Whenever you have 18 minutes of spare time, listen to this piece of music. It may bring you to tears if you are a lover of God, music, or Kierkegaard, the latter of which I may have recently become.
I have shortened youtube videos so they wouldn't take up the whole page. The audio is the only thing that matters. You should read the lyrics below as you listen. The volume will need to be adjusted throughout because it gets very loud and quiet.
O Thou Who art unchangeable, Whom nothing changes,
I have shortened youtube videos so they wouldn't take up the whole page. The audio is the only thing that matters. You should read the lyrics below as you listen. The volume will need to be adjusted throughout because it gets very loud and quiet.
O Thou Who art unchangeable, Whom nothing changes,
May we find our rest and remain at rest in Thee unchanging.
Thou art moved and moved in infinite love by all things:
the need of a sparrow, even this moves Thee;
and what we scarcely see, a human sigh,
this moves Thee, O infinite Love!
But nothing changes Thee, O Thou unchanging.
May we find rest and remain at rest.
Thou art moved and moved in infinite love for all things; O Thou unchanging.
May we find rest and remain at rest.
Thou art moved and moved in infinite love for all things:
the need of a sparrow, even this moves Thee
and what we scarcely see, a human sigh,
this moves Thee, O infinite Love!
But nothing changes Thee, O Thou unchanging.
Lord Jesus Christ Who suffered all life long that I, too, might be saved,
and Whose suffering still knows no end.
This, too, wilt thou endure: saving and redeeming me,
This, too, wilt thou endure: saving and redeeming me,
this patient suffering of me with whom Thou hast to do, I, who so often go astray.
Lord Jesus Christ! Lord Jesus Christ!
Father in Heaven, well we know that it is Thou that giveth both to will and to do,
that also longing, when it leads us to renew the fellowship with our Savior and Redeemer, is from Thee.
Father in Heaven, longing is Thy gift.
But when longing lays hold of us, oh that we might lay hold of the longing,
then it would carry us away, that we also might give ourselves up.
Father in Heaven, when Thou art near to summon us, that we also in prayer might stay near Thee.
When Thou in the longing dost offer us the highest good, oh that we might hold it fast!
Father in Heaven! Father in Heaven!
Father in Heaven, hold not our sins up against us
But hold us up against our sins,
So that the thought of Thee should not remind us
Of what we have committed,
But of what Thou didst forgive;
Not how we went astray,
But how Thou didst save us!
Here is some extra information on the piece:
Samuel Osborne Barber II (March 9, 1910 - January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music.
Prayers of Kierkegaard, op. 30 is a one-movement extended cantata written by Samuel Barber between 1942 and 1954. The piece is comprised of four main subdivisions and is based on prayers by Søren Kierkegaard. It is written for chorus, large orchestra, soprano solo and incidental tenor and alto solos.
Samuel Barber began writing the Prayers of Kierkegaard with the commission of the Koussevitzky Music Foundation in 1942, but because of World War II and other interruptions, only completed the work 12 years later. It was premiered on December 3, 1954 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cecilia Society Chorus, and soprano Leontyne Price, for whom the piece was actually written, with Charles Munch conducting. The piece was given its New York premiere four days later, and both concerts were received with critical acclaim.
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." This quotation depicts his desire to show once and for all that he was a good Presbyterian and also that he could depict this through concise musical ideas, simplifying the texts.
Prayers of Kierkegaard is an unequivocal religious statement that Samuel Barber divided into 4 distinct parts, each representing a different prayer. The first section speaks of God the Unchangeable and begins in an unaccompanied chant performed by unaccompanied male voices in a Gregorian chant style. It then continues with the orchestra responding to the chant in imitative counterpoint until the chorus and orchestra join in climax on the words "Thou Art Unchanging," repeating the theme of the text.
In the second section, which is recited in the first person, the soprano solo receives the melody from an oboe solo. This minimalism, however, is changed in the third section that reflects Russian chorus writing in the thickness of the lines. This prayer grows in both the chorus and the orchestra, until it expands into a dance which ends with the sempre forte "Father In Heaven" by the chorus.
The fourth section then gradually loses momentum, becoming distant memories of the bells and strings that dominated moments before. The four part chorale that ends the piece reflects the beauty and hopeful nature of Barber's religious views.
The piece maintains a constant momentum through many different mediums and musical ideas. Barber's deciphering of the text and reflection of said text in the music is what makes this piece so extraordinary. The composer was also quoted as saying, "one finds his three basic traits of imagination, dialectic and religious melancholy. The truth he sought after was a truth for me, one that demanded sacrifice and personal response. This is one of Samuel Barber's most personal works and it is shown though this amazing music as "the prayers Barber chose to set were taken from Kierkegaards journals and sermons, and reflect both Kierkegaards and Barbers belief in the power of Gods redemption through affirmative human deeds and personal self-awareness."
Prayers of Kierkegaard, op. 30 is a one-movement extended cantata written by Samuel Barber between 1942 and 1954. The piece is comprised of four main subdivisions and is based on prayers by Søren Kierkegaard. It is written for chorus, large orchestra, soprano solo and incidental tenor and alto solos.
Samuel Barber began writing the Prayers of Kierkegaard with the commission of the Koussevitzky Music Foundation in 1942, but because of World War II and other interruptions, only completed the work 12 years later. It was premiered on December 3, 1954 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cecilia Society Chorus, and soprano Leontyne Price, for whom the piece was actually written, with Charles Munch conducting. The piece was given its New York premiere four days later, and both concerts were received with critical acclaim.
