When the Maltese national anthem was barred by closing the Royal Theatre

Abstract

On November 5, 2006 the author of this newspaper article had written an article on the true genesis of L’Innu Malti culled from a letter written by Blanche Laferla, wife of Dr Albert Laferla. According to a note in his scrapbook, it was written for the ‘Dominies’, the Teachers’ Theatrical Society, by ‘Prof. C. Psaila’, music by ‘Prof. R. Samut’. Accompanying this feature is a charming caricature of Robert Samut painted in Paris by Henry E. Davie in 1914. The names of Samut and Davie are both on the list of members of the Malta Art Amateur Association published on February 25, 1909. The works of this painter and cartoonist connected with Malta have been recorded in the encyclopaedia of artists published a few months ago.