After we finished filming this program in the Czech Republic, for the soundtrack I composed an orchestral hymn celebrating the courage and tenacity of the Czech people. 

For 40 years (1949 to 1989) Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) had suffered under the brutality of Soviet totalitarian rule.

As the nation’s largest and most revered church, St. Vitus’ Roman Catholic Cathedral was at the center of religious and cultural life throughout the Soviet occupation..  Under the Communist regime, suspected dissidents, including many Catholic clergy and lay people, were jailed. In the 1950s, show trials of prominent Czechs deemed unsupportive of the regime were held, and hundreds were executed.

As opposition to totalitarian rule grew in the 1960s, it seemed that progress toward free elections and social reform was possible.  But in 1968, in response to the so-called Prague Spring, Soviet tanks entered Prague. The hopes and dreams of the Czech people were brutally crushed. 

Yet through those bleak years, the beauty and grandeur of St. Vitus Cathedral remained a bright beacon shining in the darkness. Founded in 930, the Cathedral was a symbol of hope and a reminder of the nation’s thousand-year history. 

The Czech peoples’ resolution and bravery in the face of tyranny and oppression ultimately led to the Velvet Revolution of 1989.  With it came the return to the democracy and freedom for which, with undaunted courage, they had long struggled.

St. Vitus, Prague: A Beacon in the Darkness is scored for SATB chorus, boys’ choir, and tenor soloist. The string section includes 24 violins, 8 violas, 8 cellos, and 9 double basses.  The woodwinds and brass include 1 English horn, 1 flute, 6 French Horns, and 2 trombones.

We have also published a version of this video as the 4th movement of my Requiem Mass.

M.M. Ray and D. Ellicott Ray