Malta Study Center

Music Collection, Cathedral Museum, Mdina

An electronic finding aid for the microfilms of the Malta Study Center. Finding aid prepared by Theresa M. Vann. Processing sponsored by the Malta Study Center, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library.  Catalogue created from microfilm inventory cards prepared by the Cathedral Museum Microfilming Project, directed by Msgr. John Azzopardi.

Microfilms are housed in Mdina, Malta, Cathedral Museum and in the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library. Original collection housed in Mdina, Malta, Cathedral Museum.   Reproduction of microfilms requires consent of the Cathedral Museum Committee of Mdina.

Addresses of depositories:

• Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN 56321, USA
• Cathedral Museum, Archbishop Square, Mdina, RBT 12, Malta

Description of collection:

Abbreviated: M-Mus ; M-Mdca

Contents: The Cathedral Museum in Mdina, Malta, contains a particularly rich collection of musical scores in manuscript and printed form.  Although the Cathedral has two twelfth-century antiphonals, the bulk of the collection consists of music from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century.  Maltese composers are well represented, and the collection contains music by European composers, some of which are unavailable elsewhere.  The collection consists of vocal, instrumental, secular, and sacred music.

Owner:  The Cathedral Chapter of Mdina owns the materials, reproduction, and performance rights.

Status of Cataloguing:  HMML's on-line catalogue (accessible above) contains the inventory of the music microfilm collection.  Go to "Series" on the search page and select "Music" from the drop-down menu. Note that you must choose between printed and manuscript scores.  Detailed published catalogues listed below describe parts of the collection.

On-line:

Franco Bruni, CATALOGUE OF MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS - CATHEDRAL MUSEUM, MDINA , MALTA (M-MDca Mus. Ms. 1-584) 

Printed catalogues:

John Azzopardi, ed., Nicolo Isouard de Malte. (Mdina, Malta : Friends of the Cathedral Museum ... in association with the Alliance francaise de Malte, 1991).

Marcel De Gabriele and Georgette Caffari (with the collaboration of the composer), Carmelo Pace, A Maltese Composer, Thematic, Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Works,   (Malta 1991) .
 

Anna A. Mousu, A catalogue of printed works by Maltese composers at the Music Library of the Cathedral Museum, Malta.   (Valletta : Foundation for International Studies, University of Malta ; Mdina, Malta : Cathedral Museum, 1988).

Franco Bruni, Stampe musicali italiane alla cattedrale di Malta. Storia e Catalogo della Collezione (ACM, Mus. Pr. 1-159). (Malta: PEG, 1999.)

Franco Bruni, The Vella composers : Dr. Giuseppe (1827-1912) and his sons Alberto (1866-1931), Luigi (1868-1950) and Paolo (1873-1948) : biographical notes and a complete catalogue of their works at the Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta. ([Collegeville,] Minn. : Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, St. John's University ; Mdina, Malta : Cathedral Museum, 1997).