On November 24, 2023, Maltese band Weeping Silence released their fifth full-length album, Isles of Lore, under the Swedish label ViciSolum Productions. The album, spanning nine songs, is an ambitious homage to Maltese folklore, weaving together the island’s historical and fantastical narratives. The final track, The Legend of Matteo Falzon, is a remarkable 16-minute opus centred on one of Malta’s most mysterious figures, known as "Is-Sahhar Falzun" or the "Wizard Falzon." But who was Matteo Falzon, and what does history reveal about this fascinating figure whose story lingers on the fringes of myth and reality?
Who Was Matteo Falzon?
The tale of Matteo Falzon, a figure who blends historical intrigue with local folklore, finds its roots in the accounts of Agostino Levanzin’s Is-Sahhar Falzun. Levanzin, a Maltese historian and writer, drew his version of Falzon’s life from early records by authors like Castagna, Abela, and Ciantar. According to Levanzin’s sources, Matteo Falzon, along with other members of the "Society of True Christians," challenged the religious orthodoxy of his time in Malta. This secretive philosophical group, active around 1530-1545, sought enlightenment through ethics and biblical studies but also explored the works of prominent Protestant reformers like Martin Luther and Erasmus. This openness to ideas condemned by the Church placed them under the ever-watchful gaze of the Inquisition.
Matteo Falzon, a respected member of Malta’s city council, was accused of heresy due to his associations and rumoured activities in mystical arts. In 1546, he was initially released after a hearing, but Falzon’s continued popularity and rumoured magical abilities kept him in the Inquisition’s crosshairs. Finally, he was accused of heresy once more, and this time, his punishment was harsher: he was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, even this confinement did not stifle the legend of "Is-Sahhar Falzun."
The Folklore of Matteo Falzon
While official records suggest Falzon was an intellectual and possibly a dissident, Maltese folklore paints him as something much more intriguing—a wizard with supernatural powers. According to legend, Falzon was once brought before the Inquisitor at Birgu due to his supposed involvement in sorcery. In a twist that added mystique to his already notorious reputation, it is said that Falzon requested a basin of water. Upon plunging his head into the basin, he vanished, purportedly escaping to Sicily by magical means. Soon after, the Inquisitor reportedly received a taunting letter from Sicily, signed by Falzon, asking, "Sir Inquisitor, do you remember me?"
This story, immortalized in Is-Sahhar Falzun, has captured the imaginations of Maltese storytellers for generations. The character of Falzon exists somewhere between history and folklore—a man persecuted for his beliefs, yet remembered as a wizard who could traverse lands through enchanted water.
Agostino Levanzin’s Literary Contribution
Agostino Levanzin (1872-1950), the author who brought Falzon’s story to literary life, was a polymath and Maltese intellectual. Levanzin’s biography is almost as colourful as Falzon’s story. Starting his career as a shipwright apprentice, Levanzin later became a pharmacist, a newspaper editor, and a staunch advocate for public health. He even gained international recognition for his participation in a prolonged fasting experiment at the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory in Boston. Levanzin’s interest in science, literature, and reform gave him a unique perspective on Malta’s historical figures. His novel, Is-Sahhar Falzun, aimed to shed light on Maltese folklore, questioning the boundary between historical truth and myth.
Levanzin’s interpretation of Falzon was heavily influenced by historical accounts, yet he left room for the magical elements that made Falzon’s story endure. While the novel may not be a strict biography, it has become an invaluable record of Maltese folk history.
Falzon’s Legacy and the Inquisition’s Wrath
In the 16th century, the Maltese Inquisition held absolute authority, and dissent often led to grim consequences. Falzon was a notable target, not only because of his connections with the Society of True Christians but because his family held considerable wealth. The Inquisition used accusations of heresy to confiscate property, and Falzon’s wealth made him a prime target.
In 1574, after years of suspicion, Falzon was arrested, likely under fabricated charges to seize his assets. He was reportedly spirited away to Sicily, where he met a violent end, and his property in Malta was subsequently confiscated by the Church. However, rumours began circulating that he had used his supernatural abilities to escape his captors. Another version of this twisted tale recounts how he managed to escape, some even saying he vanished into thin air in front of the Inquisitor. He fled to Sicily, where he instructed a slave to kill him and cut his body into pieces, burying them so that he would be able to reincarnate later on. The servant obeyed but was caught by the Inquisition and revealed the place he had buried the sorcerer after he was tortured. When they opened the tomb, legend goes that the body and bones had started reuniting, so they burned them immediately, destroying the magical powers off completely. This tale, intertwined with accounts of his vanishing act, gave rise to his title as Malta’s “Wizard” or "Sahhar." Falzon’s son and nephew, also threatened by the Inquisition, fled Malta to escape similar fates. In their absence, their effigies were symbolically burned in the town square as a form of punishment.
