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George Mifsud Chircop
Another great loss to Maltese Folklore |
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written by Manuel Casha |
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It is with great
sadness that I received the news of the passing of
George Mifsud Chircop, who will be remembered as one
of the greatest friends of Maltese Folklore and the
Maltese language in our time. The body of work
George leaves behind will serve those students of
Maltese Għana and Prejjem well. It has
always been a sad chapter in Maltese history that we
did not treat our indigenous music with enough
dignity and pride in past centuries and to a great
degree left it up to foreign researchers and writers
such as San Priest, Percy Badger, Bertha Ilg, Hans
Stumme, Norma McLeod, and Marcia Herndon to explore
our unique Ghana music. George Mifsud Chircop
recognised this as a teacher and academic, but he
was a “hands-on” person who was not content to just
write about the topic. He wanted to explore,
discover and get his hands dirty by living the scene
and experiencing the serati with the Għannejja,
Kitarristi and Delittanti. He also saw the great
potential in this music genre and wanted to break
new ground which he hoped would earn it true
recognition.
George always had great respect and admiration for
Ġużè Cassar Pullicino as a researcher and writer on
Maltese Folklore. He was always fascinated with the
first Għana Competitions which took place at “l-
Inmarja” at Buskett Gardens
in the mid fifties, where post war Għana |
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legends notched their
place in Għana history with their oral singing and
witty rhyming, although somewhat restricted by the given
topic “is-suġġett”, during organised competitions. These
impromptu sessions always drove Mifsud Chircop to strive to
recreate a similar scenario. It did not take long for George
to discover the għannejja code of ethics which
requires a lot of careful understanding of behavioural
patterns and complex tensions which are after all driven by
their love for their music. But George was always courageous
in his vision and his determination, which drove him on
against all odds. It is this determination that led him to
assume the responsibility for the first Għana
Festival in May 1998 and in so doing achieved his dream for
Għana music.
Not all the Għannejja accepted George’s system
of administrating but I believe everyone concerned admired
George’s ability to absorb the pressures of such a huge task
and moved forward with the single aim of producing a
Festival for all to be proud of. He always
knew the Festival would open doors for the għannejja |
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George at
the Folklore Festival 2006 |
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and kitarristi
not only to show their wares in front of local
audiences but neighbouring nations whose influences
where similar to ours and who could identify with
our unique musical heritage. George proceeded to
invite guest groups of European and Middle Eastern
origins to contribute. This created the first step
towards taking Maltese Għana out Maltese soil
into other territories. As a result of George’s work
many Maltese Għannejja were invited to sing
in other countries in Southern Europe and won
trophies for their performances. Many għannejja
who visit my Għana programmes on SBS Radio in
Melbourne, Australia, tell me of their enriching
experience from singing outside of Malta to a
foreign audience and getting applauded for their
talent.
This was something that fulfilled George Mifsud
Chircop’s dream of one day
having Maltese Għana |
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recognised throughout
Europe as a unique European music which differentiated us
from other nations. While the World is now refereed to as a
global village, George was quick to recognise that for the
first time in its history Għana music could be
enjoyed and accepted by other nations and as a result
heighten our identity as a nation.
My first experience with George was on PBS in 1997, when I
joined him on several episodes of his Folklore Music
programme “Bejn Il-Prejjem u l-Kadenza”. George was
very interested in the Għana scene in Australia and
was most interested in my experiences and research of
Għana in Australia.
Along with his guests George discussed and analysed
għanjiet by Għana greats such as Pawlu Seychell
“l- Għannej”, Pawlu l-Bies ‘Is-Simenza”,
Indri Farrugia “il-Marrimew”, Mikiel Abela “il-Bambinu”
and others such Għana greats as Ġużeppi Xuereb ‘Ix-Xhudi”.
It was apparent to me as a guest on several of his
programmes that George was not just an academic, but he was infatuated by the sounds and clever repartees and |
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rhyming. Those who come into
Maltese Għana, even as students, can find the
study of the topic not just an exercise in
ethnomusicology but a part of their identity as a
Maltese born individuals, regardless of whatever
else drives them in the academic field. George was
such a person. He loved what he did and wanted to
see the music progress to its ultimate potential.
I often quote Jimmy Camilleri ‘Jimmy tal-fjur”
words of wisdom, “jekk tilgħab bin-nhar tinħaraq
(if you play with fire you get burnt) and George
Mifsud Chircop got burnt with the love of this
unique Maltese music genre. In so doing he left us a
heritage and a body of work which he unlocked for us
and articulated in books, Radio and TV shows and his
presentations as a teacher and as an academic.
I was lucky enough to
be able to attend the Għana |
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George
Mifsud Chircop 1997 Radio programme.
George on the left, Manuel Casha, Karmnu
Debono and Indri Xerri |
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Festival in the year 2006.
There I got an insight into the organisation and the
logistics involved from the very first night, as I saw
issues develop which most people in the audience were
generally unacquainted with. George as usual went about his
task in his usual calm disposition, although it was then I
realised the amount of pressure George was enduring in his
presentation of these events.
George Mifsud Chircop had a strong wish to visit Australia
and visit the Għana Clubs and venues where Għana
singing still survives and audiences made up of Għana
dilettantes fill the halls where it is presented. He always
felt this would enrich his study on the topic and widen his
scope for writing about the subject, but it was not to be.
Many people like myself will miss George not only as a
source of learning but as a collaborator and a colleague in
the preservation of Maltese indigenous music of Għana
and Prejjem.
Dr GEORGE Mifsud-Chircop passed away on the 19 of December
at St James Hospital, Sliema, aged 56. He leaves to mourn
his loss his wife Marlene née Said, his daughter Berenice,
his son Jerome, relatives and friends.
May he rest in peace.
Manuel Casha
Email:
manniec@optusnet.com.au |
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Għannejja and
Kitarristi at the 2006 Festival at Argotti gardens |
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