A concert by Etnika is acting as a launch pad for a major local project titled Music in Malta – From Prehistory to Vinyl.

An initiative of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, the project covers the history of music in Malta through a series of performances by local and foreign musicians and a major exhibition being held next year, showing how traditional instruments and sounds fit into a Mediterranean context.

A żafżafa or friction drum

The participation of Etnika, known for using ethnic sounds in novel contexts, is thus a fitting start to the programme of events.

In Friday's concert at the Manoel Theatre, the six-piece band will be playing a host of instruments, Maltese and non − such as the żummara, żafżafa, żaqq, Jew’s harp or bijambo, thumb piano or kalimba, traditional bass drum, katuba and tambourines – in innovative and “not-so-obvious” ways.

Etnika started out as a research project in 1999.

“Our interest was initially based on the revival of traditional musical instruments, whose context and use was lost as Malta became a more urbanised society,” band member Andrew Alamango said.

This meant meeting the last members of the tradition, particularly the last żaqq player and maker Toni Cachia, ‘Il-Ħammarun’, and the last of the traditional tambourine players, Toni Camilleri, ‘It-Tommi’.

“These musicians passed on an invaluable oral tradition… they showed us how the instruments were made and played. They also told us where and when they would play these instruments, the context and their anecdotes.”

A Jew’s harp also known as bijambo.

Many of the band’s traditional instruments were, in fact, made by the original Etnika team with guidance from their exponents and modified over time.

Animals and their skins played a big part in the making and playing of these instruments. The group learned that, for example, the żaqq (Maltese bagpipe) was ideally made from the entire skin of an unborn calf, which due to its size and softness would make an ideal bag or air reservoir for the bagpipe.

A thumb piano or kalimba

“In the absence of a calf, which was precious and expensive, smaller animals like goat or sheep and, sometimes, even a cat, would be used,” Mr Alamango said.

These skins were used not only in bagpipes but also for the friction drum, the żafżafa, and tambourines. In both cases, sheep, goat, cat or fish skin would be used.

“This might seem unacceptable today, but it was part of the rural culture at the time. It was useful and necessary back then,” he pointed out.

Mr Alamango said there is very little or no documentation on the instruments’ origins but that they are possibly inherited from a Siculo-Arab tradition, like għana.

“They are instruments similar to those found in the Mediterranean basin and beyond,” he said.

“Sicily, Tunisia, Libya, Spain, Turkey and other countries have similar counterparts. The playing styles, too, are similar.”

Andrej Vujicic, who plays a host of instruments, said that the most complicated one to make is the żaqq, and that most people find its sound, like that of the żummara, quite abrasive and hard on the ear.

On the other hand, they appreciate the flejguta’s (the cane flute) more calming and melancholic feel.

“Personally, I am really enjoying the tambur and bijambo, the latter being particularly interesting for most audiences as it has a very primal sound also connected to the breath and rhythm,” Mr Vujicic said.

The band also uses a pastizzi tray in its performances.

“There is a familiar sound in the day-to-day life here, which is the sound of pastizzi trays being pulled out, scraped and hit by metal tongs and slammed back into place. We managed to get hold of one and, after thorough cleaning, used it as another texture next to the wooden floor on which [dancer] Francesca Grima performs her footwork.

“You can hear the result in the title track Maddalena,” explained Mr Vujicic, referring to the band’s latest album, Maddalena’s Marvellous Tripfolk Klabb.

Last but not least, among Etnika’s endless list of instruments, is the voice.

Etnika

The band worked with various għannejja and the finest exponents of the folk singing tradition over the years. These include Mikiel Cumbo ‘L-Iżgej’, known for his high-pitched singing or għana fil-għoli, and the late ballad singer and poet Frans Baldacchino “il-Budaj”.

According to Mr Vujicic, the voice is the most primal and intimate instrument and serves as a connection to the origins of folk music.

“In this concert we would like to introduce another texture of the voice, trace back an older sound in order to find a link with the traditional songs, and juxtapose it to our current interpretation,” he said.

Alison Galea (left) with guest singer Mariele Zammit

“We have experimented in the past with these juxtapositions but this time we are interested in it working musically within the latest Etnika sound. Vocalist Alison Galea will be joined by għana singer Mariele Zammit in a few numbers and the rehearsals showed interesting and inspiring results.”

Etnika’s concert will be held tomorrow at the Manoel Theatre at 8.30pm. The performance is supported by Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture. For more information log on to www.musicinmalta.com.

Footwork and percussion

A katuba