Vatican Library music trove mined

PORTLAND, Maine — Toshiyuki Shimada was looking for inspiration as his 20-year tenure as music director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra came to a close. He has found it as a Yale University professor in pursuit of long-forgotten musical treasures at the Vatican.

The mild-mannered maestro believes that deep within the Vatican Library’s archives are pieces of music that have not been heard in modern times.

Under a licensing agreement, Shimada hopes to bring some of this music to the masses through a series of compact discs carrying the library’s seal.

The 54-year-old Shimada is musical director and chief creative officer of Trinity Music Partners, which has a licensing agreement allowing Shimada to mine the Vatican Library’s treasure trove of manuscripts and prints.

The works in the library include Gregorian chants, symphonic music, choral arrangements, folk music and African drumming.

Some of the manuscripts, like those of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, were created for Capella Giulia, the choir of the Basilica of St. Peter, and for the choir in the Sistine Chapel. Others are part of private collections donated to the library.

Shimada has identified a manuscript by the late Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti that dates to the late 1600s.

The piece will be included on an Easter CD to be released next year. Trinity’s first release, of Christmas music, is due this fall.