The
Magnificat
(
Latin
for "[My soul] magnifies [the Lord]") is a
canticle
, also known as the
Song of Mary
, the
Canticle of Mary
and, in the
Byzantine
tradition, the
Ode of the Theotokos
(
Greek
:
? ?δ? τ?? Θεοτ?κου
). It is traditionally incorporated into the
liturgical
services of the
Catholic Church
, the
Eastern Orthodox Church
,
Lutheran Churches
and the
Anglican Communion
.
[1]
Its name comes from the
incipit
of the Latin version of the text.
The text of the canticle is taken from the
Gospel of Luke
(
1:46?55
) where it is spoken by
Mary
upon the occasion of her
Visitation
to her cousin
Elizabeth
.
In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with
John the Baptist
, the latter moves within Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth praises Mary for her
faith
(using words partially reflected in the
Hail Mary
), and Mary responds with what is now known as the Magnificat. Some ancient authorities have Elizabeth, rather than Mary, speaking the Magnificat.
The Magnificat is one of the eight most ancient Christian
hymns
and perhaps the earliest
Marian hymn
.
Within the whole of Christianity, the canticle is most frequently recited within the
Liturgy of the Hours
. In
Western Christianity
, the Magnificat is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service:
Vespers
[1]
in the Catholic and
Lutheran
churches, and
Evening Prayer
(or Evensong) in
Anglicanism
. The traditional form is found the
Book of Common Prayer (1662)
and in
Common Worship
,
[6]
[7]
as well as the
Book of Common Prayer (1928)
and
Book of Common Prayer (1979)
of the
Episcopal Church (United States)
.
[8]
[9]
In
Eastern Christianity
, the Magnificat is always sung at
Matins
. The Magnificat may also be sung during worship services, especially in the
Advent
season during which these verses are traditionally read.
Mary's Magnificat, recorded only in Luke's Gospel, is one of four hymns, distilled from a collection of early Jewish-Christian canticles, which complement the promise-fulfillment theme of Luke's
infancy narrative
. These songs are Mary's Magnificat; Zechariah's
Benedictus
(1:67?79); the angels'
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
(2:13?14); and Simeon's
Nunc dimittis
(2:28?32). In form and content, these four canticles are patterned on the "hymns of praise" in Israel's
Psalter
. In structure, these songs reflect the compositions of pre-Christian contemporary Jewish hymnology. The first stanza displays graphically a characteristic feature of Hebrew poetry?synonymous parallelism?in ascribing praise to God: "my soul" mirrors "my spirit"; "proclaims the greatness" with "has found gladness"; "of the Lord" with "in God my Savior." The balance of the opening two lines bursts out into a dual
Magnificat
of declaring the greatness of and finding delight in God. The third stanza again demonstrates parallelism, but in this instance, three contrasting parallels: the proud are reversed by the low estate, the mighty by those of low degree, and the rich by the hungry.
[10]
Although there is some scholarly discussion of whether the historical Mary herself actually proclaimed this canticle, Luke portrays her as the singer of this song of reversals and the interpreter of the contemporary events taking place. Mary symbolizes both
ancient Israel
and the Lucan faith-community as the author/singer of the
Magnificat
.
[10]
The canticle echoes several biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the
Song of Hannah
, from the
Books of Samuel
(
1 Samuel 2:1?10
). Scriptural echoes from the
Torah
, the
Prophets
, and the
Writings
complement the main allusions to Hannah's "magnificat of rejoicing".
[10]
Along with the
Benedictus
, as well as several Old Testament canticles, the
Magnificat
is included in the
Book of Odes
, an ancient liturgical collection found in some manuscripts of the
Septuagint
.
[
citation needed
]
As with other canticles and psalms, Western liturgical tradition usually adds the doxology known as
Gloria Patri
to the end of the Magnificat. This is not found in the original text.
[
citation needed
]
In a style reminiscent of
Old Testament
poetry
and
song
, Mary praises the Lord in alignment with this structure:
- Mary rejoices that she has the privilege of giving birth to the promised Messiah (
Luke 1:46?48
).
- She glorifies God for His power, holiness, and mercy (
Luke 1:49?50
).
