Composer
The son of Dr Paolo Nani* and Maddalena née Cuschieri, Antonio was born at Valletta. He was the fourth generation of the well-known family of illustrious musicians who settled in Malta during the reign of Grandmaster Emanuel Pinto.
He started his studies under his father, and Don Giuseppe Burlon*, and later under Padre Giuseppe Spiteri Fremond*. It was under Spiteri Fremond that Antonio started composing his first compositions, all written in 1862. In July 1867 he left for Naples for a five-year course at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Maiella, under Aniello Barbati and Nicolo De Giosa. During his stay in Naples, Nani composed the magnificent Subvenite sancti Dei, the responsory that precedes the Mass for the Dead. He composed the majority of his mature works while residing in Naples. Works meant for for the liturgy like his Responsori del Mercoledi Santo and Responsori del Giovedi Santo, composed for Passion Week, Messa del Naufragio, Messa da Requiem, Responsori dei Morti, O Salutaris Hostia and Laudate Pueri have music of the opera house or concert hall.
His first opera: Zorilla in three acts (with lyrics by Almerindo Spadetta), was presented for the first time at Teatro Rossini on the 22 February 1872.
After his return to Malta, Nani was appointed maestro di cappella of a number of churches, including of St Paul Shipwrecked, and of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta. Later he was also appointed maestro di cappella of Balzan, Żejtun, Tarxien and Si;;iewi parish churches. He was also director of the orchestra of Teatro Reale (1878-1889), and later he assumed the responsibility as impresario of the same theatre. Nani was the founder-president of the ‘Camera degli Autori e Compositori di Musica maltesi’.
Although Antonio Nani cannot be considered as prolific composer, he composed some of the most attractive music in the Maltese musical heritage. His Missa pro Defunctis (1879) won a gold medal at the London exhibition. He also composed three operas, all successfully staged at the Royal Opera House, Valletta. These were Zorilla, Agnese Visconti, and I Cavalieri di Malta. The opera Agnese Visconti was performed for the first time on 13 January 1889 and was an immediate success. Between February and March this was performed four times.
In 1889 he took over Giovanni Lebrun’s music establishment.
Nani’s Requiem Mass, Missa pro Defunctis, considered as his masterpiece, dated 18 February 1879, was performed for the first time at his mother’s funeral on 10 March 1879 at St Paul’s Parish church. This was performed again in his funeral. It was not performed again until revived by the Chorus Melitensis in 1972.
At the age of 61, Nani married Carmela née Mifsud on 2 July 1904, and they had two children, amongst them Paul, who like his father continued the family tradition.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.