Published by Routledge as part of the Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series, Studies in Maltese Popular Music examines the diverse facets of popular music in Malta, paying special attention to għana (Malta’s folk song), the wind band tradition, and modern popular music.

The book provides intriguing discussions and examples of how this music interrelates with other aspects of Maltese life and culture such as language, religion, history, customs, and politics.

Through a series of ethnographic vignettes, the book explores the music as it takes place in bars, at festivals, and during village celebrations, and considers how it is talked about in the local press, group gatherings, and on social media. Furthermore, it examines how all this impacts on the way this music is produced, transmitted, and consumed within an endless array of personal and institutional interests. The ethnography adopted is that of a native musician and ethnomusicologist and therefore blends the author’s memories with ongoing observations and their evaluation.

Dr Ciantar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Music Studies, School of Performing Arts.

His publications include The Ma'luf in Contemporary Libya: An Arab Andalusian Musical Tradition (Ashgate 2012; Routledge 2016), as well as various articles in ethnomusicology and entries in leading music encyclopedias.

Hb: 978-0-367- 64848-0 | eBook: 978-1-003-12654-6. 

You can purchase the book via the Routledge website. Use code SMPM230 on the publisher's website for a 35% discount at checkout.