Carlo Diacono
Carlo Diacono (1 April 1876 – 15 June 1942) was a Maltese composer and church musician. The son of a musician, he was born in Żejtun, south east Malta and from 1892 to 1902 studied composition with Paolino Vassallo, choosing to stay in Malta rather than study abroad.[1] He was appointed maestro di cappella at Mdina Cathedral and (in 1923) at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, both positions following Vassallo. A breakthrough work was the opera L’Alpino of 1918, premiered at Valletta’s Royal Opera House.[2] It was revived in a concert performance at the Manoel Theatre in January 2025.[3]
Diacono composed much church and choral music - such as the oratorio St Paul (1913), Messa de Requiem (1914), Il Cantico di Frate Sole (1927), Laudate Pueri (1937) and the Messa di Gloria in E flat (1938) - but there are also some orchestral and chamber music works. His Chopinesque Fantasie-Impromptu (1928) for solo piano has been recorded by Charlene Farrugia.[4]
Diacono died at Lija in June 1942, aged 66. He was married to Maria Cannataci. His son Frankie Diacono (1914-1999) succeeded him as a composer and church musician.[1]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Joseph Vella Bondin. 'Diacono, Carlo', in Grove Music Online (2001)
- ^ Ateş Orga. Notes to Melita: Maltese Piano Music, Grand Piano CD GP949 (2025)
- ^ 'Carlo Diacono’s opera ‘l’Alpino’ at the Manoel Theatre this month', Times of Malta, 19 January, 2025
- ^ MusicWeb International, 1 April, 2025
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