Historical Significance
Samuel Barber chose a selection of prayers by philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard, derived from his Journals, as well as his books The Unchangeableness of God and Christian Discourses. These works were harsh discourses of the vague practices of the Danish church, and were a direct reflection of Barber's orthodox Presbyterian-Quaker background. In direct correlation with his Hermit Songs (1953), Barber began to use sacred texts to show the realistic but extremely hopeful outlook of American Christianity, especially the Protestantism of this period. Barber once said when speaking about the piece, "One finds here three basic truths: imagination, dialectic, and religious melancholy. The truth Soren Kierkegaard sought after was a truth which was a truth for me."
Read more about this topic: Prayers Of Kierkegaard
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