Pawlu Grech, a musician, artist and teacher, died in his sleep on Wednesday, 1oth February 2021 at Casa Antonia, Balzan. He was 82 years old.
Although art is an eminently practical pursuit, the work which results from the activity of an artist is gauged differently from that which a practitioner of other practical disciplines, such as the conventional professions, is engaged in. In fields of human activity such as these, the work of a practitioner is valued solely in terms of its material benefit to society. Hence, the importance of a medical practitioner, for instance, lies in his or her ability to cure sick people of their illnesses. Conversely, the value of an artist’s work lies in its capacity to bring to the fore some aspect of the covert spiritual life of mankind thereby allowing members of society other than the artist himself or herself to experience such a dimension for their personal enrichment.
When the focus of attention is shifted away from the work or works of art to the life of the artist, it is not surprising to notice a constant clear pattern in the lives of many illustrious exponents of the different art mediums. This pattern includes a long period of strenuous activity during which the individual is intensely involved in the public life associated with the art practiced and experiments with a variety of new forms and ideas in an attempt to gain some sort of freedom from past tradition. Depending on the artist’s life span, this period covers the early adolescent years and a large part of adulthood. It is followed by a shorter but not less important period of distillation, when the artist, having developed an artistic personality all his or her own shuns the public platform and embarks on a solitary single-minded inner journey along the path delineated by the artistic ideas and principles that have come to shape his or her individual style.
Paintings For Sale
Taught Students
Wrote Music Notes
Awards Won
The term minimalism is also used to describe a trend in design and architecture where in the subject is reduced to its necessary elements. Minimalist design has been highly influenced by Japanese traditional design and architecture. In addition, the work of De Stijl artists is a major source of reference for this kind of work....
Paintings Various Techniques & sizes – more than 950 paintings Compositions 33 scores for Chamber Orchestra & various instruments – see list of compositions Teaching in Rome, London & Malta – 1960 to 2014 Average – more than 350 students for Music &......
Departures trace the lifelong development of an aesthetic which, most prominently in the sphere of musical composition, departs from classical artistic forms. Pawlu’s work sought from the very beginning to push musical and visual artistic language in new directions. Dissatisfied with the classical tradition and......
The term minimalism is also used to describe a trend in design and architecture where in the subject is reduced to its necessary elements. Minimalist design has been highly influenced by Japanese traditional design and architecture. In addition, the work of De Stijl artists is a major source of reference for this kind of work....
The Musical Thought of Pawlu Grech – its constitution “Tradizione é tradimento.” (“Tradition is betrayal.”) These words, spoken by the legendary Italian maestro, Arturo Toscanini, have a strong and deep resonance with the musical thought and work of Pawlu Grech, who has always been......
Melanie Drury – Freelancer Write Pawlu Grech, who was born in 1938, evolved into a musician and artist of international recognition, but you could never guess. Before we met, we spoke several times on the phone. He sounded down to earth, humble even, and was......
I have known Maestro Chevalier Pawlu Grech since the early 1990’s when under his guidance I have done my first steps in serious music composition. He has always carried out his duties as a teacher in the most professional of manners. He has a natural ability to handle and explain thoroughly even the most difficult of topics in several areas of Music. I could also notice his immense preparation of the subject matter and the superlative pedagogical skills. As a music teacher myself, I consider Maestro Grech as an inspiration, role model and a mentor to whom I will always be indebted.
Maestro Ray Sciberras
There is something special and unique in that which Mro. Chev. Pawlu Grech has imparted to me over the long formative years in which he has been my music teacher and mentor. It is neither knowledge nor a method, but something far more important and fundamental. It is an approach, a subtle way of mentally standing before and moving towards a musical idea or work to discover and develop its inner aesthetic potential, mindful of but unburdened by tradition or convention. For this alone, the effect of Mro. Chev. Grech’s teaching on me as a musician and, more broadly, as a conscious being has been as profound as it has been liberating.
Nicholas Vella Laurenti
Helga Portanier is a Maltese artist based in Brussels. She studied art with various local artists. From 1999-2002 she pursued her artistic apprenticeship with Mro. Pawlu Grech, focusing mainly on drawing and composition. It was under Mro Grech influence that she began to integrate such musical concepts as rhythm, tone and tempo in her drawings/paintings. During this period, Helga also studied History of Art and Theatre Studies at the University of Malta.
Helga Portanier
Maestro Chevalier Pawlu Grech is one of the handful of Maltese artists who embraced twentieth century modernism when this idiom was still considered as outrageous by most people. Both his music and visual works attest how the artist sought his own way of liberating himself from academic conventions.
Dr Silvio John Camilleri
We were blessed to have met Pawlu Grech many years ago. Silvio was one of his first students just a short while after Pawlu returned from his prolific career in Italy and England. A mutual and professional friendship was instantly built between the two. Silvio had courses with Pawlu in counterpoint, orchestration, composition, and history of music. Years later Ramona was coached by Maestro Grech in pianoforte technique and interpretation where she studied a varied repertoire ranging from the baroque to the contemporary. Thanks to Maestro Chevalier Pawlu Grech’s dedication and commitment as our mentor and friend, our love and passion for music and the arts has flourished. We publicy thank Mro.Grech for sharing with us his wealth of musical expertise and wisdom.
Maestro Silvio Zammit & Ramona Zammit Formosa - Musicians
What I can say about Maestro Pawlu Grech is that I used to enjoy each session as each one was an insight to methods of learning and practicing. He used to talk about his experience abroad, especially his sessions with Hans Keller which were very inspiring. What I know about 20th century music, history of art, and composition is the fruit of these sessions; l feel enriched as a teacher of history of music and theory.
Maria A Scicluna
Lil Maestro Pawlu Grech mhux biss inqisu kompozitur u muzicist ta’ kapacitajiet straordinarji izda ukoll ghalliem li kapaci jifhem il-potenzjal tal-istudenti tieghu u jigwidhom fuq livell personali skont l-inklinazzjonijiet taghhom. Tul dawn l-ahhar ghoxrin sena, Pawlu kien indispensabbli fil-karriera tieghi. Permezz ta’ kuncetti diversi li ta’ spiss kellimni dwarhom, waqt il-sezzjonijiet li ikollna flimkien, huwa fetahli orizzonti godda fil-linja tal-hsieb artistiku li jien, minn naha tieghi, spiss gharaft napplikahom kif jaqbilli fix-xoghlijiet tieghi. Ghalhekk, inhossni onorat li kelli x-xorti nistudja fit-tul ma Pawlu Grech: bniedem ta’ esperjenza internazzjonali kbira li qatt ma fittex il-popolarita’ f’din id-dinja mimlija superficcjalita’. Fuq livell uman Pawlu huwa bniedem gentili u sincier ghall-ahhar u li mieghu dejjem taf fejn int. Grazzi dejjem Pawlu - nawguralek sahha u sliem.
Dominic Galea – Maestro
