"Hagar Qim, on the south western edge of Malta, is one of the oldest built structures in the world. Over 5000 years old, this megalithic temple overlooks the dazzling blue Mediterranean. In 2008, canopies were constructed to protect these monuments from further elemental damage. Small birds, mainly sparrows, have now made their home among the high eaves of these shelters, their calls echoing through the temple. This spot is unusually far from the traffic and urban noise that dominates much of the island, and I was able to record the bird sounds as I walked up the stony cliff path towards the temple. "To me, sparrows are one of the characteristic sounds of the Maltese islands, along with the sound of the sea and the ringing of church bells, none of which you are ever far from. My piece merges my own field recordings of these three quintessential Maltese sounds with something very personal. My grandfather was a teacher and writer from Mqabba, a tiny village near Hagar Qim. When he retired, he undertook a labour of love in translating John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” into Maltese. I recorded my own father, born and bred in Malta, but now sadly in ill health, reciting some of his father's translation of this famous poem telling the story of the Garden of Eden and humanity’s loss of paradise, along with his own reminiscences, including his own birth in 1941 in a building called Milton House. I am aware that time is running on, and this may have been my last opportunity to work with my father on such a piece. "The final link in this chain from Malta’s past to my present is my own whispered voice reading the equivalent passages from Milton’s original work, which I studied as an English undergraduate many years ago, and a simple synthesiser melody referencing Bach’s C major prelude/Ave Maria, a piece close to my heart which I sometimes play as a duet with my own young son. The ancient past of Malta, in the bird filled paradise of Hagar Qim, entwines with the Christian and colonial roots of the island today, Maltese and English, pagan and prayer. I dedicate this piece to my father Pio, and to my grandfather Francis Xavier." Megalithic temple soundscape in Malta reimagined by Suzy Mangion. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

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