Societa' Filarmonika
Maria Mater Gratiae
Unofficial Site

"Welcome To The Lion's Den"


Maria Mater Gratiae Zabbar

The Maria Mater Gratiae Philharmonic Society was founded in the year 1883 by Francesco Saverio Briffa who was very willing to introduce the concept in his native village, with its musical director Mr. Giuseppe Micallef. The Society was set up with the aim of reaching two main goals: the enhancing of musical culture in Zabbar and the recreation of its members. Mr. Giuseppe Micallef was chosen to be the first bandmaster. Mr. Giuseppe Micallef was nicknamed "Il-Baqrambu" and was well known throughout the village for his great musical talents. One of his earliest compositions is still preserved to the present date in the archives of this society.

The committee which was set up in order to administrate this new society, elected Francesco Saverio Briffa as its first President. But trouble soon ensued, for in 1887 some members wanted to substitute Mro. Giuseppe Micallef with Mro. Carmelo Abela Scolaro. This resulted with those members who wished to elect Mro. Abela Scolaro as the band's director relinquishing the group in order to form a new society.

Conscious to the fact that a new society was going to be formed, Saverio Briffa is popularly recounted to have taken a piece of white linen and after painting a blue border with Our Lady's emblem in the middle, he raised the flag on the pole to indicate that the society was now ubder the patronage of Our Lady of Graces. From that day, the society was baptised Socjeta' Filarmonika Maria Mater Gratiae and became popularly known as "Tal-Baqra", a nickname associated with that of Mro. Giuseppe Micallef.