Christopher Muscat – Musical Director

Ronald Camilleri – Organist

Jubilate Deo Choir - Choir

Tickets are bought at the door at the St. John's Co-Cathedral. This is a free-roaming concert.

Programme 1 and 3 

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)

Prelude and Fugue in E minor BWV533 

Adagio (from Toccata and Fugue in C Major BWV 564)

Prelude in G Major BWV 568  

Programme 2 and 4 

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)

Chorale Prelude Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier BWV731 

Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 

Programme Notes

The organ programmes centre mostly around Bach's early days. The Prelude and Fugue in E minor may represent Bach's first attempts to separate the prelude entirely from the fugue. This work is also referred to as the "Cathedral" Prelude and Fugue, probably because it was played frequently by Felix Mendelssohn at London's St Paul's Cathedral. The Prelude in G Major was probably inspired by Johann Pachelbel's organ toccata. Certain stylistic traits of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, one of the most famous of organ pieces, have recently raised the question on whether this piece was originally conceived for orchestra instead of the organ. The Adagio from the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major is a melody composed of short phrases typical of early Bach over a realized continuo part, while the Chorale Prelude "Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier" (Dearest Jesus, we are here) is a short liturgical composition for organ based on a chorale tune. The words of the Lutheran hymn were written by Tobias Clausritzer as a prayer for illumination. Short Chorale Preludes were possibly used as an introduction to the hymn prior to the congregational singing.  

Programme 1 and 3 

Gregorian Chant Lumen ad revelationem

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) Adoramus te Christe

Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) Miserere

Gregorian Chant Ubi Caritas

Giovanni Croce (1557-1609) O vos omnes

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) Sicut cervus

Programme 2 and 4 

Gregorian Chant Lumen ad revelationem gentium

Anon. (from Piae Cantiones 1582) Gaudete

attr. Jacques Arcadelt (1505-1568) Ave Maria

Gregorian Chant Ubi Caritas

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) En natus est

Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) O magnum mysterium

Programme Note

The two programmes performed by the Jubilate Deo Choir are an exposition of various schools of composition in Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The first programme contrasts the two leading schools of polyphony in Italy: the Venetian (as represented by Lotti and Croce) with, what is widely regarded as the pinnacle of polyphonic music, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (as the main exponent of the Roman school). The second programme offers a wider range of styles that span an entire continent, from the anonymous Gaudete (found in the 1582 Piae Cantiones publication that was widely used in Scandinavian cathedral schools), through the Flemish (Arcadelt) and German (Praetorius) polyphonic styles, to the Roman-influenced style of Spanish composer de Victoria. Each concert includes two well-known Gregorian chant hymns (Lumen ad revelationem gentium and Ubi Caritas) as a representation of the Catholic Church’s predominant style of singing during medieval times and which, to date, remains one of the church’s preferred styles for the liturgy. Christopher Muscat

First prize winner of national and international composition competitions, Christopher Muscat's works have been performed all over Europe as well as in Africa, China and the United States in such prestigious venues as the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre and the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow. Muscat's wide-ranging interests as a conductor vary from sacred to contemporary music and he has conducted and recorded numerous world premieres by contemporary composers. Through his pioneering work, he is largely credited with having revived the interest in Gregorian Chant in Malta, both in liturgical and concert settings, and also in one of Malta's finest romantic composers, Paolino Vassallo. Muscat is the Music Director of the Jubilate Deo Choir, Maestro di Cappella of the Metropolitan Cathedral and Music Director of Fondazzjoni Paulus. For many years, he has taught sacred music at the Archbishop's Seminary and at the University of Malta. Muscat occupied the posts of Artistic Director and Chairman of the Malta International Choir Festival between 2011 and 2017, is a member of the World Choir Council and is regularly invited to judge international vocal, instrumental and composition competitions. Ronald Camilleri Ronald Camilleri is the principal organist of the Jubilate Deo Choir and the Metropolitan Cathedral. He holds a Diploma in Sacred Music from the University of Malta where he specialised in organ and composition. Following further organ tuition locally with Dr Hugo Agius Muscat, Camilleri continued his studies under Vidas Pinkevičius of Vilnius University, Lithuania, and at the Royal College of Organists in the UK under various tutors including Anne Marsden Thomas. His compositions include the Mass Madonna tal-Karmnu (SATB choir and orchestra), The Christmas Gift (SATB choir and piano), Ċekken Lilu Nnifsu (SATB and children’s choirs, organ and harp), The Servant of the Lord (two sopranos and orchestra), and various other liturgical psalms and hymns with organ accompaniment. Camilleri is also a certified public accountant and holds an MSc in Environmental Planning and Management.

Jubilate Deo Choir The Jubilate Deo Choir is the Cathedral Choir of the Archdiocese of Malta and also the resident choir of the Collegiate Church of Naxxar. It was founded in 1974 as a girls’ choir and eventually became an SATB choir with the introduction of adult voices. The choir gradually grew in stature and firmly established itself as one of Malta’s leading choirs in the field of sacred music. Memorable highlights include participation in the BBC production ‘Songs of Praise’, numerous performances alongside the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the award of two Silver Medal Diplomas at the 5th International Festival of Sacred Music in Rome, singing at St Peter’s Basilica (Vatican) as well as during Papal masses in Malta by Pope John Paul II (1990) and Pope Francis (2022). Besides the choir’s increasing reputation for its interpretation of a cappella sacred music, the choir also performs in various formations: the Jubilate Deo Consort (a female ensemble), the Pueri Cantores Jubilate Deo (children’s choir set up in 2010, led by Daniela Ellul) and the Cappella Gregoriana (widely regarded as the leading plainchant ensemble in the Maltese Islands). In June 2013, the Jubilate Deo Choir was collectively awarded Ġieħ in-Naxxar by the Naxxar Local Council for its achievements in the field of sacred music.