Our Father

The cantata Our Father (Czech: Otče náš or Otčenáš), originally called Moravian Our Father (Czech: Moravský Otče náš), is a setting of the Lord's Prayer by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček. Its first version (1901) was performed as an accompaniment to a series of tableaux vivants and was scored for mixed chorus, tenor, piano and harmonium; it has never been published. The revised version (1906), for mixed chorus, tenor, harp and organ, lasts about 15 minutes. Our Father met with a mixed reception at first, but it is now a much-recorded work and has been praised as an interesting and successful example of Janáček's ability to combine Christian texts with his own social commitment. Structure Our Father falls into five self-contained 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. Composition and performance history