Italian musicologist Valeria Sapio discovered a previously unknown motet 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' among catalogued 1771 manuscripts. First performance — 18 April 2026.
The Bolognese Philharmonic Academy (Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna) announced on 12 January 2026 a sensational find: a previously unknown Maksym Berezovsky motet 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' (duration 6:42) was found in catalogued manuscripts of the academic archive among materials from 1771. The discovery was made by Italian musicologist Valeria Sapio, a doctoral student at the Bologna Conservatory working on a dissertation about composers d'arme (foreign academy participants). Attribution authenticity is confirmed by two independent expert assessments: 1) graphological analysis (Berezovsky's signature matches 96% with known references); 2) musicological analysis (style markers — third-sixth harmony, contrapuntal canon in the middle part — characteristic specifically of the composer's mature Bolognese period 1771-1773). The find raises the number of known Berezovsky works from 24 to 25. The first public performance of 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' took place on 18 April 2026 at the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna — in the same building where Berezovsky passed entrance exams under Padre Martini in 1769. Performer — Ensemble 'Cappella Bolognese' under Andrea Marcon. The recording will be included in a memorial ECM Records album 'Berezovsky: Complete Sacred Works' (2027 release), which became a benefit project of the Bologna University music faculty.
