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'''Frans Baldacchino''' "''il-Budaj''" (1943-2006) was one of the leading Maltese traditional folksingers, known as [[għannejja]]. Born in Żejtun in 1943, he was known for his harmonius voice and his lyrical wit.  
'''Frans Baldacchino l-Budaj''' (1943-2006) [[File:Frans Baldacchino Il-Budaj.jpg|330px|thumb|right|Frans Baldacchino l-Budaj.]] was one of the leading Maltese traditional folksingers, known as ''għannejja''. Born in Żejtun on the 16th May, 1943, living in ''Tal-Parenta'' area he was known for his harmonius voice and his lyrical wit. At the age of seven years he already felt the poetic muse.


[[File:Frans Baldacchino Il-Budaj.jpg|230px|thumb|right|Frans Baldacchino]]


Featuring in many folk festivals in Malta and Australia his, together with [[Karmenu Bonnici il-Baħri]] in the French album ''Inedit Malte: Ballades et joutes chantées''. This album includes the traditional ballad [[Il-Għarusa tal-Mosta]]. He also collaborated with [[Mannie Casha]], an għana researcher and musician residing in Australia, towards the release of the album ''Tila''.
Featuring in many folk festivals in Malta and Australia his, together with [[Karmenu Bonnici l-Baħri]] in the 1992 French album ''Inedit Malte: Ballades et joutes chantées''. This album includes the traditional ballad ''Il-Għarusa tal-Mosta''. This was the first għana album on compact disc, mainly due to the interest shown by folklorist [[Charles Coleiro]]. He has also sung a number of other ballads, including ''Il-Maltin ta' New Caledonia'' at Mġarr, Gozo in 1991. One is unsure if this is the same ballad written by Frank Zammit, or an original by Baldacchino.


In 2001 he wrote the lyrics of the winning song "Tisimgħu Tissaħħar" in the [[L-Għanja tal-Poplu]] festival, which he sung with [[Priscilla Psaila]]. Through his artistic partecipation in such festivals he was engaging a new audience that had hitherto being maligned to traditional folksinging. Other than being considered as an intellectual within the folksinging community, he was also a naive artist and published a book entitled ''Imrieżaq ta' Moħħi''.
He also collaborated with [[Mannie Casha]], an ''għana'' researcher and musician residing in Australia, towards the release of the album ''Tila''. To the guitar music of Mannie Casha, he has also folk sung three other ballads, ''L-Għanja tal-Mediterran'', ''L-Għanja tal-Għażeb'' and ''L-Għanja tal-Għid il-Kbir''.


Baldacchino was a regular participant in [[Etnika]]'s annual projects, including [[Bumbum]] in 2003, [[Il-Ħolma Ġgantija]] in 2004 and [[Żażu Klabb]] in 2005. His funeral mass in Żejtun, attended by the President of Malta Fenech Adami, was not without commotion, climaxing when four folksingers stalled the funeral procession by singing improvised verse in his honour on the church parvis.
In 2001 he wrote the lyrics of the winning song "Tisimgħu Tissaħħar" in the [[L-Għanja tal-Poplu]] festival, which he sung with [[Priscilla Psaila]]. Through his artistic partecipation in such festivals he was engaging a new audience that had hitherto being maligned to traditional folk singing.  


[[File:Frans Baldacchino Il-Budaj monument in Zejtun.jpg|170px|thumb|left|Frans Baldacchino's monument in Luqa Briffa Garden, Żejtun.]]
Other than being considered as an intellectual within the folksinging community, he was also a naive artist and published a book entitled ''Imrieżaq ta' Moħħi'' in 1995. Another publication was his epic poem ''Lejn l-Art u s-Sema'', in 2004.
 
[[File:Picture 293.jpg|330px|thumb|right|Frans Baldacchino during an Etnika rehearsal.]]
 
Baldacchino was a regular participant in [[Etnika]]'s annual projects, including ''Bumbum'' in 2003, ''Il-Ħolma Ġgantija'' in 2004 and ''Żażu Klabb'' in 2005 and was open to innovation and new trends in ''għana''.
 
[[File:Frans Baldacchino Il-Budaj monument in Zejtun.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Frans Baldacchino's monument in Luqa Briffa Garden, Żejtun.]]
 
As with Madredeus in fado and Paco de Lucia in flamenco, this dilution of cross-genre music with Maltese folk music brought him new fans, who had never bothered with improvised verse, but also an element of scorn, even if subtle from the traditionalists.
 
 
An excerpt from his popular ''Lament'', recorded in Etnika's 2003 album [[Żifna]] ran as:
 
 
  ''''Dik l-imħabba lejn kull ħlejqa
  Imħabba mas-sess oppost
  U fejn ma ssibhix issaltan
  Dak l-ambjent ikun bla gost
 
  Jien kelli f'idi t-tama
  Malli l-ħajja tkun għaddiet
  L-imħabba eterna tibqa
  Fil-belt sbejħa tas-smewwiet''''
 
 
 
He passed away on the 21st June 2006. His funeral mass in Żejtun, attended by the President of Malta Fenech Adami, was not without commotion, climaxing when four folksingers stalled the funeral procession by singing improvised verse in his honour on the church parvis.


