Photo: A. Borg Cardona

In her stupendous publication Musical Instruments of the Maltese Islands (Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2014), Anna Borg Cardona reported that a man from Xewkija, known as Il-Ganajx, in 1994 made an instrument called karabazza after imitating an instrument seen in an old photograph.

She also reported that when asked what was the instrument called he replied: “Il-karabazza is a good name for it after a man known as il-Karabazza” (page 46).

Then she recalled the ‘legend’ of that man who donated all his money to his children, only for them to hit him with a mallet.

The karabazza was not named after a man, as Il-Ganajx said. In fact, it was originally an old Gozitan folk instrument, most probably copied from nearby Sicily, which Il-Ganajx had resuscitated.

It is mentioned in one of the folktales published by Joseph Cassar Pullicino, entitled Stejjer ta’ Niesna (DOI, 1967 – Folktales of Our People), which, incidentally, was mentioned by Borg Cardona herself in her bibliography.

As far as I know there was no such man nicknamed Karabazza in Gozo, though he might have been referred to as Tal-Karabazza.

The beating of the old man with a mallet, as recounted in the old Gozitan folktale, was not to be taken literally, but only figuratively, meaning that his children, after distributing to them all his money, treated him very badly.

Here is the old folk rhyme:

Mazza Karabazza,
Tajtkom ġidi f’ħajti
U tajtuni bil-mazza.

(A mallet, called Karabazza, I have given you my wealth when still alive, and you hit me with a mallet.)

One last remark. Damdam and Imrietel are modern names coined by people from the larger island who had never seen a karabazza before.

Therefore, it is a real pity if it is true, as Borg Cardona has reported, that “the majority seem to have settled for Id-Damdam”.