Composer
Composer and conductor, son of Anton Nani* and Carmela née Mifsud, Paul Nani was born at Valletta. He was educated at St Aloysius College, Birkirkara, and studied Music in Malta under his father and Carlo Fiamingo*, and in Rome under Vincenzo di Donato and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari.
In Rome he composed various scores, amongst them Tristezza (1932). He also conducted some of his works at Castel Sant’Angelo. In 1936, before he returned to Malta he was awarded the diploma ‘Maestri Compositori’ by the Reale Accademia Filarmonica Romana.
In 1936, Nani founded a school of music where harmony, composition, singing, and piano were taught and also a studio for vocal, choral, and instrumental recitals. Many of these recitals were broadcast on Rediffusion. In 1936 he was appointed maestro di canto at the Royal Opera House, Valletta.
In 1938, Paul Nani’s friend, Dr Albert Laferla*, Director of Education gave the permission to Nani to use a hall at the Auberge d’Aragon for concerts. In fact Nani was also commissioned to conduct orchestral concerts at the Auberge D’Aragon by the Malta Symphony Orchestra. He composed the accompaniment for orchestra for Robert Sammut’s* motiv.
Oliver Friggieri in his book L-Istorja tal-Innu Malti Kif sar u xi Jfisser highlighted the important roles played by two personalities in giving the Innu its present musical form. One was Paul Nani.
Albert Laferla, who was actually Nani’s Valletta neighbour, had appointed him director of music for schools. Robert Samut had only written the tune and it was Nani who proceeded to write the full orchestral harmonisation in 1938 at the request of Laferla himself. The other was Vincenzo Ciappara who, in 1936, at the request of the King’s Own Band Club, wrote down the adaptation for a band. The anthem was given official recognition on February 27, 1941.
In 1939 Nani founded the Malta Symphony Orchestra, and was appointed music lecturer by the British Council.
Nani was maestro di cappella of several churches, including St Paul Shipwrecked, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, and of the Mosta, Naxxar, Balzan, and Mdina parishes.
In 1940 Nani was commissioned by the British Institute to conduct a number of representations of The Gondoliers at the Royal Theatre.
In June 1944 he presented various pieces from his personal compositions, amongst them ‘Malta War Symphony’.
Nani conducted several times in England and Italy, besides regular appearances in Malta where he remained active well into old age.
In 1936 he married Lucy née Degiorgio.
He died in 1986 bequeathing the Nani music archives to the Mdina Cathedral Museum.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.