Janáček’s Otče náš exists in two versions.
The first was composed in 1901, scored for mixed chorus, solo tenor, piano and harmonium, and hasn’t been published. Perhaps surprisingly for a setting of the Lord’s Prayer, it was performed as an accompaniment to a series of tableaux vivants:
In the spring of 1901 the governors of an old women’s home in Brno were lent reproductions of Our Father, a cycle of paintings by the Polish artist Józef Męcina-Krzesz depicting Russian peasants in situations illustrative of the Lord’s Prayer. They decided to stage a series of tableaux vivants based on these paintings to be performed by a local theatre group as a fundraising venture, and they commissioned Janáček to write “musical illustrations” for this entertainment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Father_(cantata)#Composition_and_performance_history
The revised version (1906) which we have today for our listening choice, is scored for almost the same forces: mixed chorus, tenor, harp and organ.
Initially it wasn’t well received, but since has been praised as an interesting and successful example of Janáček’s ability to combine Christian texts with his own social commitment.
It lasts for about 15 minutes, and is in five sections:
- “Our Father, which art in heaven”, andante, in A-flat major
- “Thy will be done”, moderato, in B-flat minor
- “Give us this day our daily bread”, con moto, in E-flat major
- “Forgive us our trespasses”, adagio, in A-flat major
- “Lead us not into temptation”, energico moderato, in E-flat minor
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