''Czech Christmas Mass'' (; ) is a

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

written by the Czech composer

Jakub Jan Ryba Jakub Šimon Jan Ryba (surname also Poisson, Peace, Ryballandini, Rybaville; 26 October 1765 – 8 April 1815) was a Czech people, Czech teacher and composer of european classical music, classical music. His most famous work is the ''Czech Christm ...

in 1796, a mass in name only and thus an anomalous example of its genre (Missa pastoralis, less often Missa pastoritia). Because of its opening words, it is also known as Hail, Master! or Hey, Master! (in Czech: Hej, mistře!). ''Czech Christmas Mass'' was composed following the outlines of the Latin Catholic

(with movements titled

Kyrie ', a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of ('' Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, , "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek , ...

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

etc.), but containing a narrative based on the theme of the

birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

. Accordingly the work draws on traditions of Central-European Christmas pastoral music and dramatizes the nativity through characters representative of the Czech countryside. Its early performance history is little studied, but over time the composition achieved an extraordinary popularity among Czechs at home and abroad, a veritable musical symbol of the Czech celebration of Christmas.

Background

Ryba composed his most famous work in 1796, a year after he managed to resolve a dispute over his teaching methods with the priest Kašpar Zachar. He wrote the music to a Czech libretto of his own devising; It was his only "mass" composed to a Czech text, although several of his earlier pastoral masses included interpolations with Czech text. Ryba did not identify this mass in his list of compositions created from 1782 to 1798, mentioning rather only "seven pastoral masses, one of them in Czech." The autograph manuscript was lost; today only the title page is preserved intact. Some parts of the composition were performed separately as

pastorale Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood. In Baroque music, a pastorale is a movement of a melody in thirds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of ''pifferari'', players of the traditi ...

s (pastorellas) and the text gradually adapted with changes in Czech. Although Ryba created more than 1,000 compositions, his ''Czech Christmas Mass'' remains one of the few works by him performed regularly to date. The music of Ryba's mass along with paintings by

Josef Lada Josef Lada (born 17 December 1887 in Hrusice, Bohemia – 14 December 1957 in Prague, buried at Olšany Cemetery) was a Czech painter, illustrator, cartoonist and writer. Pioneer of the Czech comicbook tradition and founder of the “Czech m ...

appear in a 2007 animated film called ''Česká mše vánoční'' (Czech Christmas Mass).

Structure

The original key of the composition was

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

, however, it was later transposed and arranged in various ways. Today the transposition in

G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...

(a tone lower) is the most commonly used version. The main form of the composition is called ''

ordinarium The ordinary, in Catholic liturgies, refers to the part of the Mass or of the canonical hours that is reasonably constant without regard to the date on which the service is performed. It is contrasted with the '' proper'', which is that part of ...

'' and consists of six parts. The mass contains characteristic short melodic motifs inspired by the folk music, supported by colorful rhythms. It is often considered a

Christmas cantata A Christmas cantata or Nativity cantata is a cantata, music for voice or voices in several movements, for Christmas. The importance of the feast inspired many composers to write cantatas for the occasion, some designed to be performed in church ser ...

, based on pastoral motifs. Because of its folk character and simplicity, it has been excluded from the Catholic liturgy. However, it still remains connected with the celebration of traditional Czech Christmas. According to Czech mezzo-soprano

Magdalena Kožená Magdalena Kožená, Lady Rattle (; born 26 May 1973) is a Czech mezzo-soprano. Early life Kožená was born in Brno in Czechoslovakia. Both her parents had come originally from Bohemia, to the west. She was born one of the two daughters of a ma ...

, it was widely performed in local churches on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

when she was young. The mass consists of nine parts: Mohelnice nativity scene

# ''Kyrie''
full text
– The opening part begins with a well known verse ''"Hej, mistře, vstaň bystře!"'' ("Hey Master, get up quickly!"). A young shepherd wakes his master, they both wonder at various unusual phenomena of nature. # ''Gloria''
full text
– a hymn to celebrate the birth of Christ # ''Graduale''
full text
– Shepherds assemble the people from all the regions and lands. The part ends with an appeal: ''"K Betlému teď půjdeme, Boha slavit budeme."'' ("We're going to Bethlehem, to celebrate the God.") # ''Credo''
full text
– In the ''Czech Christmas Mass'', ''Credo'' describes the preparations for the pilgrimage to Bethlehem. # ''Offertorium''
full text
– the gathering over the

manger __NOTOC__ A manger or trough is a rack for fodder, or a structure or feeder used to hold food for animals. The word comes from the Old French ''mangier'' (meaning "to eat"), from Latin ''mandere'' (meaning "to chew"). Mangers are mostly used in ...

; People offer musical gifts to God and Christ. # ''Sanctus''
full text
– the shortest part of the composition, an angelic hymn # ''Benedictus''
full text
– This part with a solo

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

in the central role is dedicated to the celebration of the newborn Redeemer. # ''Agnus''
full text
– parting with Christ, plea for protection of all people # ''Communio''
full text
– The final part ends with a monumental choral hymn celebrating the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

. The original instrumentation of the work was 4 soli,

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, 2

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

s, 2

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...

clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The Register (music), register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A Trumpet (organ stop), trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave abov ...

(''klarina''; trumpet), 2

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

, violon-

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

and

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

Published scores

* Ryba, Jakub Jan: ''Česká mše vánoční'' (Böhmische Hirtenmesse, Czech Christmas Mass) – piano reduction.

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Editio Bärenreiter, 2004. M-2601-0325-2.

Recordings

* Jakub Jan Ryba: ''Czech Christmas Mass; 3 Pastorellas'' –

, Robert Hugo, Capella Regia Musicalis; Deutsche Grammophon Archiv 4778365 (2009). * Jakub Jan Ryba: ''Czech Christmas Mass'' (Česká mše vánoční) – Jaroslava Vymazalová, Marie Mrázová,

Beno Blachut Beno Blachut (14 June 1913 – 10 January 1985) was a lauded Czechoslovakia, Czech operatic tenor. An icon in his own nation, Blachut drew international acclaim through his many commercial recordings of Czech music. He was an instrumental part o ...

Zdeněk Kroupa Zdeněk Kroupa (15 November 1921 in Adamov – 7 January 1999 in Brno) was a Czech opera singer. His wife became lifelong soloist of the National Theatre in Mira Figarova. Life Kroupa inherited his talent from his mother, who worked in amateu ...

Václav Smetáček Václav Smetáček (30 September 1906 in Brno – 18 February 1986 in Prague) was a Czech conductor, composer, and oboist. He studied in Prague among others with Jaroslav Křička, conducting with Metod Doležil and Pavel Dědeček, musicology ...

conducting the

Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...

, Josef Veselka and the Czech Philharmonic Chorus;

Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers. History The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. Th ...

SU 3649 (1966).

References

External links

The magic of Czech Christmas music (Radio Prague)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716055502/http://www.supraphon.com/en/catalogue/on-line-database/detail/?idtitulu=2003692 Ryba, J.J. Czech Christmas Mass / Vymazalova, Blachut, Mrazova, Kroupa / Prag.Philh.Choir / PSO / Smetacek (Supraphon)]
Rybova Česká mše vánoční (Společnost Jakuba Jana Ryby)
{{Authority control Christmas music Masses (music) Compositions by Jakub Jan Ryba 1796 compositions Czech-language choral compositions Christmas in the Czech Republic