Paolino Vassallo (born 24 July 1856 in Cospicua - deceased 20 January 1923 in Valletta) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

.Paolino Vassallo
''Requiem Survey''.

Biography

Paolino Vassallo was the son of Salvatore Vassallo and Victoria Xicluna. At the age of 19, he moved to Paris to study at the Conservatoire Royal with Massenet and

Guiraud Guiraud (1070–1123) was a bishop of Béziers of the twelfth century He is said to have been the second prior of the Canon Regular community at Cassan Abbey. He served as bishop from 1121 to November 5, 1123. He is a Catholic saint.http://page ...

. He performed as first violin, and later conductor, of the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

. He founded his Musical Institute in Valletta in 1885 and was appointed the maestro di cappella at

Mdina Mdina ( mt, L-Imdina ; phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤈, Maleṭ; grc, Μελίττη, Melite (ancient city), Melíttē; ar, مدينة, Madīnah; ), also known by its Italian-language titles ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdin ...

Cathedral in 1902. He wrote three operas; Amor Fatale, Frazir and Edith Cavell. He refused the Grand Prix de Rome to keep his British nationality, and returned to Malta in 1888; here, he met his wife Marianna. In 1905, he was appointed Maestro di cappella of the Mdina Cathedral and the Co-Catheral of St. John in Valletta. During this position he enforced the application of the Motu Proprio decreed in 1910. Vassallo wrote four operas, of which one (''Amor Fatal'', 1898) was based on an earlier one (''Francesca da Rimini'', 1888). His most famous work for the stage is arguably ''Edith Cavell'', a melodrama in three acts to a libretto by poet Alfonso Giglio. It received its première at the Teatru Rjal (Valletta, Malta) on 21 March 1927, four years after Vassallo's death, and was an immediate sensational triumph.Anon.
''Grande Messa''
Records International. Vassallo died on 30 January 1923. He was featured on a Maltese postage stamp in 2006. There is also a school, Paolino Vassallo Upper Lyceum, and a square, the Pjazza Paolino Vassallo (in Bormla), named after him. In 2007, the

National Orchestra of Malta The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra is recognized as Malta’s foremost musical institution. Founded in 1968 as the Manoel Theatre Orchestra, in September 1997 it became an independent body and was officially named as Malta's national orchestra. In ...

released a live CD of Vassallo's orchestral works.

Works

Orchestral

* ''Scherzo, Andante e Finale'' for orchestra (sometimes referred to as a

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

) * ''Malta'', overture * ''Ad Gloriam'', overture * ''Les Astres'', Valses de Concert * ''Andante'' for Strings * ''Marcia Religiosa e Fuga per Grande Orchestra''

Concertante

* ''Andante'' for Violin and Orchestra (written as the second movement of an unfinished Violin Concerto)

Opera

* ''Francesca da Rimini'' (opera in one act, 1888) * ''Amor Fatal'' (two-act opera based on ''Francesca da Rimini'', 1898) * ''Frazir'' (opera, 1905) * ''Edith Cavell'' (opera, 1923)

Choral

* ''Grande Messa'' (choral, 1889) * ''Messa da Requiem'' (choral, 1893)

Awards

* 1895: Moody-Manners International Competition for the 2-act opera ''Amor Fatale''

External links

Paolino Vassallo at Requiemsurvey.orgArticle about the life of Vassallo
by composer Joseph Vella Bondin]

References

1856 births Maltese classical composers Maltese composers Maltese opera composers 1923 deaths People from Cospicua {{Malta-composer-stub