How was the project Ilħna Mitlufa born and what is the idea behind it?

The project was born out of the years of personal research in the search for music, songs, texts and repertoire that could be interpreted. My interests have always included music and its relevance to society today.

The idea behind the project is to present a selection of the variety of forms of għana in a storytelling production, offering an opportunity to gather all the stories based on personal research and encounters with members of the tradition, giving tribute on one hand, but also an opportunity to learn and be inspired by the singing tradition and the need to express oneself in song.

Would you say that traditional folk music like għana is dying out?

For some maybe it has never existed, others may think it is dying out. But for those who were brought up using song and rhyme to express themselves it is still strong and is renewed every time they meet together to be together and sing.

In reality,  what has changed is that għana was used in a far wider set of contexts in the past, for everyday life. We seem to have moved away from this connection with our culture and now prefer to express ourselves in English, and in musical forms which are imported. What is now evident is that in the past people were more connected to their land and community, and għana was a way of being. When words were not enough, you would sing. Only this has changed.

We seem to have lost the reason to sing in our tongue and express ourselves through song, whereby song was used as catharsis, to bear pain, to express joys and so on... But it helped, again when words were not enough to say it.

So within the community of singers and those who still express themselves in rhyme, it is still very much alive.

But do you feel that it remains relevant and should be kept alive? If yes, how so?

It is clearly still relevant. The decision not to use rhyme and song in this way is because we must have moved away from a certain connection with the culture, in the same way as we lost a connection with the land.

This is a form of identity crisis evident in the way we treat the land and environment in which we live. We would treat our environment very differently if we were connected to the land we tread – and we would still have a voice.

We seem to have lost the reason to sing in our tongue

Why do you feel it is important to keep these music traditions alive?

Traditions are time tested. You can start new ones and, if accepted by the population, they will go on to become tradition.

They are rituals of coming together, which strengthen society and community. The reason people sing together is to be together, to celebrate a way of life. Without these traditions we go looking for others, imported from countries like the UK, where we try to assimilate and pretend with a voice which is not as real as that which we own.

Will the folk aspect of the performance be given a more contemporary twist?

The tradition is contemporary. It is not something of the past, as its context is different.

What is the biggest challenge in presenting traditional music to today’s audience?

The stigma which abounds in relation to għana is generally due to a lack of understanding, or a superficial understanding of what the song and poetry present and its relevance in society. The function of the troubadour has always been that of news bringer, comic entertainer, the keeper of memory, the voice of reason and beauty and so on.

The event combines music and theatre – how is this being achieved?

Ilħna Mitlufa is music theatre, not a musical. It does not aspire to a West End production, but music and song are used (in combination with images, video, text and dramaturgy) to tell a story with many layers. The production in fact involves collaborative work with Jimmy Grima on visual production, Domenico Di Castaldo as dramaturg, Adrian Grima on writing of texts, and five musicians, including myself.

The performance includes three different forms of għana – can you explain the differences between them?

There is the form known as Tal-Gatt, focusing on written and selected texts of old or new, recounting tragic facts or actual happenings.

There is also Spirtu Pront, with the focus on the improvised word on the inherited octosyllabic rhyme and where the ability to use rhyme to express things in the moment is prized.

Finally, there is Bormliża or Fil-għoli – a high-pitched form of singing.

Ilħna Mitlufa runs on May 12 and 13 at the Salesians Theatre, Sliema. Tickets are available online.

www.ticketline.com.mt

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