Of the various choirs which provide a service at the Mosta Rotunda, we, Kor Santa Cecilja, are the choir mainly associated with the grand organ at this church. We would therefore like to reply to Francis Falzon’s letter entitled ‘Grand organ at Mosta Rotunda’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, January 22).
We can assure Mr Falzon that the organ has not been put in hibernation. The organ is played every Sunday during the 9.30am Mass. It is also played on special days throughout the year, such as on St Paul’s Shipwreck, St Joseph, the Immaculate Conception, Candlemas, Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.
Our choir also takes part in the main feasts of the liturgical calendar, namely Christmas and Easter. The organ is played in the novena of Christmas, where hymns of Advent are sung to the accompaniment of the organ. On Christmas Eve an orchestra is engaged by the parish, so the organ is not played on that occasion.
On Christmas Day, however, and on most days leading to the Epiphany, the choir sings Christmas carols accompanied by the grand organ. The Sinfonia Pastorali is also played by our organist, Mro Edwin Zammit, often with the utilisation of the campanelli register. A thanksgiving Te Deum is sung on the last day of the year to the accompaniment of the organ.
Our choir also participates in the Liturgical functions of Lent. In some of these functions, however, we would be accompanied by a small organ in the ground level of the church.
The grand organ would, however, be very busy during the festivities of the Assumption of Our Lady, in August. Between the end of July, when the titular statue of Our Lady is taken out of the niche, up to August 15, the feast day itself, the choir participates in daily services in honour of Our Lady. Nani’s antiphone, Virgo Prudentissima, among others, is played during these functions.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite readers from the Mosta area with a musical bent to join our ranks. Our choir would then be in a better position to serve the Liturgical functions in the Rotunda.