The restoration of the organ at Għarb parish church is in its final phase. The work started in October 2019 and is being carried out by the Italian firm Mascioni, an internationally- renowned firm which has been active in this field since 1829.

The Għarb organ is one of the largest organs found in the Maltese islands. Its value lies not only in the size and diversity of sounds it can produce, but also in its construction characteristics. It was built by Gaetano Cavalli in 1910 with a pneumatic system. The organ contains 17 different stops for a total of about 1,250 pipes.

The organ had been badly damaged. The leathers of the bellows and other parts of the organ were worn out. There was also much damage to the pipes themselves due to poor maintenance work in the past years.

The firm dismantled many parts of the organ and took them for restoration at its workshop in Varese, Italy.  The restored parts were recently returned to Għarb in a container and subsequently reassembled.

Throughout the restoration project, Mascioni respected Cavalli’s original pneumatic system to protect the historical value of this instrument. Work on the regulation of the sound of the pipes (voicing) and tuning of the organ will begin soon.

Once the restoration is complete, the faithful and music lovers will be able to enjoy once again this prestigious liturgical and concert instrument.