Hostname: page-component-5447f9dfdb-cjbmw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-07-30T08:05:19.723Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Making History, Combining Sounds: British Colonialism, Italian Culture, and Musical Growth in the Maltese Wind Band Tradition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2025

PHILIP CIANTAR Open the ORCID record for PHILIP CIANTAR [Opens in a new window]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Malta was a British colony for over 150 years until it became independent in 1964. Though the presence of the British in Malta was considerable and permeated all sectors of Maltese life and culture, the island’s commercial and cultural ties with neighbouring Italy never ceased. This article aims to analyse how Malta’s cultural sympathies and affinities with Italy alongside British colonialism contributed to the musical growth of the wind band tradition in Malta between the mid-nineteenth and the mid-twentieth century. The co-existence in Malta of the political and cultural conflict brought about by the two competing cultures at this time and, paradoxically, their confluence transpire here as central to processes of musical growth through opportunities for syncretism.

Information

Type
Article
Information
Journal of the Royal Musical Association , First View , pp. 1 - 29
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal Musical Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the 46th ICTMD World Conference held in Lisbon in July 2022. I am grateful to those who attended my presentation for their constructive comments and questions, which contributed to several improvements in the writing. I also extend my thanks to the St Philip Band Club of Żebbuġ (Malta), particularly the club’s archivist, Mr John Gafà, for granting me access to their music archive. Additionally, I am grateful to Mr Gilbert Farrugia, the archivist of the Società Filarmonica Nazionale ‘La Valette’ of Valletta, for providing me with musical examples from old scores available at the said band club. I also thank Mr Emanuel Busuttil Dougall for sharing with me a copy of an old photo of the Prince of Wales Own Band of Vittoriosa (Malta) and for granting me the permission to reproduce that image in this article. I am thankful to Professor Vicki Ann Cremona (Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Malta) for our valuable discussions on topics that in one way or another related to this study. Furthermore, I express my gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their thorough review of my manuscript and their insightful comments and suggestions, which significantly enhanced the quality of this work. The research for this paper was supported by an internal research grant from the University of Malta.

References

1 Martina Farrugia, ‘Malta’s Turbulent History behind the England v Italy Football Rivalry’, Lovin Malta, 11 July 2021 <https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/history/malta-england-italy-football-rivalry-euro-2020> [accessed 30 June 2024].

2 Vassallo, Peter, ‘Italian Culture versus British Pragmatics: The Maltese Scenario’, in Performing National Identity: Anglo-Italian Cultural Transactions, ed. by Pfister, Manfred and Hertel, Ralf (Rodopi, 2008), pp. 171–77 (p. 173)10.1163/9789401205238_011CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

3 The singular is każin tal-banda (‘band club’).

4 Grima, Joseph F., ‘Band Clubs in Malta: Origins and Development’, in Music in Malta: From Prehistory to Vinyl, ed. by Bonello, Giovanni and Cardona, Anna Borg (Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2019), pp. 83–99 (p. 91)Google Scholar.

5 Ibid., p. 83.

6 Frendo, Antoine, ‘Maltese Philharmonic Societies up to the First Half of the 20th Century’, in Festa San Ġiljan 2017 (Każin tal-Banda San Ġiljan, 2017), pp. 126–29 (p. 126)Google Scholar.

7 Malta National Statistics Office, ‘Band Clubs: 2017’, News Release, 137 (2018) <https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/News2018_137.pdf> [accessed 28 June 2024].

8 Ciantar, Philip, Studies in Maltese Popular Music (Routledge, 2021), p. 96 10.4324/9781003126546CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

9 The Maltese curia even established in 2005 a number of regulations on the participation of bands in these feasts to ensure that these communal events fulfil the spiritual and pastoral objectives of festa. For instance, marching parades during festa week should not take place when the main liturgical services of the feast are in progress inside the church, as that would disrupt the indoor religious celebrations. These regulations also state that ‘the violation of one of these regulations, or the creation of an improper environment for the celebration of feasts in a Christian way, can lead to the cancellation of the religious feast in whole or in part’; Michael Testa, ‘The True Spirit of Village Feasts’, Times of Malta, 3 September 2005 <https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/the-true-spirit-of-village-feasts.79321> [accessed 15 June 2024].

10 A 2017 census issued by the Archdiocese of Malta on Sunday Mass attendance reveals that 92% of Maltese people are Catholic, but only 40% attend Mass every Sunday. For more details see Archdiocese of Malta, Census 2017 <https://church.mt/past-events-in-the-diocese/census> [accessed 30 May 2024].

11 Iacovazzi, Giovanna, Un Bruit pieux: Bandas, musique et fête dans un village maltais (Zabbar) (Fondation de Malte, 2012)Google Scholar.

