Benigno Zerafa – Life Timeline
Source: Aquilina, F. (2016). Benigno Zerafa (1726-1804) and the Neapolitan Galant Style. Boydell Press.
Birth
Benigno, son of Nicola Zerafa a surgeon and Teresa Lombardo both from Rabat, was born on 25 August 1726. He was Baptised on the same day in the Cathedral Church at Mdina. Beningno was the fifth child out of eight.
First contact with sacred music
Aged 9, Benigno, together with his brother Giuseppe, was appointed as diaconus or clericus chori (choir boy) at the Cathedral Church of Mdina.
Promoted to member of the Cappella musicale
Aged 11, Benigno petitioned the Bishop for acceptance in the Cathedral’s Cappella musicale. Bishop Alpheran de Bussan, bishop of Malta from 1728 to 1757, promoted Benigno as a boy soprano under Don Pietro Gristi, maestro di cappella of the Cathedral. This was the begining of Zerafa’s lifelong professional career in music.
Turning point
Just a few months after Benigno joined the cappella musicale, his maestro Don Pietro Gristi died unexpectedely at 41 years of age. The position of maestro di cappella was provisionally filled by Carlo Imbert, organist of the Cathedral Church. Bishop Alpheran and the Cathedral Chapter saw in Benigno the future new musical director of the Cathedral and decided to send him for further training in Naples. This was a turning point for Zerafa’s career and a remarkable opportunity for an eleven-year-old boy.
Departure to Naples
Benigno departed to Naples, Italy, to receive musical training at the same Conservatorio that Gristi attended previously, namely the prestigious Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesú Cristo. The Cathedral Chapter provided Benigno with a loan necessary for his stay in Naples, which had to be repaid in installments on his return to Malta.
Enrollment as a student
Benigno was enrolled at the Conservatorio as a boarding student. Naples at this time hosted several distinguished composers and teachers like Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Johann Adolf Hasse, Francesco Durante and the Maltese teacher and composer Girolamo Abos. The last two where Beningo’s teachers at the Conservatorio.
Dixit Dominus
ACM Mus. Mss. 288-9
Psalm for 2 choirs, 2 orchestras and solists.
Benigno’s first large-scale work composed at the age of 16 during his studies in Naples.
Messa di Gloria
ACM Mus. Ms. 243
Mass with stile antico fugues. The second large-scale work composed at the age of 17.
Kyrie-Gloria Mass
ACM Mus. MS. 245
Conservatorio’s suppression
The Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesú Cristo were Benigno was studying was suppressed as an educational institution and was transformed into a seminary for priests. It seems that he remained in Naples until the following year.
Application for the post of maestro di cappella
Benigno sent an application for the post of maestro di cappella at the Cathedral Church of Mdina in Malta. In the application he attached his first 3 compositions together with reference letters by his teacher Girolamo Abos and his rector Don Filippo Bottigliero.
Appointed maestro di cappella
Bishop Alpheran de Bussan aspiration to have a fully trained person to take charge of the Cappella musicale was now fulfilled. Benigno was the perfect candidate. The Bishop issued a decree to appoint Benigno Zerafa maestro di cappella of the Cathedral Church of St Paul in Mdina.
Return to Malta
After finishing his studies in Naples, Benigno returned to Malta. Aged 18, he became the new maestro di cappella of the Cathedral Church of Mdina, a very prestigious position that carried great responsabilities and duties. He had to compose, direct, play the violin and double-bass, sing and teach.
Music director at the Benedictine monastry of Mdina
Zerafa, apart from his duties at the Cathedral, started to direct music in other churches, the first being the church of St Peter’s monastry of the Benedictine nuns in Mdina.
Candidate for the priesthood
Benigno started his candidacy to become a priest.
Father’s death
Nicola Zerafa, Benigno’s father, died at the age of 64. This was a terrible blow not only for the loss of his beloved but also in financial terms, especially his loan obbligations with the Cathedral Chapter.
Disputes with authority
Zerafa, apart from the prodigious musical outcome of his first years as maestro di cappella, had numerous disputes with authorities related to business. In January 1750 he ended in the court of the Bishop’s curia due to an argument about property in the village of Dingli.
Ordained priest
Benigno Zerafa was ordained priest at the age of 24.
Unexpected dismissal from maestro di cappella
The Cathedral Chapter dismissed Zerafa from his post of Maestro di cappella following his presumably unsatisfactory attitude to advice and warnings received about his succession of business disputes with other persons. Another contributing factor to this dismissal could be conflicts related to musical aspects.
Mass a due cori
Benigno composed this mass whilst suspended.
Reappointment
After several attempts by Bishop Alpheran and the Cathedral Chapter to find a replacement for Benigno, the Bishop himself reappointed him as maestro di cappella and granted him a higher salary to overcome the financial hardship he went through. Benigno’s absence endured for 17 months. He was now 27 years old.
Cathedral school of music
In his tenure at the Cathedral, Zerafa established and personally financed a school of music attached to the Cathedral Church. This transpires from his request to the Cathedral Chapter to acquire 2 oboes and 2 trombe da caccia for the cappella musicale. He requested these instruments also for his students to get trained in playing wind instruments.
Financial struggles
Benigno struggled continuously with financial problems. In July 1755 he requested to the Cathedral chapter one year’s salary in advance to mitigate these issues.
Major works composed in a very short period of time
Dixit Dominus and Messa were composed at a fast rate.
Death of Bishop Alpheran
Bishop Alpheran died and was succeded by Bartholomaeus Rull.
Heightened musical endeavors
Zerafa increased his music endeavors especially in the impressive amount of compositions he produced. His major works were composed during this period . He also extended his work as a conductor of various other churches around Malta: St Peter’s monastery and the Carmelite church in Mdina, St Paul, St Publius and Our Lady of Jesus in Rabat, St Catherine in Żurrieq, Assumption of Our Lady in Mosta. Beningo gave his advice in the construction of new organs in parishes around Malta
Francesco Azopardi
After the untimely death of the Cathedral organist and Benigno’s nephew Vincenzo Zerafa, Francesco Azopardi became the new cathedral organist after his application for the post was accepted. He was also given the right of succession to Benigno’s post of maestro di cappella. Azopardi hailed from Rabat and was a family friend of the Zerafas. He studied in Naples and was already an established composer and musician.
Diminishing musical output
Benigno’s later years as a composer showed a slowdown in his output.
Nearing the end of a hectic career
In his late fifties, Benigno began to experience health problems; during this time, Francesco Azopardi frequently acted as maestro di cappella in his absence.
Retirement
At the age of 60, Benigno submitted a supplica to the Cathedral chapter asking to be allowed to retire. This was the end of his career and achievements as maestro di cappella. Francesco Azopardi succeeded him as maestro di cappella.
Donation of his works
On his termination of contract, Zerafa donated his entire collection of composition manuscripts prepared between 1743 and 1782 to the Cathedral Church.
Death
Zerafa died in Valletta at the age of 78. His funeral was held at the Cathedral Church in Mdina on the following day. It is likely that Francesco Azopardi conducted the music at Benigno’s funeral which may have included the performance of one of his Requiem Masses. His place of burial is unkown.