According to many of the musicians who performed his works and from comments made by acquaintances both in Malta and abroad, Maestro Chevalier Carmelo Pace (17 August 1906 – 20 May 1993) was always a composer and a devoted teacher of musical theory and harmony. According to many of the musicians who performed his works and from comments made by acquaintances both in Malta and abroad, Maestro Chevalier Carmelo Pace (17 August 1906 – 20 May 1993) was always a composer and a devoted teacher of musical theory and harmony.
Pace was greatly influenced by his uncle, Mro Vincenzo Ciappara (1890 – 1969), a bandmaster, arranger and composer considered to be one of the most prominent figures in the early decades of the 19th century. It was through his uncle’s encouragement and perseverance that the young Carmelo acquired his inclination towards classical music, a passion that continued to evolve throughout his musical career. Pace’s musical talent continued to develop not only when he was a freelance musician but also when he became a well known and sought after musical theorist. His enthusiasm enabled him to produce over 500 works, ranging from fully-fledged operas to miniature compositions, such as the piece for solo flute he composed in 1993, the year he passed away.
Due to the significant religious influence on Maltese culture running from the 16th up to the turn of the 20th century, the predominant body of composed music on the island has been that of a sacred nature such as oratorios, liturgical music, Requiems and Masses. The majority of the composed works by his predecessors/contemporaries, such as Paul Nani (1906 – 1986), Paolino Vassallo (1856 – 1923), Carlo Diacono (1876 – 1942), made use of conventional harmony. By moving away from traditional tonal relationships, Pace was the first to explore the concept of atonality and chromaticism in Malta, and composed works in this fashion dating back to as early as 1930. He was constantly striving to provide a wide range of orchestral and instrumental forms, thereby extending Maltese musical development considerably.
So far, in my research, it appears that there is no surviving documentation to demonstrate how Pace developed such advanced chromatic harmonies, or to show any influence with other European composers of this time. This lack of documentation may be the consequence of Pace’s first residence in Valletta being destroyed in the Second World War. However, I have decided to focus my PhD research thesis entirely upon Pace’s chamber works, in an attempt to demonstrate the origins of this striking musical innovation in Malta during the first half of the 20th century.
The Mdina archive (where the “Carmelo Pace Music Collection” is stored and consigned to the care and administration of the Cathedral Museum in Mdina – Malta) was my greatest primary source in the early stages of my research. Pace donated all his handwritten manuscripts, related articles and all his concert previews and programmes to the Cathedral Museum. Pace also instituted a Foundation at the Cathedral Museum whose main aim was to promote performances on alternate years. For nearly five months, I examined and analysed his over 500 manuscripts. This research eventually revealed just how advanced Pace’s chamber works were, both in terms of harmony and formal structure. However, such advanced, intricate complex harmony was not much appreciated at that time in Malta. Classical opera in Malta was very much in vogue, especially at the time when the Royal Opera House (the design was entrusted to Edward Middleton Barry, the architect of Covent Garden Theatre) in Malta was putting on top class Italian operas – the theatre opened its doors on 9 October 1866 with Vincenzo Bellini’s opera I Puritani and destroyed by fire on 25 May 1873. It re-opened on 11 October 1877 with Verdi’s Aida. During the Second World War the theatre was destroyed by bombs on 7 April 1942 and remained in ruins up to this day.
Pace’s chamber works were often performed later in his life, which primarily awarded him various prestigious awards by foreign adjudicators that include:
The 2nd String Quartet (1931), which was adjudicated by R. Rajna (Hungary) and W. Josephs (England). This work was played at the International Chamber Music Competition of the Waltham Contemporary Music Society, UK on 5 February 1965. This was one out of a set of 11 string quartets, which were composed between 1930 – 1938, 1970 and 1972 respectively.
Quartetto Lirico (1962), apianoforte quartet in three movements was awarded first prize in 1962 by the Performing Right Society of London, Chamber Music competition. Adjudicator Reginald Hunt. This was premiered on 16 May 1963 by Bice Mizzi Vassallo (piano), Giorlando Valente (violin), Carmelo Pace (viola) and Arthur Pace (cello).
Impromptu (1950) and Capriccio (1967) for pianoforte were awarded in 1967 by Waltham Contemporary Music Society – International Chamber Music Competition and the Society of Modern Music – Annual Chamber Music Competition respectively. Impromptu was executed by pianist Tessie Briffa who also performed this work several times in Australia.
Piano Quartet (1969) (second prize) was awarded in 1972. Adjudicator W. S. Lloyd Webber. Mr Lloyd Webber, an English organist and composer married pianist and violinist Jean Hermione Johnstone in 1942. The marriage produced two outstanding well-known musicians: composer Andrew (born 1948) and cellist Julian (born 1951). This quartet was performed by Stephanie Lauri (piano), Stephen Zammit (violin), Raymond Abela (viola) and Marcel de Gabriele (cello).
Pianoforte Quartet No. 3 (1973) (first prize) and Pianoforte “Trio” (1975) were awarded in 1975 by the Manoel Theatre Committee, Chamber Music competition, adjudicated by W. S. Lloyd Webber.
Through his musical exploration, Pace also utilized these concepts on a grandeur scale, as exemplified in his Symphony No. 2 (1966), a four-movement work that evokes aspects of atonality and conveys new facets (for Pace) of musical thinking. The structure of this work differs from one section to another, both in timbre and form but remains faithful to the overriding lyricism throughout each movement. This work evokes a variety of characteristics, ranging from contrapuntal form to a diversity of various techniques employed by the string section, such as double-stops, vibrato, pizzicato, legato, tremolo, arpeggio, con arco etc. Overall, this work illustrates a continuous variety of new thematic material from one section to another, inducing a continuous train of innovative musical ideas. Through such works, Pace moved to the remotest atonal frontiers typical of the second Viennese School.
The late Georgette Caffari, his assistant and curator for over 40 years (and who along with Dr Marcel de Gabriele compiled Pace’s music in a detailed catalogue) noted in a private interview at her residence in Sliema, in November 2007, “he always strived to be original in his music and he never wanted to copy other composer’s styles and material.” It is suggested by some that Pace barely listened to recorded music. The very few records he owned were merely the unstudied accumulations rather than a conscious effort to build a well-regulated library that would constitute a potential aid to his work.
As stated by Joseph Vella Bondin, (one of Pace’s students), Pace’s music, although it diversified from conventional classical harmony that one would expect to hear, it still remained lyrical, expressive as well as melancholic, both in texture and quality.
Throughout his musical career, Pace composed both modal and atonal music, with one variety never superseding the other. Contemporary composers like Professor Charles Camilleri (1931 – 2009) and Professor Joseph Vella (b.1942) can perhaps be singled out as being influential in the development of this musical legacy.
As stated by Vella Bondin …“His creative work is diverse, largely unpublished and distinctive both for clarity of style and sincerity.”
Lydia Buttigieg, sponsored by the Janatha Stubbs Foundation, is a fourth year PhD student in Musicology at Edinburgh Napier University. She is tutored by Dr Stephen Davismoon PhD (Main Supervisor and Director of Studies) and Dr. Katrina Burton PhD (2nd supervisor).