 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.