Ke genezi a premiéře Janáčkovy Glagolské mše

Janáček started to work on the Glagolitic Mass at the end of 1920, after his meeting ThDr. Leopold Prečan, at that time the vicar general of Olomouc Archdiocese. During their discussion on the decline of church music, Prečan suggested that Janáček write something himself. Janáček got the Old Church Slavonic text, transliterated into the latin script by Josef Vajs, from Father Josef Martínek. Janáček made some notes into the piano score but soon the work was put aside. He did not return to the composition until 1926 when he met Prečan again, by now the Archbishop of Olomouc. Janáček worked on the Mass during his stay in Luhačovice from 6 August 1926. As he could not find his copy of Vajs' transliteration, he probably worked with the drafts from 1920. Once back from Luhačovice, he acquired again the complete Vajs text (14 September) and finished the composition by 15 October 1926. Then the full score was copied by Václav Sedláček. Beseda brněnská showed interest in performing the Mass as early as in December 1926 and ordered preparation of the performing materials, including the piano vocal score. First performance took place on 5 December 1927 with Chorus of Beseda brněnská, Brno National Theatre Orchestra and conductor Jaroslav Kvapil. The premiere was probably performed in the original version as it was impossible to make such an extensive number of changes during just three orchestral rehearsals (including the dress-rehearsal). It is also apparent from sources that three batteries of timpani were borrowed for the first performance. Immediately after Brno premiere Janáček made an extensive revision. The new version of the Glagolitic Mass was performed on 8 April 1928 in Prague, again with the Chorus of Beseda brněnská and Jaroslav Kvapil conducting, but with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. This version was published by the Universal Edition in Vienna.