Soċjeta Mużikali Banda Vittoriosana San Lawrenz
Clean-up Needed
The text currently on this page needs further work. It was most likely imported or reproduced from a website associated with the subject of the page - possibly through a process involving far-from-perfect machine translation, often with awkward results. It is awaiting the attention of an experienced M3P editor, which could be you. It may be slightly out of date, or may need other elements taken care of appropriately, including proofreading or copy-editing for grammar and style.
History
A Short History of the Musical Society “Soċjeta Mużikali Banda Vittoriosana San Lawrenz” at Birgu, Malta
Foundation and Acquisition of Palazzo Huesca
The History of music in the feast of St Lawrence in Vittoriosa goes back several centuries to times where musicians used to walk in front of the standard marking the procession. This is known through ancient iconography showing the procession of St Lawrence as being one of the oldest on the island.
After the arrival of the Knights the procession was always preceded by musicians who often where sailors, and the tradition continued even after the arrival of the British in the beginning of the nineteenth century, where they supplied musicians for the procession from their military bands to take part in the feast of St Lawrence. It was this case that started the precedent of military bands being involved in local feasts, which kept going on for a long period of time after the initial years of British rule. Following that, military bands were participating in feasts of patron saints all over the Maltese Islands.
This inspired some Maltese citizens to start organizing musical societies. Around 1858 in ‘Strada Palazzo Antico del Governatore’, in those times also known as Jews Street, a number of men from Vittoriosa began meeting with Band Director Indri Grima to start learning music on contemporary instruments. This group continued to improve its level and in 1863, a house was rented in ‘Strada Porta Maggiore’ with the aim of having a prominent place in the city. Also, the band was being known by its nickname ‘TA’ LJUN’ (The Lions’). This was the start of a musical society which unluckily had to be disbanded in 1868 due to an outbreak of cholera in Malta. However, after this plague passed, Mr Giuseppe Portelli reunited this Musical Society which this time had a Palazzo inMro. Artz mal-Banda Wara it-Tielet Kunċert fit-Tejatru Rjali the city’s main square. Here the society started being called ‘L- UNIONE’ and in 1878 a hymn was composed and dedicated to the organisers, Mr Farrugia and Mr Cesareo. This Square was the heart of the Vittoriosa where a numerous number of people resided. From these premises, the band ‘Tal-Palma’ started performing programmes, such as at ‘Santu Kruċ’ in Valletta in 1885.
In 1911 the Society’s premises were in a house in Nr 40 ‘Strada Brittania’, nowadays ‘Triq Hilda Tabone’. By the Act signed on 24th October in front of Notary Neriku Saydon, this house was rented to the society. Since the society kept growing, especially during the tenure of Musical Director Giovanni Giumarra, the hard working committee thought of moving its premises to a better suited location in the heart of the city, and a palazzo owned by the Architect Soler in the Main Square, which he had recently renovated was chosen, and since the Architect was an admirer of the society, a deal was was struck and the committee went on to purchase Nos 10,11 and 12 in Piazza Vittoriosa as the home of the Society.
100th years Anniversary and the 80s decade
In 1983 on the 100th anniversary from its foundation, the society organised a large number of activities spread throughout the year, and Nar Sinkronizzat mal-Mużika waqt il-Vittoriosa in Festaone of the main events during the celebrations was a vocal and instrumental program performed by the society’s musicians in the main square on the 10th of August, the liturgical feast of St Lawrence. On the day of St Cecilia in 1987, St Lawrence Band Club of Vittoriosa was chosen to perform a Musical Programme in the Manoel Theatre. Among the pieces executed under the baton of Musical Director Schembri were works by Paolino Vassallo, Ġiuseppe Giumarra, Bazzini and Tchaikovsky. Undoubtlessly, 1984 was a year to be remembered for this city when the Vittoriosa Regatta Club won the Regatta Shield for the first time on 8th September and the society took pride in participating in the celebrations that followed.
