Għana (folk music)

Informal Għana#

Throughout its history, informal għana situations frequently occurred among both men and women. The informal sessions shed light on the importance of the music in day-to-day life of the Maltese. The very origins of għana can be traced back to early peasant farmers. A book published in 1838 by Anglican missionary and orientalist George Percy Badger titled Description of Malta and Gozo includes examples of Maltese folk songs, accompanied by his comments, such as to highlight the talent of the Maltese for rhyming. He even describes seeing singers engaged in dialogic singing, who reply to each another in song: I have often stood and listened to individuals seated upon two opposite trees, or engaged in some kind of labour, singing answers to each other in rhyme, without any previous meditation. This the natives call taqbeel. The subjects vary according to circumstances, sometimes partaking of the nature of epic poetry, and sometimes of satire upon the faults of character of each. Professor Philip Ciantar, in his article From the Bar to the Stage puts together the writings of a number of foreign and Maltese scholars who make the claim early għana instances represents both the “simple … life of the Maltese working class”, and the “intact natural environment of the island”. Ciantar argues that the roots of għana are buried deep within traditional Maltese way of life, so much so that the two become synonymous with each other.

Formal Għana#

There are 3 main types of għana: fil-Għoli, tal-Fatt and Spirtu Pront. Għana fil-Għoli, meaning “in the high register”, is also known as tal-Bormliża, taking its name from the city of Bormla where it was popular. A style which uses a lot of melisma, it is both difficult to sing and to understand, and requires a high-pitched voice. Għana tal-Fatt literally means ‘fact’ The oldest documented traditional Maltese song is the ballad “L-Għarusa ta’ Mosta” (‘The Bride of Mosta’), based on events in the 1500s and still sung. Għana tal-Makjetta is a humorous style usually accompanied on the guitar by major chords.

Spirtu Pront#

In Spirtu Pront sessions, two or more għannejja (singers) are paired together and take part in an improvised song duel in the form of duets, with a riposte and counter-riposte (botta u risposta). If four singers are involved, the first will sing with the third, and the second with the fourth. The għannejja then begin discussing the topic. This would either be predetermined, or it will be established during the course of a session, just as a conversation would. Għana is not used to settle personal differences or arguments between singers. The song subjects’ themes themselves are dramatic and grave, even if dealt with wittily. They may be “personal honour, reflections on social values, or political (in the narrow sense of the word)”. Għannejja vie with each other regarding their ability to sing without searching for words. Singers must display their superior knowledge in the topic, while adhering to a number of formal constraints. For instance, their improvised responses must rhyme in a scheme of a-b-c-b, and phrases should be in an 8, 7, 8, 7 syllabic structure. The best għannejja use “metaphors, archaic words, and proverbs”. Occasionally, depending on the għannej, the language used is overtly self-righteous. Ultimately, this type of practice creates tension between competing għannejja. In most cases, the għannejja would be shaking hands with their opponent, similar to a sporting match, showing that what they are saying is only for entertainment and they do not mean to cause any offence. In contemporary Malta, this style of għana is performed by urban working class men mainly in village bars and clubs. Ciantar in an article published in 2000 wrote that “almost no women sing it”. Spirtu pront in particular is so popular that the term għana is sometimes used specifically to refer to this kind of singing by both those involved with the genre and the general public. Sessions are organised on popular feasts, such as Imnarja, and during Maltese ’traditional evenings’ that might be held in the week building up to the village or town festa. It is sometimes broadcast on radio and television, especially on Sunday mornings.

Instrumentation#

The accompaniment is provided by three guitars usually strumming Western influenced tonic to dominant chordal progressions. This gives għana a very unusual sound, not quite Eastern, but not quite Western. The trio of guitarists consists of il-prim, who improvises around traditional motifs, and two daqqaqa akkompanjaturi who play in accompaniment based on simple triads. The prim has to join in with the same type of accompaniment as the others during the singing. Then improvises motifs during the introduction, the conclusion, and during the qalba; the interval between the sung verses giving the next għannej (singer) time to prepare a response to his opponents’ remarks. In the most frequently used ‘La’ accompaniment (akkumpanjament fuq il-La), the strings of the lead guitar will be tuned to E–A–D–G–B–E while those of the second accompanying guitars will be tuned a minor third lower, except for the bottom string: E–F#–B–E–G#–C#. The tone quality of these locally produced guitars is described by Ciantar as “very compact, with very low bass resonance”. Such tuning is through to better facilitate the technical demands imposed on the lead guitarist in the creation of new motifs and variations. Ciantar describes the genre’s common musical structure as: In the introductory section a series of rhythmical and intervallic structures are created and developed; this same rhythmical and melodic material is then reiterated in the second section by both the għannejja and the lead guitarist. The frequent use of syncopation and descent melodic movements, for instance, form part of the formal structure of both the singing and instrumental soloing in the spirtu pront; these are structural elements announced in the introductory section as to establish the style of both għana singing and playing.

Prejjem#

During spirtu pront, the prim begins improvising from a ‘restricted’ repertory of għana motifs. This section is known as the prejjem. These motifs are popular, not only among aficionados, but also outside of the għana community by the general Maltese public. The lead guitarist begins with an introductory section accompanied by the strumming of triadic, diatonic chords provided by the other guitarists. As soon as the former completes his improvisation he joins the other guitarists in the accompaniment based on the tonic and dominant of the established key. The function of this introductory section is to establish the tonality and tempo for the session. Tonality changes from one session to another in a whole performance, depending on what collectively suits the singers.

Famous Għana musicians#

• Fredu Abela “il-Bamboċċu” (1944–2003)
• Mikiel Abela “il-Bambinu” (1920–1991)
• Leli Azzopardi “il-Bugazz” (1928–2003)
• Frans Baldacchino “il-Budaj” (1943–2006)
• Ġużeppi Camilleri “il-Jimmy tal-Fjur” (1917–1994)
• Tony Camilleri “l-Għannej”
• Emmanuele Cilia “Ta’ Napuljun” (1889-1967)
• Salvu Darmanin “ir-Ruġel” (1905–1976)
• Pawlu Degabriele “il-Bies” (1908–1980)
• Grezzju Ellul “ta’ Ċanċa” (1926–1996)
• Sam Farrugia “tal-Carabott” (1933–2002)
• Guzeppi Meli “Ta’ Sika” (1929–2009)
• Żaru Mifsud “l-Għaxqi” (1933–2001)
• Żaren Mifsud “ta’ Vestru” (1924–1999)
• Bastjan Micallef “Ir-Rabti” (1936–2002)
• Toni Pullicino “it-Tullier” (1927–1968)
• Rozina Sciberras “tat-Trott” (1880–1959)
• Fredu Spiteri “l-Everest” (1929–1965)
• Ġammari Spiteri “Amletu” (1907–1962)
• Leli Sultana “Il-Moni” (1921–2003)
• Karmnu Xuereb “In-Namru” (1911–1997)
• Pawlu Seychell “l-Għannej” (1907-1992)
• Ninu Galea “l-Kalora” (1922-2012)

External links#

*From the Bar to the Stage