place.