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." This quotation depicts his desire to show once and for all that he was a good Presbyterian and also that he could depict this through concise musical ideas, simplifying the texts.
Prayers of Kierkegaard is an unequivocal religious statement that Samuel Barber divided into 4 distinct parts, each representing a different prayer. The first section speaks of God the Unchangeable and begins in an unaccompanied chant performed by unaccompanied male voices in a Gregorian chant style. It then continues with the orchestra responding to the chant in imitative counterpoint until the chorus and orchestra join in climax on the words "Thou Art Unchanging," repeating the theme of the text.
In the second section, which is recited in the first person, the soprano solo receives the melody from an oboe solo. This minimalism, however, is changed in the third section that reflects Russian chorus writing in the thickness of the lines. This prayer grows in both the chorus and the orchestra, until it expands into a dance which ends with the sempre forte "Father In Heaven" by the chorus.
The fourth section then gradually loses momentum, becoming distant memories of the bells and strings that dominated moments before. The four part chorale that ends the piece reflects the beauty and hopeful nature of Barber's religious views.
The piece maintains a constant momentum through many different mediums and musical ideas. Barber's deciphering of the text and reflection of said text in the music is what makes this piece so extraordinary. The composer was also quoted as saying, "one finds his three basic traits of imagination, dialectic and religious melancholy. The truth he sought after was a truth for me, one that demanded sacrifice and personal response. This is one of Samuel Barber's most personal works and it is shown though this amazing music as "the prayers Barber chose to set were taken from Kierkegaards journals and sermons, and reflect both Kierkegaards and Barbers belief in the power of Gods redemption through affirmative human deeds and personal self-awareness."
And here are some of the prayers that I think Barber drew from:
Move in Infinite Love~Soren Kierkegaard
You who are unchangeable, whom nothing changes! You who are unchangeable in love, precisely for our welfare, not submitting to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the discipline of Your unchangeableness, so that we may in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in Your unchangeableness. You are not like us; if we are to preserve only some degree of constancy, we must not permit ourselves too much to be moved, nor by too many things. You on the contrary are moved, and moved in infinite love, by all things. Even that which we humans beings call an insignificant trifle, and pass by unmoved, the need of a sparrow, even this moved You; and what we so often scarcely notice, a human sigh, this moves You, You who are unchangeable! You who in infinite love do submit to be moved, may this our prayer also move You to add Your blessing, in order that there may be brought about such a change in us who pray as to bring us into conformity with Your unchangeable will, You who are unchangeable!
You who are unchangeable, whom nothing changes! You who are unchangeable in love, precisely for our welfare, not submitting to any change: may we too will our welfare, submitting ourselves to the discipline of Your unchangeableness, so that we may in unconditional obedience find our rest and remain at rest in Your unchangeableness. You are not like us; if we are to preserve only some degree of constancy, we must not permit ourselves too much to be moved, nor by too many things. You on the contrary are moved, and moved in infinite love, by all things. Even that which we humans beings call an insignificant trifle, and pass by unmoved, the need of a sparrow, even this moved You; and what we so often scarcely notice, a human sigh, this moves You, You who are unchangeable! You who in infinite love do submit to be moved, may this our prayer also move You to add Your blessing, in order that there may be brought about such a change in us who pray as to bring us into conformity with Your unchangeable will, You who are unchangeable!
The Sickness Unto Death~Soren Kierkegaard
Father in Heaven! To You the congregation often makes its petition for all who are sick and sorrowful, and when someone among us lies ill, alas, of mortal sickness, the congregation sometimes desires a special petition; grant that we may each one of us become in good time aware what sickness it is which is the sickness unto death and aware that we are all of us suffering from this sickness.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth to heal them that suffer from this sickness, form which, alas, we all suffer, but from which You are able to heal only those who are conscious they are sick in this way; help us in this sickness to hold fast to You, to the end that we may be healed of it.
O God the Holy Spirit, who comes to help us in this sickness if we honestly desire to be healed; remain with us so that for no single instance we may to our own destruction shun the Physician, but may remain with Him - delivered from sickness. For to be with Him is to be delivered from our sickness, and when we are with Him we are saved from all sickness.
The Promise and the Pain~Soren Kierkegaard
Father in Heaven! We know indeed that seeking is never without its promise, how then could we fail to seek You, the author of all promises and the giver of all good gifts! We know well that the seeker does not always have to wander far afield since the more scared the object of his search, the nearer it is to him; and if he seeks You, O God, You are of all things most near!
But we know also that the seeking is never without its pains and temptations, how then would there not be fear in seeking You, who are mighty! Even he who trusts in thought to his kinship with You does not venture forth without fear upon those crucial decisions of thought where, through doubt, he seeks to trace Your presence in the wise order of existence or, through despair, he seeks to trace You in the obedience under providence of rebellious events. Those, whom You call Your friends, who walk in the light of Your countenance, they, too, not without trembling, seek the meeting of friendship with You who alone are mighty. People of prayer who love with their whole heart - it is not without anxiety that they venture into the conflict of prayer with their God. The dying man, for whom You shift the scene, does not relinquish the temporal without a shudder when You call him. Not even the child of woe, for whom the world has nothing but suffering, flee to You without fear, You who do not merely alleviate, but are all in all! How then should the sinner dare to seek You, O God of righteousness! But therefore he seeks You, not as these others do, but seeks You in the confession of sins.
Hold Us Up Against Our Sins~Soren Kierkegaard
Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray but of how You did save us!
Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray but of how You did save us!
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