Giuseppe Balzano

Giuseppe Balzano was a Maltese composer born in Valletta in 1616 and died in Mdina in 1700. Ordained a priest in Catania in 1640, he spent almost his entire musical career at the cathedral of Mdina, where he served as choirmaster from 1661, thus placing him at the centre of the island's religious musical life.

He remained in the post until his retirement in 1699, with two breaks, from 1665 to 1669 and from 1673 to 1674, periods during which he may have travelled to Naples to complete his training. His earliest dated work is the Beatus Vir of 1652, regarded as the earliest surviving composition by a named Maltese author.

An inventory from around 1707 lists some 180 sacred vocal pieces, including 18 masses, 64 psalms, 32 hymns and 32 motets. Almost all include basso continuo, some add violins, and one unusually employs timpani. The surviving works show great technical skill, both in the practice of his own time and in the polyphony of the sixteenth century. His younger brother, Domenico, succeeded him at Mdina.