12 Straw, Will, ‘Systems of Articulation, Logics of Change: Communities and Scenes in Popular Music’, in Cultural Studies, 5.3 (1991), pp. 368–8810.1080/09502389100490311CrossRefGoogle Scholar, cited in Shepherd, John, ‘Music and Social Categories’, in The Cultural Study of Music: A Critical Introduction , ed. by Clayton, Martin, Herbert, Trevor, and Middleton, Richard, 2nd edn (Routledge, 2012), pp. 241–48 (p. 244)Google Scholar.

13 Herbert, Trevor, ‘Brass and Military Bands in Britain: Performance Domains, the Factors that Construct Them and their Influence’, in Brass Bands of the World: Militarism, Colonial Legacies, and Local Music Making, ed. by Reily, Suzel Ana and Brucher, Katherine (Ashgate, 2013), pp. 33–53 (p. 40)Google Scholar.

14 Ibid., p. 50.

15 Sarah McClimon, ‘Western Challenge, Japanese Musical Response: Military Bands in Modern Japan’, in Brass Bands of the World, ed. by Reily and Brucher, pp. 55–78 (pp. 55–56).

16 For more information about the philharmonic bands in Corfu, see Georgia Bouka, ‘Corfiot Philharmonic Bands: An Island to Host 17 of them’, Corfu Diary, n.d. <https://corfudiary.com/corfiot-philharmonic-bands> [accessed 6 June 2024]. The first wind band in Corfu was reportedly established in 1840, following an incident in 1837 when the British authorities refused to allow their military band to perform during one of the four annual processions held in honour of Corfu’s patron, St Spyridon; [Anon.], ‘The Marching Bands of Corfu (Philharmonic)’, Greek Gastronomy Guide, n.d. <https://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/en/item/marching-bands-corfu-philharmonikes> [accessed 6 June 2024].

17 Bohlman, Philip V., Focus: Music, Nationalism, and the Making of the New Europe, 2nd edn (Routledge, 2011), p. 15 Google Scholar.

18 I owe this historical detail to Professor Raymond Mangion, Professor of Legal History and Legal Research Methods at the University of Malta.

19 Dimech, Anthony Zarb, ‘Malta: The “Nurse of the Mediterranean”’, in Towards Independence and Beyond, ed. by Frendo, Henry (Central Bank of Malta, 2014), pp. 37–43 (p. 38)Google Scholar.

20 Mitchell, Jon, ‘An Island In Between: Malta, Identity and Anthropology’, South European Society and Politics, 3.1 (1998), pp. 142–49 (p. 143), doi:10.1080/13608740308539529 CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

21 For further reading on the strong connections between Malta and Italy, see Cassola, Arnold, ‘Italo-Maltese Relations (ca. 1150–1936): People, Culture, Literature, Language’, Mediterranean Review, 5.1 (2012), pp. 1–20 Google Scholar.

22 Rolandi, Ulderico, Musica e musicisti in Malta: Saggio di ricerche e di appunti storici (Edizioni dell’Archivio Storico di Malta, 1932)Google Scholar.

23 Bondin, Joseph Vella, Il-Mużika ta’ Malta sa l-Aħħar tas-Seklu Tmintax (Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza, 2000), p. 59 Google Scholar.

24 Ibid.

25 Friggieri, Oliver, Storja tal-Letteratura Maltija (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 1979), p. 37 Google Scholar.

26 Ibid.

27 Frendo, Henry, ‘Language and Nationality in an Island Colony: Malta’, Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism, 3.1 (1975), pp. 22–31 (p. 25)Google Scholar.

28 Ibid.

29 Vassallo, ‘Italian Culture versus British Pragmatics’, p. 173.

30 Ibid.

31 Frendo, Henry, Europe and Empire: Culture, Politics and Identity in Malta and the Mediterranean (1912–1946) (Midsea Books, 2012), p. 63 Google Scholar.

32 ‘Viva l’Inghilterra’ was composed by an Italian maestro resident in Malta, Giuseppe Malfiggiani (1828–93). The music of ‘Inghilterra per sempre’ was composed by a Maltese composer of Italian descent, Paolo Nani (1814–1904), on lyrics by the Maltese poet Gian Anton Vassallo (1817–68).

33 Brucher, Katherine and Reily, Suzel Ana, ‘Introduction: The World of Brass Bands’, in Brass Bands of the World, ed. by Reily, and Brucher, , pp. 1–31 (p. 11)Google Scholar, citing Flaes, Rob Boonzajer, Brass Unbound: Secret Children of the Colonial Brass Band (Royal Tropical Institute, 2000)Google Scholar.

