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The score of the E-flat major version of Bach's Magnificat was first published by [[N. Simrock|Simrock]] in 1811, edited by Georg Pölchau, however without the Christmas hymns.<ref name="Schweitzer1911V2p166" /><ref>Zenck 1986</ref> These were published in 1862, in the appendix of Volume 11/1 of the [[Bach-Gesellschaft|Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe]], a publication that contained the D major version of the Magnificat (and not the E-flat major version).<ref>[[Johann Sebastian Bach]] edited by Wilhelm Rust. Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, Band 11.1. ''Magnificat D dur und vier Sanctus''. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1862.</ref>
The score of the E-flat major version of Bach's Magnificat was first published by [[N. Simrock|Simrock]] in 1811, edited by Georg Pölchau, however without the Christmas hymns.<ref name="Schweitzer1911V2p166" /><ref>Zenck 1986</ref> These were published in 1862, in the appendix of Volume 11/1 of the [[Bach-Gesellschaft|Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe]], a publication that contained the D major version of the Magnificat (and not the E-flat major version).<ref>[[Johann Sebastian Bach]] edited by Wilhelm Rust. Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, Band 11.1. ''Magnificat D dur und vier Sanctus''. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1862.</ref>


[[Novello & Co|Novello]] printed an ''Octavo'' edition in 1874, using a translation to English which [[John Troutbeck]] based on the text in [[The Book of Common Prayer]]. The [[Neue Bach Ausgabe]] published the E-flat major version in 1955, edited by [[Alfred Dürr]].{{sfn|Digital}} Novello published an edition in 2000, edited by Neil Jenkins.{{sfn|Jenkins}} [[Bärenreiter]] published a critical edition based on it again in 2014/15.{{sfn|Bärenreiter}}
The [[Neue Bach Ausgabe]] published the E-flat major version in 1955, edited by [[Alfred Dürr]].{{sfn|Digital}} Novello published an edition in 2000, edited by Neil Jenkins.{{sfn|Jenkins}} [[Bärenreiter]] published a critical edition based on it again in 2014/15.{{sfn|Bärenreiter}}


== Recordings ==
== Recordings ==

Revision as of 21:05, 9 October 2014

Magnificat
BWV 243a
by J. S. Bach
Heimsuchung, occasion of the song of praise, Rubens school, Unionskirche, Idstein
KeyE-flat major
Relatedbase for Magnificat in D major, BWV 243
Occasion
Bible textLuke 1:46–55
Performed
  • 2 July 1723 (1723-07-02): Leipzig
  • 25 December 1723 (1723-12-25): Leipzig
Movements12 (+4)
VocalSSATB choir and solo
Instrumental
  • 3 trumpets
  • timpani
  • 2 recorders
  • 2 oboes
  • 2 violins
  • viola
  • continuo

The Magnificat in E-flat major, BWV 243a, by Johann Sebastian Bach is a musical setting of the biblical canticle Magnificat as a composition for voices and orchestra in twelve movements. Bach composed the piece in E-flat major, formally a cantata, in 1723, his first year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, for the feast of the Visitation, and first performed it on the feast day, 2 July. For Christmas the same year, he performed it again with four inserted hymns related to the occasion.[1] The sacred choral work on the Latin text is scored for five vocal parts (two sopranos, alto, tenor and bass), and a Baroque orchestra. In 1733, Bach transposed it to D major and reworked it to the Magnificat in D major, BWV 243, again for Visitation.

While the canticle Magnificat was often set to music, being a regular part of Catholic vespers and Anglican evensong, Bach's work is one of few extended settings, along with his son's Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Magnificat and the 1990 work by John Rutter. It is the first work which Bach scored for five vocal parts, followed by only a few unusual works such as the funeral motet Jesu, meine Freude and the Missa of 1733.

History

In Leipzig, the Magnificat was regularly part of Sunday services, sung in German on ordinary Sundays but more elaborately and in Latin on the high holidays (Christmas, Easter and Pentecost) and on the three Marian feasts Annunciation, Visitation and Purification.[2][3]

Bach composed the work in 1723, his first year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, for the feast of the Visitation.[4] A few weeks after he had taken up his post on the first Sunday after Trinity,[5] he presented an unusual extended composition and introduced five-part choral setting to Leipzig church music. Otherwise, he used five voices only in the funeral motet Jesu, meine Freude (1723), the Missa in B minor (1733) with the derived cantata [[[Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191|Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191]]] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), and in the Mass in B minor. Musicologist Richard D. P. Jones notes: "Without exception these works lie outside the normal routine of Bach's sacred vocal works".[2]

Bach first performed the Magnificat on the feast day, 2 July.[4] For Christmas the same year, he performed it again with four inserted laudes, songs of praise partly in German, partly in Latin.[2][4] Bach used as a cantus firmus in movement 10 the Gregorian chant tonus peregrinus. A year later Bach composed for the feast of the Visitation the chorale cantata [[[Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10|Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10]]] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), on a paraphrase of the Magnificat as the text, and with the same tonus peregrinus as the base for the music.[5]

For Visitation of 1733, he transposed his Magnificat composition to D major and reworked it to BWV 243, the version better known today.