- Mary looks forward to God transforming the world through the Messiah. The proud will be brought low, and the humble will be lifted up; the hungry will be fed, and the rich will go without (
Luke 1:51?53
).
- Mary exalts God because He has been faithful to His promise to Abraham (
Luke 1:54?55
; see God's promise to Abraham in
Gen 12:1?3
).
[11]
Latin and Anglican translation
edit
Vulgate
[12]
|
Book of Common Prayer
(1662)
|
- Magnificat anima mea Dominum;
- et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo,
- quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae;
- 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 brachio 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 misericordiae suae,
- sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
- Abraham et semini eius in saecula.
The
Gloria Patri
is appended to the canticle but is not part of Luke's Gospel.
- Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,
- sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper: et in Saecula saeculorum. Amen.
[13]
|
- 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.
The
Gloria Patri
is appended to the canticle, but is not part of Luke's Gospel.
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
- As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
|
Roman Catholic translation
edit
Traditional
- My soul doth magnify the Lord,
- And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour
- Because He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
- Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His name.
- And His mercy is from generation unto generations to them that fear Him.
- He hath shewed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
- He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
- He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.
- He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy.
- As He spoke to our fathers; to Abraham and his seed forever.
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
- As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
[14]
Modern
- My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
- my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
- for He has looked with favor on His humble servant.
- From this day all generations will call me blessed,
- the Almighty has done great things for me,
- and holy is His Name.
- He has mercy on those who fear Him
- in every generation.
- He has shown the strength of his arm,
- He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
- He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
- and has lifted up the humble.
- He has filled the hungry with good things,
- and the rich He has sent away empty.
- He has come to the help of His servant Israel
- for He has remembered his promise of mercy,
- the promise He made to our fathers,
- to Abraham and his children for ever.
- Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
- as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.
- Amen, Alleluia.
[15]
The oldest (likely original) version of the
Magnificat
was written in
Koine Greek
.
[16]
- Μεγαλ?νει ? ψυχ? μου τ?ν Κ?ριον κα? ?γαλλ?ασεν τ? πνε?μ? μου ?π? τ? Θε? τ? σωτ?ρ? μου,
- ?τι ?π?βλεψεν ?π? τ?ν ταπε?νωσιν τ?? δο?λη? α?το?. ?δο? γ?ρ ?π? το? ν?ν μακαριο?σ?ν με π?σαι α? γενεα?,
- ?τι ?πο?ησ?ν μοι μεγ?λα ? δυνατ??, κα? ?γιον τ? ?νομα α?το?, κα? τ? ?λεο? α?το? ε?? γενε?? κα? γενε?? το?? φοβουμ?νοι? α?τ?ν.
- ?πο?ησεν κρ?το? ?ν βραχ?ονι α?το?, διεσκ?ρπισεν ?περηφ?νου? διανο?? καρδ?α? α?τ?ν·
- καθε?λεν δυν?στα? ?π? θρ?νων κα? ?ψωσεν ταπεινο??, πειν?ντα? ?ν?πλησεν ?γαθ?ν κα? πλουτο?ντα? ?ξαπ?στειλεν κενο??.
- ?ντελ?βετο ?σρα?λ παιδ?? α?το?, μνησθ?ναι ?λ?ου?, καθ?? ?λ?λησεν πρ?? το?? πατ?ρα? ?μ?ν τ? Αβρα?μ κα? τ? σπ?ρματι α?το? ε?? τ?ν α??να.
In
Eastern Orthodox
worship, the
Ode of the Theotokos
is accompanied by the following refrain sung between the verses (a
sticheron
) and a
megalynarion
, which is the second part of the
Axion Estin
hymn:
- Τ?ν τιμιωτ?ραν τ?ν Χερουβ?μ κα? ?νδοξοτ?ραν ?συγκρ?τω? τ?ν Σεραφ?μ, τ?ν ?διαφθ?ρω? Θε?ν Λ?γον τεκο?σαν, τ?ν ?ντω? Θεοτ?κον, σ? μεγαλ?νομεν.
