The composition Offertorium, H 58, survives only in a sketch in the Second Book of Sketches of Vocal and Piano Pieces from 1912 (PBM Ad 154). It is not clear from the source how Martinů intended to instrument the piece. Explicitly, the note 'violin' is inscribed in two places; the accompanying instrument could have been either organ, harmonium or piano. A 2nd solo voice also appears in places in the sketch, which may be intended for a vocal voice or another solo instrument.
Along with Ave Maria, H 59, and Romance for violin and piano, H 12, the handwritten inventory of Bohuslav Martinů's compositions from 1914 (MarBo1914) lists the village of Smiřice as the place of composition. Martinů visited Smiřice to visit his friend Stanislav Novák and his family (mostly in the summer, from about 1906, when he and Stanislav met at the Prague Conservatory, until Martinů left for Paris in 1923). Stáňa Novák's father was then regenschori of the local church and it is therefore possible that the Offertorium and Ave Maria were intended for the church in Smiřice. This is also confirmed by Karel Novák's 1959 memoirs (NovK 1959-00-00), where he recalls that Martinů composed "interludes for masses for his father".
Jana Burdová, 2024