Joe Vella Bondin (The Sunday Times, February 21) disagrees with my observation that Don Michelangelo Vella's music is barely known and gave his reasons for doing so, even though he fails to include Michael Laus, Hans Jürgen Nagel and Mario Frendo among the conductors and musicians who performed Vella's works.

But the fact that Vella's music has been performed in Malta does not mean that it is well known to the public. More importantly, it is only thanks to Divall's work that Vella's music has begun to be appreciated internationally. This can be corroborated by the publication of an independent international review about the edition of the music for three transverse flutes in one of the main journals of musicology, the Early Music Review. Divall's work was analysed by Clifford Bartlett in the 2010 February issue.

Bartlett opens his review by stating that he "had never heard of Michel'Angelo Vella". This is confirmation, if ever one was needed, that Vella's works, to date, are "barely known". Bartlett continues: "I was intrigued by the idea of the flute trios, though rather expected them to be a bit tedious. I was pleasantly surprised. Each sonata is in three movements: quick, slow, and quick. Four of the finales are headed Fuga, and much of the writing elsewhere is contrapuntal, with very little galante homophony. The three instruments are treated equally. The composer definitely has flair and imagination and the sonatas look rewarding to play".

Such a statement, and the fact that Vella's music is covered by an independent and prestigious international review, confirms the validity of this composer and that his importance transcends our shores. This fact was well understood by Vella's contemporaries and explains why he was the first Maltese composer to have his music published abroad in 1768.

Incidentally, Divall is making history again. While it is true that Mr Vella Bondin published the music of Abos in America, as he himself explains, this publication falls under the category of a critical edition, a fact that is collaborated by the publishing house itself.

In musicology, there are two types of publication. The first is the critical edition and, as rightly explained by Mr Vella Bondin, this type of edition includes an extensive biography of the composer with a critical review of the edited piece of music that is being published. Performance is not excluded but these publications are mainly written for research purposes. The second category of edited works targets only the performers. Divall's editions of Maltese early music fall under this highly specialised category.