[1] The work was a commission by then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (later selected Pope John Paul II) for the commemoration on the 900th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Stanisław.
The Latin text consists of selections from the Book of Psalms and was chosen to "emphasize doubts and supplications" and project the "spiritual and moral aspects of the tragedy of St. Stanisalus… rather than any sort of representational drama.
The saint, through his life and, more importantly his death by assassination, is an intrinsic symbol of the state at odds with the church and held particular poignancy in 1970s Poland.
The premiere occurred as planned, with the composer conducting the work in the presence of the pope, who praised the Beatus vir publicly even as he was openly condemning Poland's communist leaders.
The repetitive nature of the melodic writing throughout the Beatus Vir Psalm is a direct descendant of the chant-like responses sung in Catholic churches.