Etnika

Etnika is one of Malta's leading modern folk bands founded in 2000.

The four founder members were composer Ruben Żahra (son of Trevor Żahra), traditional instrument maker Ġużi Gatt, researcher Steve Borġ and musician Andrew Alamango. Their main task was to present a revival of old traditional Maltese instruments, at times, with a fusion with contemporary ones.

In 2000 Etnika released their first album, entitled Nafra Their second album 'Zifna' was released in 2003 and depicts the sentiment of the island nation with its cross cultural mediterranean influences.

Their efforts were rewarded by the Award of Music Achievement in the 2001 Malta Music Awards, held in Ta'Qali.

The beginning

In 1999, researcher Steve Borġ, identified a collection of old Maltese melodies at King's College London. These melodies had been published by Welshman Edward Jones, formerly the bard to the Prince of Wales, around 1807. Borġ made the melodies public through Etnika in 2000 at the official launch of an exhibition on traditional Maltese instruments. Jones, born in Bala North Wales, is attributed to having collected hundreds of Welsh melodies during his walks around the principality.

At the same time composer Ruben Zahra was returning to Malta following years of academic studies at the Conservatorio di Musica di Frosinone, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.

Meanwhile folklorist Guzi Gatt was intrigued by an article written well over twenty years before about the demise of the Maltese bagpipe, the żaqq.

In 1977 two British students, J.K. Partridge and Frank Jeal, published their research, entitled 'The Maltese Żaqq', in The Galpin Society Journal. It remains one of the most scholarly and informative works written in this instrument to date. Other than describing the żaqq 's musical abilities, the authors also claimed that "The Maltese, with few notable exceptions, show little interest in their own folk culture, and any artificial attempts at revival seem unlikely to succeed. It seems sad that an island that can boast an excellent Scots pipe band, can find no room to preserve, perhaps even develop, its own native bagpipe."

Gatt sought ==The Maltese traditional instruments==

The Etnika project also aimed at resuscitating traditional Maltese instruments that had fallen out of use and presenting these forgotten soundscapes to Maltese society, with an aim to raise national consciousness.

These instruments included the flejguta (cane whistle flute), the żummara (single reed pipe), the tanbur (frame drum), the żafżava (friction drum) and the żaqq (Maltese bagpipe).out Toni Cachia Il-Ħammarun from Naxxar, one of Malta's remaining Maltese bagpipe builders and musicians. Well into his eighties, he had been playing the traditional instrument since the late 1920s. Cachia agreed to help Gatt in his quest of saving the żaqq from extinction.

The Maltese traditional instruments

The Etnika project also aimed at resuscitating traditional Maltese instruments that had fallen out of use and presenting these forgotten soundscapes to Maltese society, with an aim to raise national consciousness.

These instruments included the flejguta (cane whistle flute), the żummara (single reed pipe), the tanbur (frame drum), the żafżava (friction drum) and the żaqq (Maltese bagpipe).