Orations on the victory of the Order of St John over the Turks in 1565 and on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Valletta in 1566

The first Chapter General meeting of the Order of St John held after the victory over the Turks in the Great Siege of 1565, took place on 10 February of the following year. Before dealing with the agenda of the day, orations were delivered. One of these was presented by Augustinian Fr Spiritus Pelo Anguisciola who would yet deliver another oration, a month later, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Valletta, in March 1566. The text of the latter had been published by Gian Francesco Abela in 1647. The texts of both orations -taken from original manuscripts discovered by the present author -are being reproduced in this paper. The text of the former is being published herein for the first time.peer-reviewe

The expulsion of the Jesuits from Malta in 1639

In March 1639, an edict by Grand Master Lascaris forbade women to wear masks on the last three days of Carnival, and for the 'commedia' the Italian Knights were to hold on Carnival Saturday. The young knights protested, ended up ransacking the Jesuit College, and eventually asking for the Jesuits' expulsion from Malta. A manuscript account -discovered in Modena -narrates the unfolding of the events in detail. It throws light also on the mental state of the riotous knights who were adamant about the expulsion of the Jesuits whom they blamed for the grand master's edit and bando.peer-reviewe

Local workshops on palliative care

The Malta Hospice Movement was established in 1989 with the aim to help in providing palliative care to cancer and motor neurone disease patients. Every year, professionals from Hayward House Palliative Care Unit in Nottingham visit the Malta Hospice Movement to carry out workshops and seminars. During the workshops organised the topics covered were: Time Management and Patient Assessment for Hospice staff as well as on Spirituality and Bereavement Services.peer-reviewe

The names of the town and villages of Gozo (Malta)

The Maltese islands have been dominated by various rulers who left an imprint on the life, customs, and language of the inhabitants. This is evident also in the toponymy of the archipelago. The names of places, towns, and villages of the larger island, Malta, provide interesting samples of these admixtures. The names of the town and villages of Gozo are no exception. The legal name of the capital, Victoria, reflects the very recent history of the islands; Malta under British rule. However, its older one, Rabat, and most of the names of the villages and smaller inhabited areas, corroborate the dominating Semitic element in the Maltese language, and the mixed history of the islands and their people. This paper gives a hypothetical etymology, together with a descriptive linguistic picture, of each of the names, and discusses the relationship each has within the prismatic context of the Maltese language, but especially toponymy.peer-reviewe

Pitfalls in diagnosis : cutaneous sinus tract of dental origin : a case report

Persistently draining cutaneous sinuses in the region of the head and neck may present to various special ties in medicine. The etiology of such lesions varies considerably and an accurate diagnosis is a pre-requisite to ensure immediate and effective treatment. The most common etiologic factor responsible for intermittently suppurating cutaneous sinuses in the region of the head and neck is the extension of a chronic infection of odontogenic origin. The presence of a cervicofacial sinus should alert the medical and dental professions alike to the necessity of a thorough dental examination including radiographic assessment of teeth and jaws. The following case report describes the clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of a recurrent (two year history) cervical sinus in a 10-year old boy.peer-reviewe

Nicorandil-induced oral ulceration

Oral ulceration has many aetiological factors. The antianginal drug Nicorandil is becoming increasingly recognised as a causative factor for oral ulceration. The aim of this case report is to increase awareness among clinicians (medical and dental) that nicorandil can induce extensive oral ulceration and thus should be included in the differential diagnosis when presented with patients complaining of long-standing oral ulceration.peer-reviewe

Styles of Transcription in Ethnomusicology

Transcription has to do with the writing of musical sounds. In the field of ethnomusicology, transcription has long been considered as an important skill which should lead the ethnomusicologist toward the analysis of folk music, non-Western art music and contemporary music in oral tradition. The objectives behind a musical analysis will determine the style of transcription to be applied. The objective of this work is to evaluate what has already been said about the various styles of transcription that have been applied in ethnomusicology. This evaluation takes place within a wider context that may vary from the philosophical, sociological, historical, and technical point of view. Apart from this, the work attempts to provide a practical aspect by applying two styles of transcription to a genre of Maltese folk singing called ghana (pronounced: 'ana').The first chapter provides a brief historical survey of ethnomusicological transcription spanning from the earliest efforts of European missionaries in Eastern countries to recent attempts in computerized transcriptions. This chapter also attempts to introduce the reader to a number of terms frequently used in the ethno-transcription debate. The second chapter focuses on aurally made transcriptions in Western notation. This chapter examines the advantages and the limitations of both the aural technique and Western notation when applied to Western and non-Western oral musical traditions. The third chapter evaluates the advantages and the disadvantages of three notation systems which have been proposed and used as an alternative to Western staff notation; these are: the cipher notation system (as applied in Javanese gamelan studies); hand and electronic graph notations; together with indigenous notation systems. The fourth chapter attempts to combine, as far as is possible, a transcription with the ethnographic data elicited during the musical performance under investigation. The fifth chapter seeks to examine the limitations and advantages of collaborating in the process of transcription and analysis with a performer unfamiliar with the written aspect of music and with the academic enquiry in general

The process of musical translation : composing a Maltese festa band march from Libyan ma’luf music

Current studies in language translation call attention to the fact that “the translation product per se only constitutes a mere surface manifestation of an entire dynamic array of conscious and unconscious mental processes that occur during the act of translation” (Garcia Alvarez 2007:139). In line with this, Holmes advocates further research into what happens in the translator’s mind “as he creates a new, more or less matching text in another language” (2000:177). One assumes that what occurs in the translator’s mind in the course of translation is very much dependent on factors that go beyond sheer competence; among these, one might mention the translator’s experience, his or her assimilation of and interaction with the “source” and “target” languages, and any other cultural insights that would definitely serve as the basis for an accurate translation. All this may lead translators, among others, to adopt particular approaches and modes of thinking that they feel are more appropriate to the task at hand, while avoiding others.peer-reviewe

From the bar to the stage : socio-musical processes in the Maltese Spirtu Pront

The present essay attempts to show how during a spirtu pront performance, the type of audience arid the various kinds of pre-existing social ties that may exist both among the performers themselves and between performers and members of the audience can influence, and in certain cases determine, the execution of this kind of event. This essay will focus on these social relationships, considering them as active agents behind a series of socio-musical processes that can vary from one context to another, making out of every spirtu pront session a unique experience for both the performers and audience. The arguments brought together here will be based on ethnographic descriptions of two contrasting sessions. A number of musical examples elicited from the same sessions will also be analyzed. The performances occurred in the summer of 1995 in two quite distinct contexts: one in a small village bar with an audience mainly composed of ghana dilettanti, while the second session took place on Imnarja eve in a much more formal context in the presence of an audience having a variety of interests in what they were listening to and watching. The situations examined in this paper will continue to shed light oh the fascinating quality of the spirtu pronto The latter, apart from having the dual quality of being rooted both in history and in contemporary social realities, is a clear index of people's ancient traditions and, interestingly enough, of the same people's current tastes.peer-reviewe

The singer as individual : pop singers, music and political propaganda in contemporary Maltese electoral campaigns

This article examines the role of pop music in Malta as a tool of political propaganda in contemporary electoral campaigning. Renowned local pop singers have played a very important role in this campaigning. Through the analyses of a number of case studies, this paper will argue that the political message lies not only in the music and the lyrics pronounced by these singers but also in their life histories as members of the society to which they address their message. Who these singers are and the political backgrounds that they come from have become part and parcel of a song’s meaning. In all this, music mediates personal agendas with public political pronouncements, and the shifting of political allegiances with prospects of a promising future in terms of public exposure and the benefits it entails.peer-reviewe