Janácek: Glagolitic Mass

The Glagolitic Mass, written between 1926 and 1927, is not only one of Janácek’s most important works: it is also a masterpiece of the twentieth-century choral repertoire. In this fascinating account of the work and its history, Paul Wingfield brings together material from early articles and reviews, letters and manuscripts which form a comprehensive account of the work’s genesis and performance history. Several important documents appear in print for the first time. The author also provides a thorough revision of the Old Church Slavonic text along with English translation, and reconstructs Janácek’s ‘ideal’ version of the work - far more exciting and original than the less adventurous rearrangement currently performed. Chapters on the music itself offer a full synopsis of the Glagolitic Mass, the first in-depth discussion of its musical organisation and a selection of key interpretations of the piece by Janácek and others.