Bice Mizzi

Bice Vassallo portrait with hand written message "Bice al suo Enrico carissimo 18.XII.1924"

Bice Mizzi Vassallo (born Beatrix Vassallo, also known as Bice Vassallo and Bice Mizzi; 11 November 1899 – 22 February 1985) was a Maltese pianist, considered among the foremost pianists of her generation. She is also known as the daughter of composer Paolino Vassallo and Maria Anna nee Grech, and the wife of former Maltese Prime Minister Enrico Mizzi.

Early life and education

Bice Vassallo started her studies under the tutorage of her father, the Maltese composer Paolino Vassallo, a constant driving force in her early musical career. Under his direction, she studied the piano and violin. He eventually guided her to choose between these two musical instruments. She chose the piano over the violin but nonetheless retained a love for the violin.

Bice was awarded a distinction in both her examinations in Pianoforte (lower and higher division) from the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and The Royal College of Music in 1908 and 1909 respectively.

Performances

Her first notable performance was in May 1909, where she performed a classical music recital at the Manoel Theatre. This performance took place under the patronage of the Bishop of Malta Pietro Pace and it was organised in aid of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sliema. Various newspapers published reviews of this performance: "Pjanista ta'dauc il ftit snin u ta' dic il ħila hecc cbira ftit haun f'id-dinja u għalhekk għandna biex niftaħru u biex nifirħu" (A pianist so young and of such great skill there are few in this world and that is why we should be proud and happy). "Bice è un piccolo Mozart" (Bice is a little Mozart).

She also performed a concert in aid of the Valletta Society of St. Vincent de Paul. This vocal and instrumental concert took place on Sunday 1 May 1910 at the Cinematograph Theatre in Cospicua.

In June 1911, at the age of 11, she gave one of the most important performances of her career, when she performed in the 'Scarlatti Hall' at the Conservatorio di Musica Vincenzo Bellini in Palermo. This concert was under the patronage of H.E. the Princess of Castelreale. A critic from Milan’s Rassegna Melodrammatica wrote the following after Bice's performance: “A concert has been held in the Scarlatti Hall of the Royal Conservatorio of Music in Palermo, in which the protagonist was 11-year old Bice Vassallo of Malta. She has been described as a true prodigy of the piano. The distinguished if diffident audience gave her full honours of a complete triumph”.

In 1912 she performed at the Royal Opera House in Valletta. The following is an excerpt from a local newspaper:

"Bice Vassallo, li tant żgħira tista' tokgħod mal kbar pjanisti ta barra, għad ġurnata tkiegħed isimha ma ta dauk li għall ħila tagħhom ma jmutu katt" (Bice Vassallo, who is so young has a place among the great foreign pianists, will one day have her name among those who, due to their skill, will never die).

Following another concert at the Royal Opera House in Valletta in 1914, the following was said about the young pianist:

"Come chiamare la pianista quattordicenne? Noi la chiameremmo fenomenale" (What to call the fourteen year old pianist? We shall call her phenomenal).

In 1923, the same year her father passed away, she performed a recital at Wigmore Hall in London. "Bice Vassallo è vanto ed onore di Malta" (Bice Vassallo is the pride and honour of Malta".

On the 18 October 1946 she performed at a concert by Maltese composer Carmelo Pace conducted by Francesco Bellizzi at the British Institute in Valletta. Another notable performance was the one she gave in 1952 at the University Hall at the Phoenicia Hotel in Floriana.

Life and family

On the 26 June 1926, Bice Vassallo married Enrico Mizzi, the then leader of the Nationalist party. Her husband went on to become Prime Minister of Malta in 1950 shortly before passing away just a few months after.

On the 25 July 1927, Bice and Enrico Mizzi had a son and named him Fortunato (1927–2017), after Enrico’s father, Fortunato Mizzi (1844–1905). Fortunato Mizzi (also known as Natolino) was ordained a priest in 1952 and later, in 1955, he founded the Moviment Azzjoni Socjali (MAS - Social Action Movement).

Life during the war

Bice and her son passed through trying times during their life, because of their familial association with Enrico Mizzi. In 1940, when talk of the involvement of Malta in World War II was brewing, Enrico was arrested, for allegedly having Italian sympathies, and interned at Fort Salvatore in Kordin and then was transferred to St. Agatha’s Convent in Rabat. In a letter dated 19 June 1940, Bice wonders why her husband hasn't received all her letters, since she has written to him nearly every day "Mi meraviglio come mai non ricevi le mie lettere perchè fin’ora ho scritto sempre quasi ogni giorno".

There was a time when Bice and her son would be walking through the streets in Rabat, when visiting Enrico, while being hurled with verbal insults and pelted with potato peels and eggshells. In February 1942, the then Governor of Malta, Sir William Dobbie, took out a warrant to deport Enrico Mizzi, together with another 47 Maltese nationals, to Uganda. It wasn’t until 1945 that finally the group of exiles was allowed back into the country. Her husband quickly re-entered politics and was elected as Prime minister at the 1950 elections which took place on 2–4 September. Sadly, this success was short-lived, since he passed away less than 4 months later on the 20 December 1950 at the age of 65. He was given a state funeral and to this date, he is the only Prime Minister to have died in office.

Later years

Throughout her life, Bice, was determined to never divert her husband’s attention from his mission at the service of the nation. As she had done with her husband, she then dedicated herself to her son’s priestly and social calling. This was at a time when the Maltese islands were passing though the greatest post-war challenges.

Bice Mizzi Vassallo devoted herself to teaching in later years. She taught with great enthusiasm and tutored some of the country’s best pianists. Teaching piano was especially important as a means of earning an income, especially after the death of her husband in 1950. Her husband died penniless and it took some time for her to be granted her husband’s government pension. A school friend of her son Fortunat, Joe Felice Pace, who would join them often for lunch on school days, described Bice as a woman of steel with a heart of gold, who dedicated her life entirely to her family, dedicating herself to their endeavours completely, putting aside her career doing so. Felice Pace also recalled an instance when she was invited to give a number of concerts abroad in the late 1960s. After dwelling on this for quite a long time, she finally declined the invitation because she felt she could not leave her son alone for a fortnight, since she was worried that this would interfere with his mission. He also recalled that her days consisted of giving piano lessons in the morning and then would play for her own pleasure between noon and 12:30pm, most notably Chopin, who was her favourite composer. She would then stop for lunch and was joined in the kitchen by him and her son Fortunat. She would then resume her lessons in the afternoon.

Death and legacy

Bice Mizzi Vassallo died on the 22 February 1985 at the age of 85.

In 1987, the National Council of Women of Malta instituted the Bice Mizzi Vassallo Music Competition in her honour; Cynthia Turner chaired the adjudicating  panel until her death in 2021. The competition takes place every 2 years and has run uninterruptedly ever since it was established.

The Bice Mizzi Vassallo Primary state school in Pembroke, as well as streets in the same locality and the town of Santa Lucija, are named after her.