- ('You who are more to be honoured than the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, you who, uncorrupted, gave birth to God the Word, in reality the God-bearer, we exalt you.')
Amharic
In the Oriental Orthodox Church Scripture of Ethiopia according to the
Ye' Luqas Wongel,
Gospel of Luqas (Luke):
46? ????? ???? ????
47? ??? ??? ???????? ????? ????? ?????? ??? ???????
48? ??????? ???? ????????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????
49? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???????? ??? ??? ???
50? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ?????
51? ???? ??? ??????? ??????? ????? ??? ??????
52? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ???????
53? ?????? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ?????? ???????
54-55? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??????
The translation of the hymn into
Church Slavonic
is as follows:
The text forms a part of the
daily office
in the
Roman Catholic
Vespers
service, the
Lutheran
Vespers
service, and the
Anglican
services of
Evening Prayer
, according to both the
Book of Common Prayer
and
Common Worship
. In the
Book of Common Prayer
Evening Prayer service, it is usually paired with the
Nunc dimittis
. The
Book of Common Prayer
allows for an alternative to the
Magnificat
?the
Cantate Domino
, Psalm 98
?and some Anglican rubrics allow for a wider selection of canticles, but the
Magnificat
and
Nunc dimittis
remain the most popular. In Anglican, Lutheran, and Catholic services, the
Magnificat
is generally followed by the
Gloria Patri
. It is also commonly used among Lutherans at the
Feast of the Visitation
(July 2).
In
Eastern Orthodox
liturgical practice, the
Magnificat
is always sung during the
Matins
service before the
Irmos
of the ninth ode of the
canon
(except on greater feasts of the Lord or the Theotokos, where the magnificat is excluded completely). After each biblical verse, i.e. as a
sticheron
, the following
megalynarion
or
troparion
is sung:
More honourable than the
Cherubim
, and more glorious beyond compare than the
Seraphim
, without corruption thou gavest birth to God the
Word
: true
Theotokos
, we magnify thee.
[17]
As a canticle, the
Magnificat
has frequently been set to music. Most compositions were originally intended for liturgical use, especially for Vesper services and celebrations of the Visitation, but some are also performed in
concert
.
As the Magnificat is part of the sung Vespers, many composers, beginning in the
Renaissance
, set the words to music, for example
Claudio Monteverdi
in his
Vespro della Beata Vergine
(1610).
Henry Dumont
,
Andre Campra
(1713),
Antoine-Esprit Blanchard
(1741),
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
, 10 settings (H.72, H.73, H.74, H.75, H.76, H.77, H.78, H.79, H.80, H.81),
Francois Giroust
(12 settings),
Vivaldi
composed
a setting
of the Latin text for soloists, choir, and orchestra, as did
Johann Sebastian Bach
in his Magnificat (1723, rev. 1733). Other notable examples include C.P.E. Bach's
Magnificat
and two extant settings by
Jan Dismas Zelenka
(ZWV 106 is missing).
Anton Bruckner
composed a
Magnificat
for soloists, choir, orchestra, and organ.
Rachmaninoff
and, more recently, John Rutter also composed
a setting
, inserting additions into the text.
Dieter Schnebel
wrote a Magnificat in 1996/97 for small choir (schola), percussion and additional instruments ad libitum.
Arvo Part
composed
a setting
for choir
a cappella
.
Kim Andre Arnesen
's Magnificat for choir, strings, piano, and organ premiered in 2010.
[
citation needed
]
The
Taize Community
have also composed an ostinato setting of the text.
Together with the
Nunc dimittis
, the Magnificat is a regular part of the Anglican
Evensong
. The "Mag and Nunc" has been set by many composers ? such as
Thomas Tallis
,
Ralph Vaughan Williams
,
Herbert Sumsion
,
Charles Wood
and
John Tavener
? of
Anglican church music
, often for choir a cappella or choir and organ. Since the canticles are sung every day at some
cathedrals
,
Charles Villiers Stanford
wrote a Magnificat in every major key, and
Herbert Howells
published 18 settings over his career, including the
Collegium Regale
setting and the
Magnificat and Nunc dimittis
for
St Paul's Cathedral
.
