CAMILLERI, Luisa

Luisa Camilleri, also found in archival sources as Luigia Camilleri, was a Maltese composer associated with the musical culture of early twentieth-century Malta. Very little biographical information about her is currently documented, but her name is preserved in the Musical Archives of the Mdina Cathedral Museum.
Her known surviving work is Inno Trionfale, dated 1929 and preserved as Mus. Ms. 1631 in the Mdina Cathedral Museum Archives. The manuscript is described by the archive as the earliest known work by a female composer in its collection. Written as a ceremonial hymn, it reflects the Catholic and civic musical environment of Malta at the time.
Although only one work by Camilleri is presently documented in this archive, the survival of Inno Trionfale gives her an important place in the history of Maltese women composers and in the recovery of women’s contributions to sacred and ceremonial music.