I've missed too many concerts by The St Paul Choral Society but happily I could make the last one, laid on for our pleasure and delight at St John's Co-Cathedral in aid of the Richmond Foundation. It was dedicated to St Cecilia patroness of Music and Musicians and whose feast it was on that very day.  It was a Gounod programme from start to finish. I have to say that although the composer's name is very familiar and I know that Bizet, of Carmen fame, was a pupil and, although 20 years younger, a friend of his, I am only familiar with Gounod's Ave Maria and his Judex, from Mors et Vita, which has evidently eclipsed the rest of the work. I get the impression that the latter is played during Good Friday processions. Surely this is music straight from heaven? So simple, so haunting and often heart rending.

Secularism may be growing in Malta but our churches and cathedrals and chapels, great beacons of Maltese history and belief, are still doing that they were built for. We have not turned them into art gallaries with meaningless installations (I saw a couple in Paris with bits of paper stuck on walls and running around on the floor and tried not to despair). As church congregations shrink in the West, hundreds of chapels and churches have been deconsecrated and converted into pubs, homes, offices, banks, workshops and perhaps worst of all nightclubs. British churches have been turned into mosques, while in Cyprus the former St Nicholas Cathedral is now the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque. In the Netherlands award-winning architects recently turned a former Dominican church in Maastrict into a bookshop, with a reading area and café in the apse. I hope that our cathedrals and churches will never come to that. We mustn't let it happen. Behind them are extraordinary communities, not of the world but very much involved with it. Our places of worship are not cut off from ordinary lives. As a matter of fact they have to deal with everybody: people who visit as tourists, believers and those who may come to seek something they're not quite sure of. Wherever you are in Malta you are never far away from a dome, sometimes two or three, on the horizon. The impressive physical presence of one of these ancient buildings and of the daily life that goes on there, from very early Mass to Benediction are so much part of us. They draw us in demanding attention, offering sanctuary, a chance to retreat for a few moments into a different atmosphere, space, setting. Some find comfort, some do not. This is the space between God and people. Between heaven and earth. They are a kind of borderland.

***

In a world increasingly dedicated to success and an ever expanding gross national product I admire those who dedicate their lives to the service of others. It is comforting to think that there are still many such good people left in the world, ignoring its horrific temptations, defying its abysmal dogmas of greed and ambition, brushing aside its relentless invitations to the pursuit of pleasure, and concentrating instead on the quiet pursuit of God's will. This is what I was thinking as the St Paul's team was singing, directing or playing the organ or in the orchestra in our magnificent  St John's which was filled to bursting point.

That evening I discovered other beautiful Gounod works: Marche Pontificale, Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis, Marche Religieuse, Repentir and the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cecile.

The singing was of a high standard. The chorus was wonderful. Those participating managed to rivet attention on to the altar even if there is so much to distract you at St John's . I have never been so unbored in recent years. This was music that gripped the soul and turned it to devotion. Music straight from heaven and most of it of such melodic and harmonious sweetness.

Maurice, Hugo, Elizabeth, Claire, Rosabelle, Charles, Albert and James Zammit (orchestra leader), members or the choir and orchestra, a huge thanks for your hard work. I left with a feeling of serenity and that, after all, there is still so much beauty around us.

The St Paul Choral Society will be giving concerts as follows during December:

• Christmas Concert - National Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, San Pawl tat-Targa - Fri 12 Dec at 7.30pm
• Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols - St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Valletta - Sun 14 Dec at 6.00pm
• Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols - Holy Trinity Church, Sliema - Mon 15 Dec at 6.30pm

A Timeless Gentleman indeed

I have just received my copy of the Festschrift in honour of Maurice de Giorgio, edited by Giovanni Bonello.  I have spent a couple of hours, off and on, browsing through it and I am delighted with it. It is a work of art from beginning to end, starting from the witty and insightful Foreword 'Thieves of Time' written by the editor who begins it with the following sentence: 'I have come across some quite extraordinary persons in my life, Maurice de Giorgio is not extraordinary. He is unique.'

I don't think there is anyone who would disagree with that statement.

The book is heavy - 450 pages of contributions and illustrations. It is beautifully designed, too.  There is plenty to absorb, read, learn and enjoy in it with articles written by those who know their subject. However, what struck me immediately is the discovery that Maurice de Giorgio is not only an authority, an aesthete, an extraordinary organiser and lover of people but is also an artist. In  his article Kissed by the Muses, Nicholas de Piro writes about this and then ends the article with a delightful Ode to Maurice. Better still we get a chance to admire Mr de Giorgio's talent and love of all that is beautiful for the article is illustrated with thirteen plates of his art. This is not a book to miss. It's too big for your Christmas stocking but that should not put you off making sure that it is on your Christmas list.