Anna Borg Cardona will deliver a talk in Maltese on ‘Musical Instruments connected with Ritual and the Expulsion of Evil’ at the University of Malta’s Faculty of Arts Library, Msida, tomorrow at 6pm.

Anna Borg Cardona

Early musical instruments were not created for their beautiful tone  but rather for their essential function within ritualised human behaviour. These rituals were often associated with people’s innate fears of the unknown or hopes connected with their daily existence. Agricultural life, the seasons of the year and the cycle of life of individuals, their family, crops and livestock were their only aspirations. Many instruments were therefore accredited with magical powers of banishing danger and evil from people and their surroundings, and everything that they felt was most essential to their survival.

In her presentation, Dr Borg Cardona will look at a few of the musical instruments that have, or once had, such magical or ritual functions.

Dr Borg Cardona is the author of three books and is currently carrying out research on Maltese musical instruments, music and traditional song and dance. She is the founder of Gukulari Ensemble, which has performed in Malta, Budapest, Vienna, Bologna, Portugal and Spain.

The talk will take place at the University of Malta’s Faculty of Arts Library, Msida, tomorrow at 6pm. It is part of the Oral Traditions project of the  Department of Maltese, supported by the University’s Research Fund and Klabb Kotba Maltin. For more information, visit http://abcmusicmuseum.blogspot.com.