Francesco Sultana and the Maltese Bagpipe

Francesco Sultana - Traditional Music Artisan

We first met Francesco Sultana after searching for the most unique musical experiences in the Maltese Islands. He had been previously featured in a national newspaper some years prior so we had some background information on him. His music interest developed from the local village feasts and gradually evolved into local bands delving from world music to alternative music. He wasn’t aware of Maltese instruments such as the Maltese Bagpipe or flutes until 2013 where is interest peaked through a university course in music. “The Maltese Bagpipe fascinated me as I had never seen anything like it, nor heard. So the fact that it was practically extinct and to acquire one, it had to be manufactured from scratch set me on a path of self challenge to try and succeed.”

Along the way, he got accustomed to its sound and drawn in to its unique cultural value. “It takes time to get used to such a loud and ‘in your face’ sound of the Maltese Bagpipe, but once you do, you can truly appreciate an idea of our forefathers’ music.”

People will often tout traditional music in countries but we posed this question to Francesco. “I guess what really makes an instrument traditional is how popular it is, versus how much it has been used for that particular instance. For example, if the tradition of Maltese wedding music, keeps on being a deejay for decades, and that becomes the new norm, for me it means that the current traditional music of a Maltese wesding, is the deejay. So with the same reasoning, if the Maltese żaqq (bagpipe) was used by rural farmers and buskers every year for making music at Christmas, carnival, and Mnarja feast, the żaqq became an instrument associated with these feasts and hence earning its place in tradition and custom.”

He sees a slow but gradual revival of these instruments “hopefully” in the future, especially when actual new music will be released that’s tailor made for such instruments. “I hope to be able to record a purpose made album for such instruments in the coming years.”

Francesco’s primary full time work is as a restorer of art objects, which greatly familiarized him with hands on work and crafting of reconstruction. Apart from that, he plays other instruments other than Maltese traditional ones alongside riding his mountain bike in the Maltese countryside.

We asked Francesco about his other hobbies. “My absolute favourite thing to do in Malta, is being outdoors surrounded by the sea, nature and cliffs during sunset time, or an awesome countryside viewpoint. I find it very peaceful and relaxing.”

See more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBTuXZ02ieo

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Guests of Exclusively Malta can learn more about Francesco and his traditional instrument passion first hand with a one on one experience.