Two Maltese Composers in the Musical Archives of Cospicua Parish Church and Augustinians Convent in Valletta Fr. Andrea Schembri S. J. (1805-1872) & Paolino Vassallo (1856-1923)

Abstract

The two main objectives of the dissertation are to shed light on the musical aspects of the composer Andrea Schembri who is today remembered for his literary output, and to edit music compositions from the archives found in Cospicua Parish Church and the Augustinians Convent in Valletta. Since the edited work consist of sacred music that dates back to the nineteenth and twentieth century, a brief survey about church music in Malta from the eighteenth to early twentieth century is presented in chapter 1. Research about Andrea Schembri and Paolino Vassallo was carried out and a biography of the two composers is presented in chapter 2. The aim of the critical evaluation in chapter 3 is to analyse and evaluate in detail the works of both composers in light of the edition. Schenkerian analysis of Vassallo' s Antifona per San Lorenzo and traditional analysis of Schembri's Domine ad Adiuvandum are also presented in this chapter. Details about each source are presented in chapter 4. This chapter consists of a description of each manuscript and tables of editorial notes which are followed by the edited work of Schembri's Tantum Ergo, Domine ad Adiuvandum, Responsori de' Marti, and two of Vassallo's Antifonas per San Lorenzo.