The Publication of Czech Rorate Chants by Jan Hostivít Pospíšil : A Remarque to the Reception of Old Czech Hymnography
Abstract
In this paper, we analyze the textual practices of the reproduction, distribution and preserving of old Czech literature in the first half of the 19th century. As an exempel, the publication of the old Czech rorate chants is chosen, which were printed by Jan Hostivít Pospíšil on the basis of some early modern manuscripts from Hradec Králové.
Pospíšil started to plann a publication of Czech rorate chants at latest in 1817, however the rorate chants were published after many problems only in 1823 thanks to many subscribers from Hradec králové and its sourraund. Pospíšil's publication of rorate chants became succesful only thanks to Czech priest and Pospíšil's collaborator Václav Michael Pešina.
In 1830s and 1840s, he used some new possibilities of the textual reproduction and distibution to make avaliable the old Czech rorate chants to all Czech society of his times.