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.Joseph Vella Bondin. 'Diacono, Carlo', in Grove Music Online (2001) 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.Ateş Orga. Notes to Melita: Maltese Piano Music, Grand Piano CD GP949 (2025) It was revived in a concert performance at the Manoel Theatre in January 2025.'Carlo Diacono’s opera ‘l’Alpino’ at the Manoel Theatre this month', Times of Malta, 19 January 2025
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.MusicWeb International, 1 April, 2025
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.
External links Carlo Diacono: L’Alpino, Opera Today Intermezzo from l'Alpino, YouTube
References