The Kühn Choir of Prague

Who would have thunk it! A very fine choir based in Prague, the Kühn Choir, founded by Pavel Kühn, has just released a CD which contains a performance of a hymn, Colorado Prayer, with lyrics written by my father, Barney Crockett, during his participation in a Retreat for Ministers in Sylvandale, CO in 1941! No one could have imagined that was possible back when he wrote that hymn!

Here are the lyrics he wrote almost 80 years ago:

God our Creator, builder of the mountain

‘Stablish our courage, as the hills eternal.

Should care overwhelm us, may thy towers 

Direct us, O Lord, our God, to Thee.

God our Creator, spirit of the river,

Cleanse our impurities by thy living waters.

Freshen our spirits by thy cooling 

Showers, O Lord, we wait on Thee.

God our Creator, ruler of the tempest,

Thy face the lightning and thy voice the thunder.

Speak to our longings, sanctify our

Yearnings; Hear us, O Father.

God our Creator, from the highest heavens,

Sun, moon and stars shine, to illume our pathway.

Be Thou our leader, give to us true 

Wisdom, so may we follow Thee.

Barney C. Crockett, 1941

Sylvandale, Colorado

How did it happen? Well, it's an interesting story.  Dad originally set his lyrics to the hymn tune, INTEGER VITAE. ("Father Almighty, Bless Us with Thy Blessing"). Dad used it in services in Texarkana, AK and in Anamosa, IA, and probably in Onawa, IA as well. When he died, I found the hymn in his files and used it in Dummerston and Guilford. I actually have a recording of my brother, Stewart, and I singing it as a duet in Guilford during a visit my brother made to Vermont in the 1980s. All of that is quite to be expected. 

In 2003, for my 70th birthday party, I put together a songbook to use at the party for a singalong. I included this hymn in the songbook. After the party, I sent a copy of the songbook to a former Lawrence student, Deborah Anderson, who is a composer who lives in WA near Tacoma. I knew she would be interested in the collection. (Deborah is the composer of a song we use frequently in Hallowell: Gaelic Blessing). Deborah was inspired by my father's lyrics and felt they deserved their own setting, so she sat down and composed a new setting, and titled it Colorado Prayer. That gave the hymn a new life. She published that (with my permission) and somehow it came to the attention of the Kühn Choir. Deborah has traveled in Eastern Europe and I suspect has some contacts in Prague. Anyway, they liked it, and included it on their CD along with another of Deborah's works, Windows. Here is the CD cover:

The Kühn Choir CD

Back Cover

Tracks 7 and 8

Another interesting feature is that the recording of this particular track, Colorado Prayer, was made in a beautiful church in Prague, a Brethren Church called The Chapel at Korunni. I found it online:

Two views of The Chapel at Korunni

And here is a portrait of the Kühn Choir: 

The Kühn Choir

And, finally, a picture of Deborah Anderson, from her website:

Deborah J. Anderson, composer of Colorado Prayer

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to upload an audio file onto this blog. I'll look more into that.