Antonio (or Anton) Nani (6 October 1842 - 25 February 1929) was a Maltese composer and a member of a prominent family of Maltese musicians and composers. He composed both sacred music and operas.Vella Bondin, Joseph (2001)
"Nanni"
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''. Retrieved 16 July 2017 (subscription required for full access).

Family background

The Nani family's relationship with the musical life of Malta began with the violinist Angelo Nani (1751–1844) who was born in the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. While touring Malta as a concert violinist in 1766 he was appointed a chamber musician to the court of

Manuel Pinto de Fonseca Manuel Pinto da Fonseca (also ''Emmanuel Pinto de Fonseca''; 24 May 1681 – 23 January 1773) was a Portuguese nobleman, the 68th Grand Master of the Order of Saint John, from 1741 until his death. He undertook many building projects, introduc ...

, the Prince and Grand Master of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. Angelo married a Maltese woman and remained in Malta for the rest of his life, later becoming the impresario of the

Manoel Theatre ( Maltese for "Manoel Theatre"; it, Teatro Manoel) is a theatre and important performing arts venue in Malta. The theatre is often referred to as simply "The Manoel", and is named after Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller, Fr ...

in Valletta. Three of his sons, Emmanuele (1769–1860), Vincenzo (1775–c.1840), and Agostino (1782–1846) all became violinists and composers, the most prominent of whom was Emmanuele. Another son, Giuseppe, the 11th of Angelo's thirteen children, became a lawyer. However, Giuseppe's son Paolo (1814–1904) became a composer like his uncles.

Life and career

Antonio Nani was born in Valletta, the son of Paolo and Caterina (née Recau) Nani. He initially studied music in Malta with his father (a prolific composer of church music), Giuseppe Burlon, and Giuseppe Spiteri Fremond. Like his father, Antonio went to Naples for further training at the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella. He remained in Naples from 1867 to 1879. He studied composition with Aniello Barbati and

Nicola De Giosa Nicola De Giosa (3 May 1819 – 7 July 1885) was an Italian composer and conductor active in Naples. He composed numerous operas, the most successful of which, '' Don Checco'' and ''Napoli di carnevale'', were in the Neapolitan ''opera buffa'' g ...

and composed most of his mature works there, including his first opera, ''Zorilla'', which premiered in 1872. On his return to Malta Nani became a maestro in his father's private ''cappella'' which provided music for Maltese churches which did not have their own musicians or music directors. Although a less prolific composer than his father, Nani composed two works which are among the masterpieces of Maltese church music: his

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, which he composed as a memorial to his mother and was awarded a gold medal at the 1886

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, and his ''Messa del Naufrago'', composed in 1871 and subsequently revised in 1882 and 1908.Vella Bondin, Joseph (2009)
Liner notes: Antonio Nani: ''Messa del naufrago''
Gega. Retrieved 20 July 2017.

Operas

*''Zorilla'' (''melodramma giocoso'' in 3 acts); libretto by

Almerindo Spadetta Almerindo Spadetta (April 1894) was a prolific opera librettist active in Naples. He worked as a stage manager at the Teatro San Carlo, Teatro Nuovo, and Teatro del Fondo in Naples for over 40 years and wrote numerous libretti (mostly in the ''ope ...

; premiered Teatro Rossini, Naples, 22 February 1872 *''I cavalieri di Malta'' (''dramma lirico'' in a prologue and 3 acts); libretto by

Enrico Golisciani Enrico Golisciani (25 December 1848 – 6 February 1919) was an Italian author, born in Naples. He is best known for his opera librettos, but also published a slim volume of verses for music, entitled ''Pagine d'Album'' (Milano, Ricordi, 1885); ma ...

; composed 1877, premiered

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

, Valletta, 16 January 1880 *''Agnese Visconti'' (''melodramma'' in 4 acts); libretto by Enrico Golisciani; composed 1876, premiered Royal Opera House, Valletta, 13 January 1889

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nani, Antonio 1842 births 1929 deaths Maltese opera composers 19th-century classical composers Maltese classical composers People from Valletta Male classical composers 19th-century male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century male musicians Maltese people of Italian descent