Who was Filippo Galea from Żebbuġ?

There is evidence that Filippo Galea, son of Angelo and bandmaster of British regimental bands, had founded a band at Żebbuġ in 1851.

Robert Mifsud Bonnici, writing in Il-Berqa of May 17, 1961, saw no need for verification. Likewise, Joseph Vella Bondin in his book Il-Mużika ta' Malta fis-Sekli Dsatax u Għoxrin Kullana Kulturali (2000), Vol. 19 p. 98, writes enthusiastically about the noted bandmaster's efforts at Żebbuġ in 1851.

Recently, I carried out research at the archives of the Żebbuġ parish church and found that a certain Filippo Galea and his 'band' performed in 1849 during the feast of our Lady of the Rosary (Esito del S.S. Rosario), from 1858 to 1861, and again in 1871 during the feast of St Philip (Esito Lampade, Libro B) and in 1862 during the feast of the Quarant 'ore (Esito Confraternita Sagramento 1855).

The first of these performances reveals that Filippo's 'band' was already in existence in 1849.

But this Filippo Galea playing at Żebbuġ in the years mentioned cannot be the well-known bandmaster Filippo Galea, son of Angelo, for the simple reason that in 1849 he was in Corfu playing in his father's regimental band; from 1858 to 1861 he was in India, and from 1861 to 1863 in New Zealand with the 57th regiment, and again in India from 1868 to1872 with the 8th regiment as we learn from his biography Biografia Artistica del Maestro Filippo Galea written with the collaboration of Filippo himself and published during his lifetime in 1889.

So, who was this Filippo Galea playing with his 'band' in various religious processions in mid-19th century Żebbuġ? Hard to say, but I came across two entries in the register Esito Confraternita Sagramento 1860, 1861 where a certain Filippo Galea, with a family nickname 'ta' Cacion,' received a couple of scudi for a few sacks of carob leaves to be used for covering the church floor on special occasions.

What is certain is that he could barely sign his name as can be seen in the 1858 receipt which appears in Libro Ricevute della Veneranda Lampada 1855-59. The same cannot be said of his namesake (right) signing the entry in his diary regarding his voyage from India to New Zealand.