As an incorrigible lover of most music, including classical and sacred music, allow me to make the following reflection.

While the Catholic Church retained Latin for its church services around the 1560s – replaced in the 1960s by our vernacular Maltese – the Anglican Church adopted the English vernacular around 1540 for its sacred services and choral music – until today. To good effect. English choirs are renowned for their beauty and excellence.

It is probably undeniable that, around 1897, under Queen Victoria, an accomplished composer like Clement Cotterill Scholefield composed his beautiful evening hymn, also used for memorial services, ‘The day Thou gavest Lord is ended’, to grace anything lovely that has come to an end, including the dying days.

Because of its timing, this wonderful choral and organ hymn is rarely heard in Malta nowadays and there are many beautiful others, such as ‘Abide with me’, composed by a prelate on the point of death due to tuberculosis. Sad, yet, poignant, touching and uplifting.

Would the authorities of the Church in Malta encourage the wonderful playing and professional singing of such hymns to grace our churches and holy services?

Our expert organist, Hugo Agius Muscat, could, with some appropriate encouragement, regale us with his professional organ and choral playing, now and in the future.

Healing of the body often follows the healing of our souls. So let us share yet more beautiful music.