Jistebnick kancionl – CD

This recording presents sacred Czech liturgical music from the pre-Reformation period: chants for Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours from the Prague university milieu of the early 15th century. The Jistebnice Hymnal contains Czech adaptations of Latin chant as well as original music set to Czech texts. Discovered in 1872 by student Leopold Katz in the attic of a parish house in Jistebnice, the manuscript is best known for the Hussite hymn Kto js bo bojovnci, whose melody is also familiar from Smetanas symphonic poems Tbor and Blank. The manuscript is primarily a collection of liturgical songs in Czech and also includes a detailed record of Easter liturgy, offering insight into Hussite worship. Tiburtina Ensemble, led by Barbora Kabtkov and performed by clear female voices, reveals the beauty and mystery of these unique songs.