| Česká mše vánoční | |
|---|---|
| Pastoral mass by Jakub Jan Ryba | |
 Title page of a piano reduction | |
| English | Czech Christmas Mass |
| Full title | Missa solemnis Festis Nativitatis D. J. Ch. accommodata in linguam bohemicam musikamque redacta – que redacta per Jac. Joa. Ryba |
| Language | Czech |
| Composed | 1796 |
| Movements | 9 |
| Scoring |
|
Czech Christmas Mass (Czech: Česká mše vánoční; Latin: Missa solemnis Festis Nativitatis D. J. Ch. accommodata in linguam bohemicam musikamque redacta – que redacta per Jac. Joa. Ryba) is a pastoral mass written by the Czech composer Jakub Jan Ryba 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 mass (with movements titled Kyrie, Gloria etc.), but containing a narrative based on the theme of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. 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.[1][2]
- ^ "Jakub Jan Ryba: Czech Christmas Mass". Prague State Operaaccess-date=20 December 2009.
- ^ Horáková, Pavla (22 December 2004). "Mass by Jakub Jan Ryba remains symbol of Czech Christmas". Radio Prague. Retrieved 14 December 2009.