Magnificat

The ''Magnificat'' is a Canticle frequently sung (or said) Liturgically in Christian church services. Also known as the '''Song of Mary''', it is taken from the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus . Shortly after being informed by Archangel Gabriel of her holy pregnancy, according to the Biblical account, Mary visited her cousin Elisabeth the wife of Zechariah (herself pregnant at the time with John The Baptist ); and in response to Elizabeth's salutation she spoke the words of the Magnificat, which accordingly appears in the Gospel Of Luke , 1:46-55.

TEXT

Although like other New Testament texts the Magnificat was originally written in Greek , in the Western Church is most often to be found in Latin or the vernacular. Its name comes from the first word of the Latin version (see Incipit ).

Latin ( Vulgate ):

Magnificat anima mea Dominum

Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.

Quia respexit humilitatem ancillæ suæ: ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.

Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen eius.

Et misericordia eius a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.

Fecit potentiam in bracchio suo, dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.

Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles.

Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes,

Suscepit Israel puerum suum recordatus misericordiæ suæ,

Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini eius in sæcula.

English ( Book Of Common Prayer ):

:My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
:For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
:For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
:For he that is mighty hath magnified me: and holy is his name.
:And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.
:He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
:He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meek.
:He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away.
:He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel: as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.

A more modern version from the New Revised Standard Version :

:My soul magnifies the Lord,
::and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
:for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
::Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
:for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
::and holy is his name.
:His mercy is for those who fear him
::from generation to generation.
:He has shown strength with his arm;
::he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
:He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
::and lifted up the lowly;
:he has filled the hungry with good things,
::and sent the rich away empty.
:He has helped his servant Israel,
::in remembrance of his mercy,
:according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
::to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

In liturgical use, it is generally followed by the Gloria Patri .

LITURGICAL USE

The text forms a part of the Daily Office in the Catholic Vespers service and the Anglican Evensong Service , where it is paired with the Nunc Dimittis . (Modern Anglican rubrics generally allow for a wider selection of canticles at Evensong; but the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis remain the most popular.) It has accordingly been a popular text for many composers.

Perhaps the best known ''Magnificat''s are that from Vespers Of 1610 composed by Claudio Monteverdi , and that composed by Johann Sebastian Bach , BWV 243; and in the same vein many other "classical" composers (from Vivaldi to Rachmaninoff ) have set extended versions for orchestra, chorus, and solos. However, these concerted settings were neither intended nor convenient for liturgical use; more often choirs will sing a shorter, simpler setting A Capella or with only Organ accompaniment. Several such settings from the Renaissance remain popular; and nearly every composer in the 19th and 20th Century Anglican Choral Tradition has composed one or more settings of the "Mag and Nunc." Since these canticles are sung nearly every day at some Cathedrals , there is a real need for multiple settings; at its extreme this led Herbert Howells , a noted composer of these canticles, to publish twenty settings of them over his career.

In Eastern Orthodox worship, the Magnificat is usually sung during the Sunday Matins service before the '' Irmos '' of the ninth ode of the Canon . It is accompanied by a refrain that is sung between the verses:
:"More honorable than the , we magnify thee."

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Magnificat