Antonín Dvořák was one of the most popular composers of his day – a star of the late Romantic period.  He continued the broad Germanic symphonic tradition of Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms, and also, by infusing his compositions with the spirit of the folk music of his native land and other lands, he created his own musical tradition.

At the time, Dvořák was already famous for his large-scale choral works, including the Stabat Mate.  This Mass, however, was conceived for a more intimate space and occasion than those works.

He wrote in a letter to Josef Hlávka who commissioned the Mass: “I have successfully completed the Mass, and I am very pleased with it.  I believe it is a work that will fulfil its purpose.  It could bear the dedication:  faith, hope, and love of Almighty God, with thanks for the great gift that has enabled me to bring this work in praise of the Highest and in the honour of art to a happy conclusion.  Do not be surprised that I am so pious — an artist who is not could not achieve anything like this.  Have we not found examples in Beethoven, Bach, Raphael, and many others?  I also thank you for giving me the impulse to write the work in this form, for I should hardly have thought of it; up to now I wrote works of this kind only on a large scale and for a large number of performers.  This time, however, I have written for only a modest presentation, and still I dare to claim that my work has turned out well.”

This Mass, therefore, is more lyrical and prayerful than dramatic.  Its character has often been described as pastoral, reflecting Dvořák’s love of nature and evoking the tranquil countryside surrounding Hlávka’s chateau.