While the canticle Magnificat was often set to music, being a regular part of Catholic vespers and Anglican evensong, Bach's work is one of few extended settings. His son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and John Rutter followed his example.[6]

Scoring and structure

Bach scored the work festively for five vocal soloists (two sopranos (SI, SII), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)) and a SSATB five-part choir. The Baroque orchestra consists of "due violini, due oboe, tre trombi, tamburi, basson, viola e basso continuo",[7] i.e. two violins, two oboes, three trumpets, timpani, bassoon, viola and basso continuo. Two flutes were only added in the later D major version.[8]

Movements

Further information: Magnificat in D major, BWV 243 § Movements

Bach's Magnificat consists of eleven movements for the text of Luke 1:46-55, concluded by a twelfth doxology movement.[9] Each verse of the canticle is assigned to one movement, except verse 48, beginning with a soprano solo in the role of Mary (third movement),[10] then switching to the fourth movement chorus when "all generations" are mentioned.[11] The four Christmas hymn movements are placed after the second, fifth, seventh and ninth movement on the Magnificat text.

The full orchestra plays in the first and last movements and the choral movements 4 and 7, Fecit potentiam. As in other cantatas, the movements for soloists are accompanied by an obbligato instrument, only strings or even only continuo. The choral movements are followed by two solo movements, the second one often with richer scoring.[4]

The following table shows the title, Tempo marking, voices, time, key and text sources for the twelve movements for Visitation and the inserted movements for Christmas.

Movements of Bach's Magnificat
No. Title Voices Key Time Tempo Text source
1 Magnificat anima mea SSATB E-flat major 3/4 Luke 1:46
2 Et exultavit spiritus meus SII E-flat major 3/8 Luke 1:47
[A] Vom Himmel hoch SSATB E-flat major cut time Hymn by Martin Luther
3 Quia respexit humiltatem SI C minor common time Adagio Luke 1:48 beginning
4 Omnes generationes SSATB G minor common time Luke 1:48 end
5 Quia fecit mihi magna B E-flat major common time Luke 1:49
[B] Freut euch und jubilieret SSAT B-flat major common time Verse by Sethus Calvisius[12]
6 Et misericordia A T F minor 12/8 Luke 1:50
7 Fecit potentiam SSATB E-flat major common time Luke 1:51
[C] Gloria in excelsis Deo SSATB E-flat major common time Luke 2:14
8 Deposuit potentes T G minor 3/4 Luke 1:52
9 Esurientes A F major common time Luke 1:53
[D] Virga Jesse floruit S B F major 12/8 fragment of a longer Christmas hymn[13]
10 Suscepit Israel SSA C minor common time Luke 1:54
11 Sicut locutus est SSATB E-flat major common time Luke 1:55
12 Gloria Patri
Sicut erat in principio		 SSATB E-flat major common time
3/4		 Doxology

The Christmas hymns

The four hymns Bach inserted in the Magnificat for the 1723 Christmas vespers had been used by his predecessor Kuhnau in a Christmas cantata.[13][12]

A. Vom Himmel hoch
For SSATB, E-flat major, cut time. The text is a hymn by Martin Luther.
B. Freut euch und jubilieret
For SSAT, B-flat major, common time. The text is a verse by Sethus Calvisius.[12]
C. Gloria in excelsis Deo
For SSATB and violins, E-flat major, common time. Text: Luke 2:14.
D. Virga Jesse floruit
For S B, F major, 12/8. Text: fragment of a longer Christmas hymn.[13]

Publication

The earliest sources are autographs for the performances on 2 July and 25 December 1723, including the Christmas parts, kept by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.[4][2] These are available on-line at www.bach-digital.de.[14]

The score of the E-flat major version of Bach's Magnificat was first published by Simrock in 1811, edited by Georg Pölchau, however without the Christmas hymns.[1][15] These were published in 1862, in the appendix of Volume 11/1 of the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, a publication that contained the D major version of the Magnificat (and not the E-flat major version).[16]

The Neue Bach Ausgabe published the E-flat major version in 1955, edited by Alfred Dürr.[4] Novello published an edition in 2000, edited by Neil Jenkins.[17] Bärenreiter published a critical edition based on it again in 2014/15.[18]

Recordings

The first version of Bach's Magnificat in the Christmas version was recorded in 2002 by the Collegium Vocale Gent, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe, with soloists Carolyn Sampson, Ingeborg Danz, Mark Padmore and Sebastian Noack. A reviewer noted "bracing but not rushed tempos, infectiously energetic and technically solid contributions from the chorus, and an intelligently paced flow from movement to movement.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Schweitzer 1911 (volume 2), p. 166
  2. ^ a b c d Jones 2013.
  3. ^ Schröder 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Digital.
  5. ^ a b Rizzuti.
  6. ^ Bawden.
  7. ^ Simrock 1811
  8. ^ Dellal.
  9. ^ Score, p. 63.
  10. ^ Score, p. 20–22.
  11. ^ Score, p. 23.
  12. ^ a b c Cantagrel 2011.
  13. ^ a b c Spitta 1899.
  14. ^ Autograph
  15. ^ Zenck 1986
  16. ^ Johann Sebastian Bach edited by Wilhelm Rust. Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, Band 11.1. Magnificat D dur und vier Sanctus. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1862.
  17. ^ Jenkins.
  18. ^ Bärenreiter.
  19. ^ Vernier.

Sources

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