User:AmanteSant

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Hello! My name is Amante Sant. I attended the M3P inaugural symposium and found it very interesting. This prompted me to share some of my memories of the Malta music scene during my lifetime.

I was mildly active as an amateur singer in the 1950s and 1960s as well as a musician in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, playing guitar and mandolin with a group called The Fret Spots.

As I am now in my 80s, I prefer to write in Maltese as this helps me remember things better. So most of what I will write here will probably be in Maltese. I'm sure that other M3P users will be interested in translating some of my writing in Maltese into English so that it conforms with M3P's editorial policy.

I have some photos of me playing guitar with friends and singing with Johnny Vassallo's band a the Chalet in Sliema and Rockyvale in St Julians, as well as others, that I hope to scan and share with you soon.

                                       Titkiriet   Musikali      

Jien dejjem kont inhobb inkanta u sintendi kont inhobb nisma il-kant ukoll, pero l’iktar meta kont nisma fuq ir-radju ta’ missieri li kien Telfunken u kien kbir u tqil mhux hazin li wara il-gwerra kien ghadu xi’haga rari, dan qed nghid ghas sena 1947,mhux bhal-lum, missieri kien ukoll ihobb il-musika u id-dar dejjem kellna ghalmenu li naf jien u minn meta sirt konxju tal-musika madwarna kelnna id-dar gramofon li biex id-doqq kont trid ittigha l-habel u barra hekk kont li kull tlett diki trid tbiddel il-labra ghax inkella tibda ittextex u wkoll tghamel hsara lid-diska ghax kienet tisponta ghalekk il-labar missieri kien jixtrihom bil-kaxxa tal-mija jew hamsin li gieli kienu jsaddu wkoll u kont trid tnaddafom qabel tuzhom. Id-diski dak iz-zmien kienu 78 rpm u b’qies ta 10 pulziri u kienu fragili li jekk taqghalek tinkiser jew tinqasam fi tnejn, li kellna ahna kienet tal-kewba,wara kien xtara gabinett li kien kien jahdem bl’elettriku u bil-pick-up player Li go fih kien hemm ir-radju li semmejt fuq, pero kellhu hoss tajjeb Il-bicca il-kbira kienu ta tenuri u soprani ghax missieri dawk lizjed li kien ihobb specialment aria mill opri kellna xi Opra jew 2 shah fuq diski 78…niftakar li kellna diska li kienet minn naha wahda lixxa u n-naha l-ohra Musika li kien jisimha ‘Rule Brittanja’ U minn fuq dan ir-radju meta missieri ma kienx ikun hemm kont nisma hafna diski minn fuq l’AFN li kien stazzjon tal American Forces Network li kien ixandar mill-Germanja Fejn dak iz-zmien diga kienu qed jghamlu il-Programm ‘Top 10’ niftakar xi diski fit-top 10 ta dak iz-zmiem bhal- Civilization – Don’t Fence me in – You are my Sunshine – Cabaret and Mimi’- Rose Marie I love You – Prisoner of Love – Amapola – Near You etc. Meta kont nisma dawn ic-diski u ohrajn kien ikun ghalija lisbah serata niftakar li kont nintilef meta nisma ir-radju u kont dejjem nitghallem songs godda u kont noqghod inkanta wahdi jew mal-hbieb pero liktar kanzunetti li dejjem kienu jghogbuni kienu il-Love Songs ballads ghax kienu jkunu sentimentali u fihom expressjonijiet sbieh allavolja gieli kienu jkunu ta qsim il-qalb!!!!

Missieri kien ihobb hafna il-kanzunetti taljani u kien jixtri hafna diski, ta’Carlo Buti,  Gino Bechi, Begniamino Gigli, kien wiehed mill-favoriti tieghu,   Jien kont allura nixtri diski Bl’inglis u l’favorit tieghi kienu Nat King Cole u Frank Sinatra, kont kwazi nitghallem is’songs kollha tieghu ghax kienu kantati bil-‘feeling’  u mill-qalb. Kont nixtri wkoll xi diski  taljani tal-kantant Taljan Natalino Otto..