An
Eastern Orthodox
setting of the Magnificat (text in Latin and English) is to be found in the 2011
All-night Vigil
(Section 11) by the English composer Clive Strutt.
Maria Luise Thurmair
wrote in 1954 the lyrics for a popular German
ecumenical
hymn based on the Magnificat, "
Den Herren will ich loben
", set to a 1613 melody by
Melchior Teschner
(that of
Valet will ich dir geben
).
Timothy Dudley-Smith
wrote "
Tell Out, My Soul
", a popular paraphrase of the Magnificat, in 1962.
Krzysztof Penderecki
composed an extended
Magnificat
for the 1200th anniversary of the
Salzburg Cathedral
in 1974, for bass soloist, men's and boys' voices, two mixed choirs and orchestra.
The oratorio
Laudato si'
composed in 2016 by
Peter Reulein
on a
libretto
by
Helmut Schlegel
includes the full Latin text of the Magnificat, expanded by writings of
Clare of Assisi
,
Francis of Assisi
and
Pope Francis
.
[19]
Society and politics
edit
In
Nicaragua
, the
Magnificat
is a favorite prayer among many peasants and is often carried as a
sacramental
. During the
Somoza
years,
campesinos
were required to carry proof of having voted for Somoza; this document was mockingly referred to as a
Magnificat
.
- ^
a
b
"Magnificat - Description, Uses, & Text"
.
britannica.com
. Retrieved
14 March
2018
.
- ^
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England
. London: Church House Publishing. 2000. p.?76.
ISBN
0-7151-2000-X
.
- ^
"Magnificat"
.
churchofengland.org
. Retrieved
December 17,
2023
.
- ^
Book of Common Prayer
. New York: The Church Pension Fund. 1928. p.?26.
- ^
The Book of Common Prayer According to the use of The Episcopal Church
. New York: Church Hymnal Corp. 1979. p.?50 (Morning Prayer), 65 (Evening Prayer).
ISBN
0-89869-080-3
.
- ^
a
b
c
Casey, Daniel.
"Mary's Magnificat"
.
Scripture from Scratch
. American Catholic. Archived from
the original
on 20 December 2012
. Retrieved
18 December
2012
.
- ^
Lexham Bible Dictionary
(Digital?ed.). Bellingham WA: Lexham Press. 2016
. Retrieved
28 September
2018
.
- ^
"Luke 1:46-55 VULGATE - - Bible Gateway"
.
- ^
"EVANGELIUM SECUNDUM LUCAM - Nova Vulgata, Novum Testamentum"
.
www.vatican.va
. Retrieved
14 March
2018
.
- ^
"Divinum Officium"
.
www.divinumofficium.com
. Retrieved
14 March
2018
.
- ^
The Liturgy of the Hours.
- ^
Luke 1:46?55
- ^
"Hymn to the Theotokos"
. Retrieved
November 17,
2023
.
- ^
Enchiridion Indulgentiarum
,
Concessiones
, n°. 17 $2, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 4th edition, 2004, p. 62.
ISBN
88-209-2785-3
.
- ^
Reulein, Peter
;
Schlegel, Helmut
(2016).
Laudato si' / Ein franziskanisches Magnificat
.
Limburg an der Lahn
:
Dehm Verlag
. p.?230.
ISBN
978-3-943302-34-9
.
ISMN
?979-0-50226-047-7.
- Breed, David R. (2009).
The History and Use of Hymns and Hymn-Tunes
.
ISBN
978-1-110-47186-7
.
- Cardenal, Ernesto (1978).
The Gospel in Solentiname
. Maryknoll: Orbis.
- Henry, Hugh Thomas (1910).
"Magnificat"?
. In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
Catholic Encyclopedia
. Vol.?9. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Kloha, Jeffrey (2014). "Elizabeth's Magnificat (Luke 1:46)".
Texts and Traditions: Essays in Honour of J. Keith Elliott
: 200?219.
doi
:
10.1163/9789004273931_011
.
ISBN
9789004273931
.
- National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America (2021).
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition
.
- Reeves, Marjorie (2006).
Favourite Hymns
. A&C Black.
ISBN
0-8264-8097-7
.
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