From 1769 to 1773, Maxim Berezovsky studied under the renowned Italian composer and music historian Giovanni Battista Martini at the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna. Berezovsky arrived in Bologna without the required letter of introduction, yet he began lessons with Martini before the document arrived in early 1770. Martini, one of Europe’s most respected pedagogues, guided him in composition, counterpoint, and the rigorous academic tradition of the academy.
Under Martini’s mentorship, Berezovsky progressed through the academy’s demanding curriculum and, on 15 May 1771, successfully passed the graduation examination, composing a polyphonic work on a given theme alongside Josef Mysliveček. Both candidates received unanimously positive votes, an unusual distinction, earning Berezovsky the title of academician and the right to work as a kapellmeister. His examination piece, signed “Massimo Berezovsky,” remains preserved in the academy’s archive, attesting to Martini’s formative influence on his artistic development.