A full size monument for him, designed by sculptor Anton Agius, was inaugurated in Luqa Briffa Garden in his hometown in 2008.  
A full size monument for him, designed by sculptor Anton Agius, was inaugurated in Luqa Briffa Garden in his hometown in 2008.  


==External links==
==External links==


* [http://manuelcasha.com/Tila%20english.html Article on ''Tila'' album with Mannie Casha]
* [http://manuelcasha.com/Tila%20english.html Article on ''Tila'' album with Mannie Casha]
* [http://www.allmalta.com/ghana/fame19.html Hall of Fame page on John Cassar's allmalta.com]
* [http://www.allmalta.com/ghana/fame19.html Page on John Cassar's site]
* [http://wirtizzejtun.com/2012/06/21/ghannejja-frans-baldacchino-il-budaj]
* [http://wirtizzejtun.com/2012/06/21/ghannejja-frans-baldacchino-il-budaj Wirt Iż-Żejtun article.]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SzIGWbKvEdA]
* [http://manuelcasha.com/Tislima%20lil%20Budaj.html Tislima lill-Budaj minn Mannie Casha.]
 
==See also==
[[:Category:Budaj Photos]]


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldacchino,Frans l-Budaj}}


[[Category:A-Z of the Malta Music Scene]]
[[Category:A-Z of the Malta Music Scene]]
[[Category:Singers from Malta]]
[[Category:Singers from Malta]]
[[Category:Għannejja]]
[[Category:Għannejja]]
[[Category:Born in 1943]]
[[Category:Died in 2006]]
[[Category:Died in 2006]]

Revision as of 06:19, 1 March 2016

Frans Baldacchino l-Budaj (1943-2006)

Frans Baldacchino l-Budaj.

was one of the leading Maltese traditional folksingers, known as għannejja. Born in Żejtun on the 16th May, 1943, living in Tal-Parenta area he was known for his harmonius voice and his lyrical wit. At the age of seven years he already felt the poetic muse.


Featuring in many folk festivals in Malta and Australia his, together with Karmenu Bonnici l-Baħri in the 1992 French album Inedit Malte: Ballades et joutes chantées. This album includes the traditional ballad Il-Għarusa tal-Mosta. This was the first għana album on compact disc, mainly due to the interest shown by folklorist Charles Coleiro. He has also sung a number of other ballads, including Il-Maltin ta' New Caledonia at Mġarr, Gozo in 1991. One is unsure if this is the same ballad written by Frank Zammit, or an original by Baldacchino.

He also collaborated with Mannie Casha, an għana researcher and musician residing in Australia, towards the release of the album Tila. To the guitar music of Mannie Casha, he has also folk sung three other ballads, L-Għanja tal-Mediterran, L-Għanja tal-Għażeb and L-Għanja tal-Għid il-Kbir.

In 2001 he wrote the lyrics of the winning song "Tisimgħu Tissaħħar" in the L-Għanja tal-Poplu festival, which he sung with Priscilla Psaila. Through his artistic partecipation in such festivals he was engaging a new audience that had hitherto being maligned to traditional folk singing.

Other than being considered as an intellectual within the folksinging community, he was also a naive artist and published a book entitled Imrieżaq ta' Moħħi in 1995. Another publication was his epic poem Lejn l-Art u s-Sema, in 2004.

Frans Baldacchino during an Etnika rehearsal.

Baldacchino was a regular participant in Etnika's annual projects, including Bumbum in 2003, Il-Ħolma Ġgantija in 2004 and Żażu Klabb in 2005 and was open to innovation and new trends in għana.

Frans Baldacchino's monument in Luqa Briffa Garden, Żejtun.

As with Madredeus in fado and Paco de Lucia in flamenco, this dilution of cross-genre music with Maltese folk music brought him new fans, who had never bothered with improvised verse, but also an element of scorn, even if subtle from the traditionalists.


An excerpt from his popular Lament, recorded in Etnika's 2003 album Żifna ran as:


 'Dik l-imħabba lejn kull ħlejqa
 Imħabba mas-sess oppost
 U fejn ma ssibhix issaltan
 Dak l-ambjent ikun bla gost
 
 Jien kelli f'idi t-tama
 Malli l-ħajja tkun għaddiet
 L-imħabba eterna tibqa 
 Fil-belt sbejħa tas-smewwiet'


He passed away on the 21st June 2006. His funeral mass in Żejtun, attended by the President of Malta Fenech Adami, was not without commotion, climaxing when four folksingers stalled the funeral procession by singing improvised verse in his honour on the church parvis.

A full size monument for him, designed by sculptor Anton Agius, was inaugurated in Luqa Briffa Garden in his hometown in 2008.




External links

See also

Category:Budaj Photos