Lewwel darba li kantajt fil-pubbliku kien ir-Rockyvale 1948, il-lum il-jismu it-Tigulio li hu mghaluq ukoll Ir-Rockyvale kien post sabieh hafna hemm ‘Skating Ring’ fejn wiehed kien jista jiskejtja bli-skates tar-roti u kont thallas xelin fis siegha…..u sixpens ghaz-zarbun jekk ma tuzax tieghek. fuq art tas siment, kien hemm habib tieghi jismu Joe Formosa li kien jiehu hsieb tal-iskates u kien isewwihom ukoll ghax dejjem bxi hsara jien kont inhobb niskejzja ukoll u darba niftakar li nqalghatli rota pero ma weggajtx gieli ukoll li lghabt il-hokey on skates imma darba weggajt u ma komplejtx…..id-dawra kienet kbira . mhux hazin Magemba xi 4 piedi l-isfel kien hemm is-sala tas-sfin li kella art bil-madum u mdawra bl’imwejjed u siggijiet sa kemm tibda id-doqq il-banda kienu jdoqqu id-diski minn fuq il-loud speakers u liktar diska li kellom ghal qalbi kienet “The Old Lamplighter’ li kont tghallimta blamment u li ghadna nafa sal-lum…..kien ikun hemm baned differenti idoqqu Imma wahda li kont inhobb kienet ‘The Joyful Swingers’ta’Johnny Vassallo li kien idoqq l’alto sax u l-klarinett u li kellu lill hutu Giusi idoqq il-Pjanu u huh il-kbir Frank li kien idoqq il-Kuntrabaxx. L-ohrajn li kienu parti mis-‘ Sextet’ kienu Pawlu Grech ‘Pi’pi’ ’ fuq id-drums ,li rajtu il-gimgha l’ohra, ghar id-dud mal- mara issa ghandu mat-80 sena…Mike Xuereb li kien fuq it-Tenor Sax, ‘Toni bis- Sax li kien suldat u jdoqq mal- Banda tal- Army,li ma kellux udit u jekk tnehhilu il-karta tal-musika kien jintilef ( Dan kien ha post fil banda flok Mike Xuereb’,u Joe minn ghalija fuq 3rd’alto u Salvu fuq il-Kurunetta.. Kien is-sajf tas-sena 1948 kelli xi 18 il-sena meta saqsejt lill Johnny biex inkanta wahda u dan ma qallix le, u nahseb li lewwel song kienet ‘Blue Moon’ qal li ghogobtu u minn dak inhar ghamilt karriera inkanta mal-Banda tieghu minn hemm morna ix-Chalet Ghar id-Dud fejn kien hemm Ganni Fiteni ta’Borg Bonaci tal-Belt kont ghal qalbi hafna inkanta hemm, talli nkanta, gieli tawni xi flixkun Luminata!!! Kienet tigi wahda ingliza li kien jisimha Betty Shreeve u din kella lehena sabieh u kien ghad ghanda16 il-sena din kella missiera stazzjonat Malta u gieli kantajt xi dwett mahha bhal ‘People will say were in Love’ jew Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps. kien hemm xi kantanti ohra bhal ‘Kalapaj’ li kellu vuci sabieha baritonali u kien ihobb ikanta ‘Finestra al Lucevere’ jew O Sole Mio . Jien ma kontx inkanta kanzunetti Taljani pero inglizi biss imma dejjem hajruni ghax kien ikollom melodija sabieha u kont naf ftit li xejn bit-taljan pero il-kanzunetta ‘Verde Luna’ kont inhobba hafna Wara li rajt il-Film Blood and Sand ta’ Tyrone Powell u Rita Hayworth li kienet kantata fil-film ‘Green Moon’ bl’inglis. U minn hemm bdejt nitghallem xi kanzunetta taljana u lewwel wahda li kantajt bit-taljan kienet ‘M’hai Fatto Tanto Male” tal-kantant li dak iz-zmien kien popolari hafna Natalino Otto , L’iktar li kont nitghallem xi kanzunetti taljani kien specialment meta kienu jghamlu il-‘Festival ta’San Remo’, wahda mill-ewwel kanzunetti li kont inhobb inkanta kienet ‘Addormentarmi Cosi’ ghax kont inhossa hafna u kienet ghal qalbi.w ohra pero bl’inglis likont inhobb inkanta kienet ‘Autumn Leaves’