Nhar it-Tlieta, 21 ta’ Marzu 2017, il-Prof. Manwel Mifsud se jagħmel taħdita bl-isem ta’ “Mistur u minsi: Fredu Spiteri (il-Lavarist), għannej u makkjettist Għawdxi prim,” fl-Engineering Lecture Theatre (ELT) tal-Università ta’ Malta, Tal-Qroqq, fis-6.30pm. Din hija t-tmien taħdita mis-sensiela fuq It-Tradizzjoni Orali organizzata mid-Dipartiment tal-Malti tal-Università u hija miftuħa għal kulħadd. Id-dħul huwa b’xejn.
Fredu Spiteri (1929-1965), magħruf bħala “il-Lavarist” jew “Tal-Pitrolju”, kien għannej u makkjettist Għawdxi mill-aħjar u l-ħila ta’ kelmtu u s-simpatija kbira tiegħu kienu jiġbdu warajh il-folol Għawdxin u Maltin, kemm fis-serati u l-konkorsi tal-għana kif ukoll fil-jiem tal-Karnival. Imma billi miet ħesrem ta’ 35 sena u ma laħqux saru diski tiegħu, tista’ tgħid li llum jaħasra ntesa. Mill-makkjetti tiegħu, madankollu, għadna nistgħu napprezzaw il-ħila tiegħu, kif ukoll is-sehem ewlieni li kellu fl-iżvilupp tal-makkjetta fil-ħamsinijiet u s-sittinijiet tas-seklu l-ieħor, żmien li laqqa’ flimkien ħafna kurrenti mużikali, lokali u barranin.
Iktar mid-diskors tal-kelliem – li se jkun ftit – din it-taħdita għandha toffri lil min jattendi l-opportunità rari li jisma’ u japprezza siltiet ta’ wieħed mill-aqwa persunaġġi tal-ispettaklu Malti f’reġistrazzjonijiet rari miġbura bit-tbatija matul is-snin.
Il-Prof. Manwel Mifsud huwa awtorità ewlenija fuq l-Ilsien Malti. Għal ħafna snin kien il-kap tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti fil-Fakultà tal-Arti tal-Università u l-ewwel president tal-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti. Kien ukoll is-segretarju tal-għaqda internazzjonali tad-djalettoloġija Għarbija, AIDA (Association Internationale de Dialectologie Arabe), u editur tal-atti tal-konferenzi tagħha. L-oqsma ta’ riċerka li jinteressawh l-aktar huma l-istorja tal-ilsien Malti, il-morfoloġija tiegħu (sinkronika u dijakronika), il-kuntatt bejn l-ilsna, u t-tifsil għal-lingwa. Bil-pubblikazzjoni tal-ktieb Loan Verbs in Maltese: A Descriptive and Comparative Study (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), qiegħed l-istudju tal-morfoloġija mhux Għarbija fuq sisien xjentifiċi. Ilu s-snin imexxi l-programm popolari fuq radju RTK, Seħer il-Malti, u huwa midħla sew tal-qasam tal-mużika popolari.
Dawn it-taħditiet dwar It-Tradizzjoni Orali qed isiru bl-għajnuna tal-Klabb Kotba Maltin.
Hemm aktar tagħrif dwar din it-taħdita u dwar “It-Tradizzjoni Orali – L-Università ta’ Malta” fuq Facebook u fuq is-sit tradizzjonioraliblog.wordpress.com. Wara t-taħdita se jkkun hemm bibita żgħira.
Rare Għana Recordings and a talk on Fredu Spiteri, “il-Lavarist”
Photo caption: Picture of Prof. Manwel Mifsud by Charlene Valentina Giordimaina
On Tuesday 21 March, Prof. Manwel Mifsud will be giving a public talk in Maltese about the Gozitan folk-singer Fredu Spiteri, “il-Lavarist”, at 6.30pm in the Engineering Lecture Theatre (ELT) of the University of Malta in Tal-Qroqq, Msida. This is the eighth talk in a series organized by the Department of Maltese in the Faculty of Arts as part of its project on Oral Traditions. Entrance to the talk is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
Fredu Spiteri (1929-1965), also known as “il-Lavarist” or “Tal-Pitrolju”, was a Gozitan għannej (folksinger) and makkjettist (għana and makkjetta composer-and-singer) whose lyrics and charisma on stage pulled the crowds of Gozitans and Maltese. During the talk, Manwel Mifsud will be playing rare recordings of Fredu Spiteri’s għana.
Prof. Manwel Mifsud is a leading authority on the Maltese language. For many years he was head of the Department of Maltese in the Faculty of Arts at the University and the first president of the National Council for the Maltese Language. He was also secretary of the international association of Arabic dialectology, AIDA (Association Internationale de Dialectologie Arabe), and editor of its conference proceedings. His main research interests include the history of the Maltese language, its synchronic and diachronic morphology, language contact, and language planning. His seminal work, Loan Verbs in Maltese: A Descriptive and Comparative Study (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), is a description of the processes by which Romance and English loan verbs have been integrated to varying degrees into the Arabic structure of Maltese morphology. Manwel Mifsud has been producing and presenting a popular programme on the Maltese language on RTK radio, Seħer il-Malti, for many years. He is also an expert on popular Maltese song.
The project about It-Tradizzjoni Orali is supported by Klabb Kotba Maltin. More information on this talk and on the project is available on Facebook and at tradizzjonioraliblog.wordpress.com. Light refreshments will be served after the talk.
It-Tradizzjoni Orali 