Dvorak's Stabat Mater is a work deeply inspired by personal tragedy in the composer's life. Originally sketched between February and May of 1876 as a delayed response to the death of his daughter Josefa, the work was not completed in definitive form until late 1877, in the wake of the passing of two other children (daughter Ruzena and son Otakar). The work was finally premiered on 23 December 1880 in Prague, with vocalists and chorus from the Czech Provisional Theatre conducted by Adolf Cech. The work was first published early the following year by Simrock, with the vocal featuring the piano reduction of Josef Zubaty. The score reproduced here has been edited by Otakar Sourek and was first issued by the Czech State Publishing concern as part of the complete works of Dvorak. Unlike so many of the on-demand scores now available, this one comes with all the pages and the images have been thoroughly checked to make sure it is readable. The score is beautifully printed on off-white stock with a quality cover.
