The music of Anton Nani : an historical and analytical approach with special reference to the 'Messa da requem' (1879)

Abstract

Anton Nani was a very prolific and renowned composer in Malta during the nineteenth century. This study mainly concentrates on his musical achievements with a special focus on one of his major works, the Requiem Mass (1879). It also includes an analytical and editorial study of this Requiem Mass, together with a comparative overview of the work and other contemporary Messa da Requiem. This Thesis includes the historical development of the musical settings of the Requiem Mass (Chapter 3). In 1886, Nani's Requiem was exhibited in London at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. In Chapter 2, I delve into the historical significance of this Exhibition using both primary and secondary sources, which help us to view the Requiem in the perspective of British and Colonial History. These methods of research include an analysis of published and unpublished material, a critique and interviews. Data related to the Requiem score was collected mainly from the Mdina Archives (Nani Section), Santu Spirtu National Archives, and from libraries in the UK, Malta, and Gozo. The second volume of the thesis provides a modem layout of the Requiem Mass Score and Vincenzo Ciappara' s Choral Score. In this dissertation, I also present a critique of musical scores and a catalogue of the composer's works.