Music

Abstract

In order to understand properly the Maltese cultural background, one must be aware of the historical associations the island passed through over the centuries and which, in some way or other, left their mark on the Maltese way of life, socially and, at a tangent, also culturally. Although written evidence about musical activity in Malta throws us back less than four centuries (that is around the year 1600), I think that one can safely assume that these practices have had their roots in the misty dawns of prehistory. When one remembers that archaeological research has placed some of Malta's ancient stone temples as anteceding even the pyramids of Egypt, one can then easily surmise how far back in time this line can stretch.