The Russian Army was besieging Nazi-occupied Budapest when KodÌÁly put the finishing touches on this powerful work, which he had begun two years earlier in 1942 as a solo organ mass. KodÌÁly, hidden in the cellar of a Budapest convent, then reworked it for chorus and organ, soon thereafter producing a third version, for chorus and orchestra. It premiered in 1945. SATB Divisi and Piano Accompaniment.