On April 11, the Prince of Wales Own Philharmonic Society hosted a musico-literary evening at its headquarters in Vittoriosa.
Held under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Malta, the evening celebrated the deep cultural and artistic ties between the two nations through the lives and works of music directors Giuseppe Monterosso and Aurelio Doncich.
The event opened with the solemn performance of the Italian and Maltese national anthems. The Italian anthem was conducted by Mro Cav. Giampaolo Lazzeri, national president of ANBIMA (National Association of Autonomous Italian Musical Bands).
The centrepiece of the evening was the presentation of the volume Storia di Musiche Melite: Arte e Umanità di A. Doncich e G. Monterosso (Italia 1899-1908; Malta 1908-1938) by Roman scholar Dante Cerilli.
Joseph Anthony Bugeja, an economist and researcher specialising in the 19th and 20th-century Maltese musical scene, moderated the proceedings.
Among the distinguished speakers and guests in attendance were: Consul Santo Purello, Vice Ambassador of Italy to Malta; Nicholas Busuttil Dougall, president of the Prince of Wales Own Philharmonic Society; Noel Camilleri, president of the Għaqda Nazzjonali Każini tal-Banda (National Association of Band Clubs); Ivana Legname, representative of Focus Europe ETS – La Rete dei territori europei; and Duke Michele D’Apice, Grand Prior of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (OSJ).
Also present were representatives of historic local band clubs, including the Soċjetà Mużikali San Lawrenz Belt Vittoriosa of Vittoriosa and the Vilhena Band of Floriana, as well as ecclesiastical authorities from the Order of Preachers (Dominicans).
During the evening, Busuttil Dougall read a speech on behalf of mayor John Boxall, who was unable to attend the event, emphasising the importance of Cerilli’s research for the city of Vittoriosa.
Revival of musical heritage
The audience witnessed the revival of two important works by Monterosso, performed by an ensemble from the Prince of Wales Own Philharmonic Society: Romanza Occhi Belli (1921) and the waltz Le Premier Amour (1889).
Reno Busuttil, the society’s musical director, provided a technical and historical explanation of the compositions, detailing the intricate process required to adapt and arrange the original scores for the evening’s ensemble and bringing these melodies from the 19th and early 20th centuries back to life.
Cerilli then delivered a presentation on his book, delving into the “art and humanity” of the featured musical directors.
The evening concluded with a number of significant donations.
Cerilli presented autographed copies of the score for the waltz Le Premier Amour to Busuttil and Christopher Vella, president of the Vilhena Band Club (Floriana), the organisation where Monterosso served as director prior to his tenure at the Prince of Wales Own.
He also donated an autographed copy of Storia di Musiche Melite to Busuttil Dougall as a permanent addition to the Prince of Wales Own Philharmonic Society.