900 yrs Anniversary of the Vittoriosa parish and aftermath
Organisation
No | Band Master | From | Until |
---|---|---|---|
01 | Mro. Andrea Grima | 1862 | 1867 |
02 | Mro. Paolino Vassallo | 1867 | 1883 |
03 | Mro. Ġiuseppe Portelli | 1883 | 1884 |
04 | Mro. Ignazio Catania | 1884 | 1885 |
05 | Mro. Carmelo Abela | 1885 | 1889 |
06 | Mro. Gaetano Grech | 1889 | 1905 |
07 | Mro. Chev. Alfred P.Hare | 1905 | 1906 |
08 | Mro. Durante Magri Grech | 1906 | 1907 |
09 | Mro. Publio Borg | 1907 | |
10 | Mro. Ġiovanni Giumarra | 1907 | 1924 |
11 | Mro. Paċifico Scicluna | 1924 | 1927 |
12 | Mro. Carl Maria Artz | 1927 | |
13 | Mro. Paċifico Scicluna | 1927 | 1930 |
14 | Mro. Ġiovanni Giumarra | 1930 | 1936 |
15 | Mro. Paċifico Scicluna | 1936 | 1952 |
16 | Mro. Hector Dalli | 1952 | 1980 |
17 | Mro. Schembri Paul | 1980 | 2015 |
18 | Mro. Jonathan Abela | 2015 |
No | Name of President | From | Until |
01 | Lorenzo Vella | 1881 | 1889 |
02 | Pawlu Lanzon | 1890 | 1896 |
03 | Enrico Francica | 1897 | 1898 |
04 | Kelin Soler | 1899 | 1900 |
05 | Ġuże Muscat Azzopardi | 1901 | 1902 |
06 | Dr. Alfredo Parnis LL.D. | 1903 | 1906 |
07 | Dr. Robert Bonello M.D. | 1907 | 1914 |
08 | Dr. William Soler LL.D. | 1915 | 1927 |
09 | Carmelo Camilleri Lanzon | 1928 | 1929 |
10 | Dr.William Harding LL.D. B., Litt. | 1930 | 1931 |
11 | Dr. Lorenzo Casha M.D. | 1932 | 1933 |
12 | Dr. Ġiovanni Calleja LL.D. | 1934 | 1948 |
13 | Dr.Louis A.Buttigieg M.B. | 1949 | |
14 | Dr.Paul Mallia LL.D., B.A., K.S.S. | 1950 | 1987 |
15 | Lawrence V.Farrugia | 1987 | 2019 |
16 | Bjorn Callus | 2019 |
Treasurers
Band Commissions
Band Activities Overseas
Historical Events in which the Band participated
Song Festivals, Events or Drama Activies
Annual Concerts
Annual Musical Activities
Recorded releases (LPs, Cassettes and CDs)
No | Name of Cassettes | Year | Marches | Funeral Marches | Waltzes | Others |
01 | Festive Marches 1983 | 1983 | * | |||
02 | Festive Marches 1985 | 1985 | * | |||
03 | Festive Marches 1987 | 1987 | * | |||
04 | Festive Marches 1990 | 1990 | * | |||
05 | Festive Marches 1992 | 1992 | * | |||
06 | Festive Marches 1993 | 1993 | * | |||
07 | Festive Marches 1996 | 1996 | * | |||
08 | Festive Marches 1998 | 1998 | * | |||
09 | Festive Marches 2000 | 2000 | * | |||
10 | Festive Marches 2001 | 2001 | * |
No | Name of Cd's | Year | Marches | Funeral Marches | Waltzes | Other |
01 | Millennju 2000 | 2000 | * | |||
02 | Festive Marches 2002 | 2002 | * | |||
03 | Festive Marches 2005 | 2005 | * | |||
04 | Festive Marches 2008 (Double Album) | 2008 | * | |||
05 | Festive Marches 2011 | 2011 | * |
No | Name of Cd's | Year | Marches | Funeral Marches | Waltzes | Other |
01 | Funeral Marches 2001 | 2001 | * | |||
02 | Funeral Marches 2005 | 2005 | * | |||
03 | Funeral Marches & Waltzes 2008 (Double Cd) | 2008 | * | * | ||
04 | Getsemani 2014 | 2014 | * |