34 Brucher and Reily, ‘Introduction’, in Brass Bands of the World, ed. by Reily and Brucher, p. 11.

35 Booth, Gregory D., Brass Baja: Stories from the World of Indian Wedding Bands (Oxford University Press, 2005)Google Scholar.

36 Dubois, Vincent, Méon, Jean-Matthieu, and Pierru, Emmanuel, The Sociology of Wind Bands: Amateur Music between Cultural Domination and Autonomy (Ashgate, 2013), p. 13 Google Scholar.

37 These instruments were donated to the clubs by affiliated club members or purchased by the same clubs.

38 Reily, Suzel Ana, ‘From Processions to Encontros: The Performance Niches of the Community Bands of Minas Gerais, Brazil’, in Brass Bands of the World, ed. by Reily, and Brucher, , pp. 98–122 (p. 121)Google Scholar.

39 Ibid.

40 I owe this information to Mr Jonathan Magri, who kindly shared with me a work-in-progress catalogue of old band instruments held at the St Philip Band Club of Żebbuġ (Malta).

41 I owe this information to Mr John Gafà.

42 Women began participating as musicians in Maltese wind bands in 1965; Farrugia, Simon, The Maltese Wind Band: A Musical Tradition and its Practice Today (McFarland, 2023), p. 40 Google Scholar.

43 Talusan, Mary, Instruments of Empire: Filipino Musicians, Black Soldiers, and Military Band Music during US Colonization of the Philippines, Kindle edn (University Press of Mississippi, 2021), p. 25 Google Scholar.

44 For more information about the RMA band see [Anon.], ‘When Maltese Postcards Depicted Royal Events’, Times of Malta, 7 September 2020 <https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/when-maltese-postcards-depicted-royal-events.816585> [accessed 24 May 2024].

45 For more information on this march, see Salvatore Libertino, ‘Amedeo Vella’, n.d. <http://www.tropeamagazine.it/tropeanews/amedeovella> [accessed 28 May 2024].

46 I owe this information to Mr John Gafà.

47 Mario Thomas Vassallo, ‘90 Village Band Clubs: A Maltese Socio-Political Phenomenon’, in The Different Faces of Politics in Literature and Music, ed. by Mario Thomas Vassallo and André P. DeBattista (Routledge, 2024), pp. 240–55 (p. 241).

48 Robert Mifsud Bonnici, Società Filarmonica Nazionale ‘La Valette’: Ġrajja Dokumentata (Giov. Muscat, 1959).

49 Fabian Mangion, ‘La Vincitrice of Senglea: 150 Years of Tuneful Moments’, Times of Malta, 8 June 2021 <https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/la-vincitrice-of-senglea-150-years-of-tuneful-moments.877325> [accessed 27 May 2024].

50 John Ciarlò, ‘Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika Nazzjonali “La Valette”’, in L-Istorja tal-Każini tal-Baned f’Malta u Għawdex, ed. by Michael J. Schiavone, 2 vols (Europrint, 1997), i, pp. 1–16 (pp. 4–5).

51 Mitchell, Jon, ‘A Catholic Body? Miracles, Secularity, and the Porous Self in Malta’, in The Anthropology of Catholicism: A Reader, ed. by Norget, Kristin, Napolitano, Valentina, and Mablin, Maya (University of California Press, 2017), pp. 211–26 (p. 215)Google Scholar.

52 Magrini, Tullia, ‘Introduction: Studying Gender in Mediterranean Musical Culture’, in Music and Gender: Perspectives from the Mediterranean, ed. by Magrini, Tullia (The University of Chicago Press, 2003), pp. 1–32 (p. 19)Google Scholar.

53 Bondin, Joseph Vella, Il-Mużika ta’ Malta fis-Seklu Dsatax u Għoxrin (Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza, 2000), p. 200 Google Scholar.

54 Ibid.

55 Suppan, Armin, ‘III. Mixed Wind Bands: 2. Military Bands’, Grove Music Online (2001), doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40774 Google Scholar.

56 Koehler, Elisa, ‘The Italian Wind Band: Its Heritage and Legacy’, Journal of the Conductors Guild, 16.2 (1997), pp. 96–105 (p. 98)Google Scholar.

57 Ibid.

58 Paone, Gregorio Maria, ‘Vessella, Alessandro’, Grove Music Online (2024), doi:10.1093/omo/9781561592630.013.90000380591 CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

59 Mifsud Bonnici, Società Filarmonica Nazionale ‘La Valette’, p. 88.

60 See also Vella Bondin, Il-Mużika ta’ Malta fis-Seklu Dsatax u Għoxrin, p. 200.

61 Koehler, ‘The Italian Wind Band’, p. 97.

62 Ibid., p. 98, citing David Whitwell, The History and Literature of the Wind Band and Wind Ensemble, 9 vols (WINDS, 1984), v, p. 106.

