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Karmenu Gruppetta was a Maltese actor and play-write, born in Sliema in 1922. At 16 years of age he joined the Royal Malta Artillery Association (RMAA) as a soldier in the Royal Engineers (Malta Section). During his acting career he took part in theatre (shows such as Francis Ebejer's 'Hadd fuq il- Bejt'), plays, TV programmes, and also took part in films filmed in Malta such as 'Pulp' (1972). He lead several acting companies and won awards and diplomas for his works. He died in 1997.

Frank Vassallo was born in Sliema on 3 June 1924 into a family with strong musical roots. He was the son of Carmelo Vassallo and Teresa, née Doneo. His maternal grandfather, Carmelo Doneo, was a Military Bandmaster and the founder of the La Vittoria bands in Mellieħa and San Ġużepp in Ħamrun. The musical tradition in his family extended to his uncle, Emidio Doneo, a renowned flautist and music teacher.

As a child, Frank explored various musical instruments and began studying the violin at the age of ten under the guidance of Anthony Mamo. Throughout his life, he played a range of string instruments—including the violin, double bass, and guitar—performing in churches and concert halls across Malta and Gozo.

Many aspiring musicians came to study with him at his home in Sliema, near the Carmelite Friars' convent in Balluta. He also taught singing to Carmelite novices and formed a choir for them. For a time, he served at the Carmelite church in Balluta, where he led a lay choir.

In addition to being a gifted performer, Frank Vassallo was also a prolific composer of both sacred and secular music. Many of his compositions were published internationally and broadcast on radio and television in England, France, and Italy.

In May 1948, Frank married Teresa Theuma, and they had two children: Marie Therese, a well-known mezzo-soprano, and Dr Pierre Vassallo, a Consultant radiologist, who is also a keen musician. Frank frequently collaborated with his daughter Marie Therese, composing music to accompany her poetic verses. In the 1960s, they participated multiple times in the Malta Song Festival. Marie Therese often performed their songs, singing and playing the guitar—an instrument she had learned from her father—alongside the violin and voice, which she later pursued professionally.

One memorable moment from the Malta Song Festival was the 1968 edition, where Marie Therese performed Lili Tinsa Qatt, a song co-written with her father. It also had an Italian version, Non Dimenticar, performed by Joe Cutajar. That same year, she performed the Italian rendition of another song, O Fortuna Ti Ringrazio, co-written with her father. The Maltese version, O Fortuna Grazzi Ħafna, was performed by singer M’Rose Mifsud.

Among Vassallo’s most cherished works is the hymn to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Balluta. It was commissioned by the first parish priest, Father Damjan Cachia, to commemorate the founding of the new parish in Sliema on 25 June 1974. Written to be sung by the congregation with a band, the hymn remains a beloved part of the grand celebration held annually on the eve of the feast in Balluta Square. The verses were penned by his daughter, Marie Therese.

His sacred compositions include Stabat Mater, various Masses (including Masses for the Dead), Hymns, Antiphons, and The Canticle of the Creature, orchestrated for soprano, tenor, and orchestra.

In the realm of secular music, Vassallo composed nine symphonies, including Symphony No. 2 in D minor and Symphony No. 3 in C major, the symphonic poem Les Trois Thérèses, string quartets, sonatas, duets for violin, a Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, a Concerto for Flute and String Quartet, and a Divertimento for wind instruments.

Frank Vassallo died on 7 February 2000.