Field Mass H 279

• Foreword by Paul Wingfield (Eng/Cz/Ger)
• Performable early version of the ending in appendix
• Literal translations of the Czech vocal text (Eng/Ger)

Bohuslav Martinu’s “Field Mass” is one of his most significant vocal-instrumental works. It originated in 1939 in Paris in response to the outbreak of World War II and was intended for outdoor performance. The libretto, by Jirí Mucha, contains references to the Bible.

This study score adopts the musical text from the Bohuslav Martinu Complete Edition, Volume VI/2/2. As an interesting performance alternative, the appendix contains an early version of the ending that quotes the medieval Czech hymn “Jezu Kriste, štedrý kneže” (Jesus Christ, Generous Prince).