Greetings

I'm preparing a performance of Rachmaninov's 6 Choruses with a choir. Although I've studied Russian, I find myself wondering about the application of akanye. Could the combined wisdome enlighten me on these issues:

* exactly when did the phenomenon appear in Russian? Some of the texts are by Lermontov - would that be too early, perhaps?
* is it even at all common to apply akanye in poetry/music?

Grateful for any useful hints.

Cordially

Joachim