Il-Prekursur. Banda u Festa by Grazio A. Grech

The name of Gozitan writer Grazio A. Grech is synonymous with the history of the island’s bands clubs. With his ongoing research into this particular field of study, Grech has gradually become an authority on the subject. His latest publication, Il-Prekursur. Banda u Festa (The Precursor. Band and Feast) is a case in point. 

Xewkija’s band, referred to locally as Banda Prekursur, was established in 1929.  It has been the subject of a couple of previous publications which Grech acknowledges in his footnotes and bibliography, but the present publication is certainly the most important book on the subject.

Grech has delved deep to unearth original documentation which made it possible for him to provide original research and an opus that is definitive on the subject. Having studied the origins of Gozo’s bands for decades, Grech is the ideal person to research this area.

The publication could not be more timely; at the moment, the parish community of Xewkija is commemorating the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the titular statue of St John the Baptist, sculpted in wood by Maltese statuary Pietro Paolo Azzopardi in 1845.

Seventy years have passed since the hymn Inno Grandioso Per Natività di San Giovanni Battista, which is sung annually in the Xewkija main square as the statue proceeds out of the rotunda, was written and sung for the first time in 1950. It was Giuseppe Serafino Cutajar who wrote the lyrics.

This year also commemorates the 90th anniversary since the Prekursur band participated for the first time in the festivities in honour of St John the Baptist in Xewkija. 

However, Il-Prekursur. Banda u Festa is much more than a commemorative publication. It includes invaluable information about the development of the Prekursur band throughout the years since its inception, together with fresh material about the participation of the band in other feasts in Victoria and the other villages of Gozo. Information about the band’s participation in national festivities and its sojourn overseas also features in the book. 

While the first section of the book focuses on the Prekursur Philharmonic Society, the second section provides ample information about the various maestri di cappella who participated in the titular feast of Xewkija.

The third and final section contains biographical facts and figures about musicians and composers who, in some way, influenced the development of the feast in honour of St John the Baptist in the same locality which coincidentally happens to be the first in Gozo to be given parish status outside Victoria. 

Grazio A. Grech’s publication about Xewkija is a must for all those who cherish the history of Gozo. With its various photos and attractive presentation all prepared by the author’s own son Anthony, Il-Prekursur. Banda u Festa is a gem in the crown of Gozo’s rich history and heritage and will remain the definitive work on Xewkija’s feast for decades to come.

Il-Prekursur. Banda u Festa by Grazio A. Grech is available from Pixart Printing Spa.