63 Vella Bondin, Il-Mużika ta’ Malta fis-Seklu Dsatax u Għoxrin, p. 200.

64 Ciarlò, ‘Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika Nazzjonali “La Valette”’, p. 7.

65 Frendo, Europe and Empire, p. 515.

66 Frendo, ‘Maltese Philharmonic Societies’, p. 126.

67 Dougall, Emanuel Busuttil, ‘L-Għaqda Filarmonika Prince of Wales Own A. D. 1891 — Il-Birgu’, in Festi Solenni San Duminku ta’ Guzman, il-Birgu, 2016 (Kommunità Dumnikana tal-Knisja tal-Lunzjata, 2016), pp. 33–44 (p. 34)Google Scholar.

68 David Oragui, ‘Tacit Knowledge: Definition, Examples, and Importance’, Helpjuice, 12 March 2024 <https://helpjuice.com/blog/tacit-knowledge> [accessed 29 April 2024].

69 Natalia Irena Gust-Bardon, ‘The Role of Geographical Proximity in Innovation: Do Regional and Local Levels Really Matter?’ Arbeitspapiere Unternehmen und Region, No. R4/2012 <https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/60501/1/721218741.pdf> [accessed 23 April 2024].

70 Dieckmann, Samantha and Davidson, Jane W., ‘Organised Cultural Encounters: Collaboration and Intercultural Contact in a Lullaby Choir’, The World of Music, 7.1–2 (2018), pp. 155–77 (p. 158)Google Scholar, citing Pratt, Mary Louise, Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation (Routledge, 1992; repr. 2007)10.4324/9780203163672CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

71 Dieckmann and Davidson, ‘Organised Cultural Encounters’, p. 158.

72 Talusan, Instruments of Empire, p. 20.

73 Michael Balzia, ‘Mitt Sena mill-Mewt tal-Kompozitur tal-Marċi Funebri Angelo Melilli’, in Festa San Publju [Floriana] 2013 (Soċjetà Filarmonika ‘Vilhena’, 2013), pp. 44–45 (p. 44).

74 Suppan, ‘III. Mixed Wind Bands: 2. Military Bands’.

75 See, for instance, Emmanuel Maggi, ‘Mro. Vincenzo Ciappara, ir-Re tal-Marċi Maltin’, in Programm tal-Festa [San Gejtanu, Ħamrun], 1994 (Għaqda tal-Mużika San Gejtanu, 1994). See also [Anon.], Tislima Xierqa lir-Re tal-Marċi Maltin Vincenzo Ciappara: 25 Sena minn Mewtu (Parroċċa Santa Marija Dingli, 2015).

76 Farrugia, The Maltese Wind Band, p. 102.

77 Ibid.

78 Thanks are due to my brother Peter Paul Ciantar for providing me with a recording of this interview.

79 Listen to ‘Victory’ at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWEkeXhijwg> [accessed 16 April 2024]. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Luke Vella for providing me with a copy of the score for this march. On the composition after the Allied victory, see Paul Cilia, ‘Il-Marċ “Victory” ta’ Mro Vincenzo Ciappara: 65 Sena Popolari’, Il-Festi Tagħna 2012 (Kumitat Festi Esterni Corpus Domini u San Pawl, 2012), pp. 84–85 (p. 85).

80 Grima, ‘Band Clubs in Malta’, pp. 91–92.

81 For a more detailed discussion on competition between band clubs in Maltese feast celebrations, see Boissevain, Jeremy, Saints and Fireworks: Religion and Politics in Rural Malta (Progress Press, 1990)Google Scholar.

82 Trevor Herbert, ‘Social History and Music History’, in The Cultural Study of Music, ed. by Clayton, Herbert, and Middleton, pp. 241–48 (p. 244).

83 Stock, Jonathan P. J., Everyday Musical Life among the Indigenous Bunun, Taiwan (Routledge, 2021), pp. 130–31Google Scholar.

84 I am thankful to Sensara Malta for providing me with the audio file of the complete and original version of this promo.

85 Born, Georgina, ‘Listening, Mediation, Event: Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives’, Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 135.1 (2010), pp. 79–89 (pp. 88–89), doi:10.1080/02690400903414855 CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

86 Bohlman, Philip V., ‘Music as Representation’, Journal of Musicological Research, 24.3–4 (2005), pp. 205–26 (p. 215), doi:10.1080/01411890500233924 CrossRefGoogle Scholar.