Weeping Silence’s Homage to Falzon’s Myth
The story of Matteo Falzon was the perfect subject for Weeping Silence’s The Legend of Matteo Falzon, the concluding track on their album Isles of Lore. Known for their fusion of doom and symphonic metal, the band captured Falzon’s complexity in a haunting 16-minute piece. In this composition, Weeping Silence explores Falzon’s life, his persecution by the Inquisition, and his transformation into the legend of Malta’s “Wizard.” The music brings the essence of Maltese history and folklore to life, mirroring the tension between Falzon’s intellectual pursuits and the supernatural aura that surrounds his story.
During an interview with the band as their album was approaching release, Julian Mallia described the intricate structure underlying the song. Naturally, I reached out for his insights for this article as well. Here is his response, quoted verbatim:
“The Legend of Matteo Falzon” explores the universally relatable narrative of a misunderstood individual who was demonised / persecuted for not fitting in with conventions - through the language of progressive metal.
The structure of the song roughly follows the Three-Act Structure - a narrative model that is often used in cinema, theatre, literature, etc. This structure can be represented in the form of a graph illustrating tension-levels vs time. *
Using the graph and the Sahhar Falzun story as a guide, I matched tension-levels with corresponding, previously recorded, band jamming ideas to create a rough music-collage. Since this track was designed during the Covid-19 lockdown phase, I had ample time outside the usual band environment to experiment and go through a, mostly forgotten, archive of casual jamming sessions.
Then when we started meeting again, all band members started to fill-in the gaps, generate new riffs, solos, lyrics and beats and gel ideas together. So ultimately this was a group effort that required every band member’s indispensable input. The gelling part took quite a while because the priority was to create something musically interesting-yet-catchy and to convey Falzun’s very-metal story within the context of the album. In fact, in the initial stages, Dario used to tease me that I’m delivering lectures :) But, coming from a background of fine art, I personally feel that it is this type of unconventional bridging of disciplines that makes a track genuinely “progressive”.
Nerdy details throughout the song include:
1) The “Falzun music theme” in the intro is in 5/4 whereas the “Inquisition music theme” is in 7/4 - because they are “at odds” with each other.
2) The “Falzun music theme” that doubles as a chorus is repeated 3 times. But each chorus has slight differences and is in a different tempo - implying Matteo Falzon’s character arc / his gradual transformation.
3) The drum solo on top of an ostinato music pattern (4:46) represents Falzon’s devious escape (right in front of the Inquisitor) through a water barrel.
4) The dramatic staccato section (8:11) represents the part of the story when Matteo Falzon ordered his servant to chop him into pieces.
5) The melancholic piano solo (9:25) represents the low point when Matteo Falzon’s original plan is thwarted.
6) The epic guitar solo (14:15) represents Matteo Falzon’s bittersweet triumph / catharsis through the ashes.
7) Lyrics are loosely based on factual occurrences which are, of course, sprinkled with a generous dose of poetic licence. However, the open-ended, haunting, recurrent lyric “Remember me” is based on an actual taunt that Matteo had allegedly sent to the Inquisitor via a letter.
The Enduring Fascination with Malta’s Wizard
Falzon’s tale has continued to intrigue Maltese audiences, inspiring recent publications like Matti Falzun tal-Imdina by Monica Gatt, published by BDL in 2023 a novel depicting Mattew Falzon’s son.
In the end, Matteo Falzon’s story remains a powerful reminder of Malta’s rich and sometimes dark past. The musical tribute by Weeping Silence breathes new life into his legacy, ensuring that “Is-Sahhar Falzun” lives on, not just as a historical figure but as a symbol of resistance, mystery, and the blurred lines between history and legend.
* Background: I had delved into this narrative structure extensively during my Masters course in the UK. Fun fact: The course MA Sequential Design / Illustration at the University of Brighton was founded by George Hardie, the designer behind the album art of “The Dark Side of the Moon” (while he worked with Hipgnosis alongside Storm Thorgerson).
Bibliography
Agostino Levanzin. Is-Sahhar Falzun. Malta: [Publisher not listed], c. early 20th century.
Buttigieg, Noel. “Agostino Levanzin and the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory Experiment.” Riċerka fuq l-Istorja - Historical Research Group (Malta), Facebook.
Gatt, Monica. Matti Falzun tal-Imdina. Malta: BDL Publishing, 2023.
Times of Malta. “Matteo Falzon, the Man Behind the Myth.” Accessed October 2023.
Wikipedia contributors. “Matthew Falzun.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, last modified [Last modification date].
“The Legend of Mateo Falzon” by Weeping Silence Brief Overview by Julian Mallia (Weeping Silence drummer)
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