Language is intrinsically related and inseparable from the roots of identity, not only personal identity but also collective identity - that of a nation and a nationality, as in Malta and the Maltese language. Using a language as a tool and a vehicle for expression weaves roots deep within the collective consciousness of that nation, whilst time ensures their strength.
The question and concern with identity continues to infiltrate various sectors of society, particularly art forms such as literature, poetry and music. Music has especially always possessed the power to hold, communicate and transmit language and although music and language are processed by different areas of the brain, both rely on the ability to detect differences in tone, pitch, rhythm, interpretation, phrasing and tonal memory, amongst other things. This makes an interesting case for music's ability to enhance not only the learning of a language, but perhaps even the remembering and re-engaging with it
Mario - Brikkuni Many songs have been written in Maltese over the generations, even though the language has often been limited to satire or drama. Today, however, there is a strong emergence of local bands that are writing and singing in Maltese, and this begs such questions as why are young musicians writing their lyrics in Maltese and why are we suddenly so interested in listening? Are we romanticising this notion of our indigenous language or are we genuinely concerned with its preservation? I wondered what the musicians, particularly the songwriters themselves, make of all this.
"I think it's simply because it's the best way to express myself" says Mark Abela from Brodu. "I grew up speaking Maltese at home and in school and, since the music we write is quite personal, it leaves me wondering how I could write in any other language than the one so close to home." Mark has always written songs in Maltese, even with other bands, apart from a few in English and Italian, but he also makes a conscious effort to consistently speak and practice the language as he goes about his everyday life.
"So yes," he says, "thinking about it, of course there is also the desire to preserve the language: if you don't use it, you lose it, no? The music is just one of the vehicles for preserving language but the main thing is that the people who can speak Maltese do. I am not trying to be nostalgic, I prefer to sound authentic than romantic."
Robert - Plato's Dream Machine Robert Farrugia, lead singer of Plato's Dream Machine, also tells me that he started writing in Maltese some seven years ago."English is useful when I'm being analytical and looking for new ideas, but it's Maltese when I'm wanting to express those ideas from the heart. Song-writing has to do with latter, of course."
On the other hand, Andrew Vella from The Traveller, believes that each language is unique. "Writing in Maltese was something the band started doing 2014 while we were exploring different ideas on how to evolve into a unique act. But by trying to understand and learn how to write songs in Maltese, I realised that, if you know the basics of song-writing, then you can easily apply them to all languages, really."
Mario Vella from Brikkuni tells me that he also used to write songs in English, particularly during the early Noughties, with another band. Dissatisfaction with his writing quickly made him realise part of the reason was that he couldn't really express what he wanted to say in English. The importance of the Maltese language is obvious to Mario. "Maltese should be diffused in every sector", he said, "but I can't understand this obsession with forcing it because it's the only thing that we have that distinguishes us. And there's a difference between fabricating a love for a language and those artists, authors and singers who are simply writing, creating and communicating in their language. Language is ultimately a tool for the singer-songwriter. I need to communicate with the listener, and I decided that I want my listener to be Maltese - it's a practical thing, functional."
Mark - BroduI went on to consider the role of language as an instrument rather than merely a tool for communication: language as a sound, independent of words and meanings. I wondered whether these singer-songwriters look for melody and rhythm in a language that which, after all, has so many consonants. "Maltese is a beautiful language, one that is full of opportunities to create rhyme schemes and complex rhythms," said Andrew. Mark, on the other hand, tells me that there are some languages which are more suited to a particular kind of music and Maltese may sometimes sound a bit harsh but, despite this, he loves the way words sound. "Sometimes I choose words based on their sound or rhythm rather than their meaning. I love rhythm in words, and how you place them one after the other." But it is the music that comes first for him: "The music in itself carries the feelings of the moment but sometimes there's a word that you've just thrown in and then you find yourself building the music around it."
Mario, who is currently sharing living quarters with Mark, also shares a similar approach when it comes to allowing this spontaneity of inspiration. "There'll be times when I'm in a bar and a piece of melody comes into my head so I go sing it into my phone - and then see if I can work some words into it or sometimes I hear a phrase or sentence that I feel is musical. Alliteration is very strong in Maltese because of all its consonants and sometimes an access to these consonants, one after the other, gives way to the creation of a melody as well as rhythm."
Robert, on the other hand, is today moving away from complimenting his songs with rhythm and syllables as he had experimented in Plato's first album. "Recently I've been adopting a much softer and seamless voice which somehow gels better with the music."
While these bands enjoy their popularity, they are however under no illusion that they are going to become world-famous by singing in Maltese. "The decision to go for Maltese was, of course, an informed one but it does not exclude a foreign audience for obvious reasons. However, our main interest lies in focusing on the local scene" says Robert.
"In the end, even though we are trying to understand and distinguish between songwriter, lyrics, music and audience, I ask myself if we should even bother. Ultimately, music is about a universal language and the creative expression of it. That being said, indigenous language is one of the strongest characteristics of identity so, yes, we must use it or perhaps we will one day lose it - and what better way is there to encourage this use than through music?"
from The Malta Independent https://ift.tt/2J3jNdn
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