Soprano, Alt, Tenor, Bass, Choir and Orchestra

The work is divided into six sections.

The text is sung in Czech and the Czech translation follows the original text close in rhythm and rhyming scheme. Mr. Jan Pivoňka sent me information about Ryba and the Czech translation. According to his extended information the Czech text comes from Kancionál Český (Bohemian Hymn-book) by M. V. Šteyer. This hymn-book is a design of Bohemian hymnographic canon of the second half of the 17th century. It seems that the source of the translation was an "Analecta"-version of the Stabat Mater text. Stanza 17 is repeated after stanza 18. The same for stanza 19. It is repeated after stanza 18.
Mr. Pivoňka was very helpfull in analysing the different sections and stanzas of the piece so I could make a colourbar, but still we both are not quite sure about the fifth section of the colourbar.

Soprano, Alt, Tenor, Bass, Choir and Orchestra

The work is divided into 13 sections. The composition begins with an instrumental introduction. In Ryba's own words, the Staba mater was composed within six weeks during the time which he was struggling with his "common malady". Although we do not know the exact nature of his disease, which was probably psychosomatic and disabled him from his job as a headmaster, we can assume that his altered mental state enabled him to touch the very limits of his compositional art.

The text is sung in Latin. As far as I can hear the both versionss of the "Analecta"- and "Vatican"-version of the text have been used.