As the composer of 11 operas – and indeed, having initially earned his living as a viola-player in a theatre orchestra – it may be said that Dvořák had a well-founded understanding of the dramatic possibilities of the texts he chose to set. The enormous popularity of his works with choral societies throughout Europe further attests to his skill in expressing the meaning of a text in suitably evocative and memorable music. His Stabat Mater traverses a course of sad contemplation, culminating in a great hymn to the glory of Paradise and a splendidly optimistic final Amen. The contrasting setting (in Czech) of Psalm 149 (“O sing unto the Lord a new song”) is a heartfelt hymn of praise.