Gozitan hymn-cantatas

I would like to correct a misprint in my previous letter (The Sunday Times, October 22).

Gharb's Mro Cardenio Botti's hymn Inno alla Vergine was first performed in 1930 and not in 1931 as printed (Malta, June 28, 1930).

Mr George Borg wrote (November 5) that I "deliberately failed to mention" Mgr Giuseppe Farrugia's (Tal-Vers) hymns in honour of St George. He also stated that Mgr Farrugia's hymns were performed by the La Stella Band in 1894 and in 1901 respectively, but failed to confirm this with authentic documents.

I doubt if these performances actually took place! We know historically that in 1901 Mgr Farrugia wanted to pay tribute to St George by composing a hymn in his honour "sciogliere il tributo d'amore a S. Giorgio, scrivendo un nuovo inno..." (Il Messaggiere di Maria, Maggio 1901). The fact that Mgr Farrugia composed a hymn does not mean that it was also performed by the La Stella Band. For this reason it will be of great benefit to history if Mr Borg produced documents to prove that these performances actually took place.

Mr Borg also stated that Mro G. Giardini Vella's hymn A San Giorgio Martire, which was first performed in 1931, substituted Mgr Farrugia's hymns. Again, no documents were produced, but the words, "grande Inno a San Giorgio da eseguirsi per la prima volta, versi del Prof. L. Billion, musica di Mro G. Giardini Vella..." (Malta, April 27, 1931) clearly indicate that Mgr Giardini Vella's hymn was being performed for the first time and not that it was substituting Mgr Farrugia's hymn.

It was historically clear that Mro Giardini Vella's hymn A San Giorgio Martire, was not a model to the other hymn-cantatas for all Gozitan feasts. Historical events prove that other hymn-cantatas were composed by other musicians and performed before that of Mro G. Giardini Vella in honour of St George. His hymn in honour of St Margaret, patron saint of Sannat, was composed and performed years before that of St George.

On the other hand, historical events confirm that Mro Vincenzo Carabott's hymn Inno A Maria Assunta (pre-1900) was the first hymn composed by a musical director of a Gozitan philharmonic society. This was performed by the Leone Band. This was followed by Mro Crescimanno's hymn A Maria Assunta in 1913 and by that of Mro G. Giardini Vella's hymn in honour of St Margaret of Sannat in 1927.

It emerges clearly  that  the hymn in honour of St Margaret by Mro G. Giardini Vella served as a real model both for St George's (1931) and St Lawrence's (early Thirties) hymns composed by the same maestro.