Why did Bach compose Magnificat?

Realising that a lot of church music was often long and hard work for the audience, Bach decided to grab their attention with something short, sharp and stunning. Taking the Latin text of the story of the Virgin Mary as told in the Gospel of St.

What language is Magnificat?

Latin
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: Ἡ ᾨδὴ τῆς Θεοτόκου).

How many Bach motets are there?

Bach, like many of his contemporaries, had a habit of collecting and organizing pieces of similar nature in groups of six or its multiples. You might very well have seen or even own a recording of Bach’s six “official” motets BWV 225-230.

When was Magnificat written?

1723
Bach’s Magnificat was written in Leipzig for the 1723 Christmas Vespers. This original version was in E-flat and included several additional Christmas texts inserted at various points in the piece.

Is Bach’s Magnificat a cantata?

He uses it again in his “German Magnificat”, i.e. the cantata Meine Seel erhebt den Herren BWV 10 composed for Visitation of 1724, in the chorale harmonisations BWV 323 and 324, and in the fourth Schübler Chorale BWV 648.

Who created Magnificat?

Sandro Botticelli
The Madonna of the Magnificat, Italian: Madonna del Magnificat, is a painting of circular or tondo form by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. It is also referred to as the Virgin and Child with Five Angels.

Where is the Magnificat banned?

Revolutionaries, the poor and the oppressed, all loved Mary and they emphasized her glorious song. But the Magnificat has been viewed as dangerous by people in power. Some countries — such as India, Guatemala, and Argentina — have outright banned the Magnificat from being recited in liturgy or in public.

What is the message of the Magnificat?

humbly place their confidence and trust in God their Savior. As a message of hope, the Magnificat focuses upon those who receive God’s word and cast themselves upon the might of His arm to deliver them. These are the “poor of Yahweh,” the remnant.

What is a Bach motet?

A “Motet” is a music genre, like “quartet” or “symphony,” which is based on a religious (in the Western tradition: Christian) text. Think of the French word for “word,” which is “mot.” Mot-et. One of Bach’s motets, “Jesu, meine Freude,” BWV 227, illustrates this development in scholarship.

What BWV means?

Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
BWV stands for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, or Bach Works Catalog. Bach’s compositions in 1950 for the cataloge Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach (Thematic-systematic catalog of musical works of Johann Sebastian Bach).

Why is Mary’s song called the Magnificat?

Magnificat, also called Canticle of Mary or Ode of the Theotokos, in Christianity, the hymn of praise by Mary, the mother of Jesus, found in Luke 1:46–55. It is named after the first word of its first line in Latin (“Magnificat anima mea Dominum,” or “My soul magnifies the Lord”). …

What kind of orchestra does Bach use for Magnificat?

Johann Sebastian Bach ‘s Magnificat, BWV 243.2, BWV 243, is a musical setting of the biblical canticle Magnificat. It is scored for five vocal parts (two sopranos, alto, tenor and bass), and a Baroque orchestra including trumpets and timpani. It is the first major liturgical composition on a Latin text by Bach .

What does Bach write in Magnificat BWV 243?

Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles. He has put down the mighty from their seats [of power] and raised up those who are lowly. Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes. The hungry he has filled with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Who is the composer of the German Magnificat?

The tonus peregrinus variant that is associated with Luther’s German Magnificat appears in compositions by, among others, Johann Hermann Schein, Heinrich Schütz, Johann Pachelbel and Dietrich Buxtehude. Bach uses the melodic formula as an instrumental cantus firmus in movement 10 (Suscepit Israel) of his Latin Magnificat.

Who is the Hungry Man in Bach’s Magnificat?

Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes. The hungry he has filled with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. Suscepit Israel puerum suum recordatus misericordiae suae.