/library/oar/handle/123456789/18100 Sat, 08 Aug 2026 01:56:57 GMT 2026-08-08T01:56:57Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/18114 Title: J.H. Newman’s The Dream of Gerontius and Karm Scerri Authors: Bianco, Lino Abstract: Karm Scerri, the former organist of Luҫon Cathedral - until his internment for four years in a German camp in France - and later the organist of St John’s Co-Cathedral, was a foremost composer of liturgical music of the twentieth century Malta. The theme of this article is a hand-written letter by Scerri which was discovered by accident by the author. This document is proof that Scerri was requested by Joseph Augustine Sammut to adapt Cardinal John Henry Newman’s theological poem The Dream of Gerontius for organ music. Furthermore, this document supports the claim that Scerri was not aware that Newman’s work had already been the subject of a musical composition and much less of the fact that the latter was one of the major works by the leading British composer Edward William Elgar. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/18114 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/18113 Title: Lessons from the history of Brucellosis Authors: Wyatt, H. V. Abstract: This article recounts this history of the bacterium Brucellosis in Malta. It recounts how the different methods doctors thought it was spread and the eventual discovery that it was spread through goat's milk. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/18113 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/18112 Title: The rock-cut church of Bormla : origins and developments Authors: Vella, John Abstract: This paper seeks to establish the origins and start writing the history of a rock-cut church in Bormla, (Malta) which was, for over three centuries, sealed away from public eyes. The study reveals that the church, originally dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus through the Virgin Mother, started as a Christian cave-place of worship during the late Byzantine era (8th-9th century). It was extended during the 13th century and kept functioning till the second half of the 17th century. After 325 years of invisibility, and the focus of many assumptions and reports, this church emerges as a unique and historic site linked to Christianity in Malta and the origins of the Marian cult in the ancient maritime town of Bormla. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/18112 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/18107 Title: Theft in nineteenth century Malta Authors: Pullicino, Evelyn Abstract: Malta’s crime history has been rather limited focusing mainly on sensational crimes and the prison. This article studies the different aspects of theft in 19th century Malta including motivations for theft and the disposal of the stolen items. Thieves and their victims exposed their social and economic problems when they appeared at the Criminal Court in Valletta. The statistics gleaned from the Criminal Court records from 1838-1888 reveal links between the occurrence of theft and the general economic situation on the Island. Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/18107 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z