The liturgy at St John of The Cross church in Ta' Xbiex has become a more inviting experience with music supplied by a pipe organ that will be officially inaugurated on Thursday at 7.30 p.m.
Organist Hugo Agius Muscat will play works by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Guilmant, Widor, Pace and Galea. Entrance is free.
The organ was installed by organ restorer Robert Buhagiar who two years ago was commissioned by the Discalced Carmelite Community to look for a good pipe organ that fitted their budget.
As things turned out, during a visit to Germany, Mr Buhagiar came across a pipe organ that was for sale because the church it was in was looking for a larger instrument.
This organ was built 39 years ago by Seifert Orgelbau, one of the most renowned German organ builders.
Mr Buhagiar was impressed by the organ's technical and tonal qualities and went back to Germany to dismantle it with the help of local volunteers.
The parts were shipped in a 40-foot container which arrived in Malta in July 2003. To buy such an organ brand new today would cost a fortune.
A dedicated gallery was built in the church to bear the weight of the instrument which covers a floor area of about 18 square metres and weighs approximately six tons.
A unique aspect of the instrument are the 12 large façade pipes made of flamed copper. The organ was rebuilt to fit the arch above the main entrance of the church as if the organ had been custom-made.
"The organ has two keyboards and pedal board with 24 speaking stops and five mechanical stops for a total of about 1,620 pipes," Mr Buhagiar said.
"The sound is different from that of contemporary Italian organs found here. It verges on the baroque side though it possesses bold foundation ranks and lacks the shrillness at times associated with post-war neo-baroque organs.
"An interesting feature is the three-rank Sesquialtera register (stop), one rank of which is the Septieme, the only such rank in these islands. A rank is a set of pipes starting from a particular pitch."
Mr Buhagiar said the project could not have succeeded were it not for the determination and constant assistance of Br Benjamin Zammit O.C.D. who is also the musical director of the parish.
"Parishioners have commented that thanks to this organ, liturgy has been elevated to a new dimension never experienced before at Ta' Xbiex parish church."