Historical research provides ample proof confirming the opening statement in Henry Camilleri's letter (The Sunday Times, March 28), namely that "there is evidence that Filippo Galea, son of Angelo and bandmaster of British regimental bands, had founded a band at Żebbuġ in 1851". Such research includes both the Żebbuġ parish archives and various interviews with people whose relatives were directly involved in the band of 1851, which went by the name of Banda di San Filippo.

Mr Camilleri queried whether the founder of this band was the mentioned Filippo Galea or a namesake. To dispel such doubts may I point out the following:

1. The Filippo Galea in question is often referred to as Mro Filippo Galea in the parish archives. Of the various men bearing this name in the mid-19th century Żebbuġ, only one is referred to as "maestro".

2. At the funeral of Mro Filippo Galea, son of Angelo... in 1901, officials of the Banda di San Filippo participated, and its musical director Mro Alessandro Agius and many of its bandsmen played. This in spite of the fact that during the previous 40 years the society had had no formal ties with Mro Galea. Had he not been a special person to the band, a formal representation of two or three officials from the society would have been enough to give respects to a fellow Żebbuġi.

So how come he is still indicated as receiving payment for services rendered by "his" band during periods when he was abroad? First of all, Filippo Galea gave receipts for such payments in May 1856, 1857 and 1858.

He was appointed bandmaster with the 57th Infantry Regiment in 1857 and was stationed in Malta till May 1858, when he left for India with his regiment.

Afterwards, other people who were closely involved with the band (like Gaetano Attard, Antonio Pisani and others) sometimes appear on the books collecting payments due for the services of the band of Mro F. Galea, the Banda di San Filippo. However, some of the curators of secondary feasts kept mentioning Filippo Galea in their written cash-book entries when referring to payments made to "his" band. Why? Because the band was so closely associated with him that many people kept referring to it by the name of its founder for several years after his departure from Malta.

To start a band at a time when illiteracy reigned supreme shows that young Mro Galea was endowed with a measure of scholarly genius. Surely, he was not the same illiterate Filippo Galea providing the carob leaves, as Mr Camilleri rightly implies in his concluding sentence. Documented evidence leaves no room for doubt.