Date of Award
12-1987
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
Music
First Advisor
Dr. Ramon Zupko
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Magnificat is a five-movement setting of the "Song of Mary" as recorded in Luke 1:46-55. The Latin text was used because of its historical, liturgical significance. The musical resources required are a 3-part women's chorus, soprano soloist, organ, flute, violin, and horn in F.
The individual movements and timings are as follows: (I) Molto maestoso - Poco meno mosso - Tempo (1'15"), (II) Languidly - Andante non troppe - Come prima (2'55"), (III) Briskly - Un poco piu maestoso al fine (3'00"), (IV) Andante sostenuto - Recitative - Tempo (3'00"), (V) Vigorously (2'45"). The performance time of the entire work, including breaks between movements, is approximately 15 minutes.
Magnificat was intentionally written with the abilities of the well-trained college women's chorus in mind. It was also the intention of the composer to make the work accessible to the lay audience. Thus, the work features tuneful melodies and a basically tonal harmonic background. Several melodies are heard in more than one movement, to serve as a unifying factor. Key relationships, both within and between movements, are somewhat traditional, and traditional forms are also employed.
Recommended Citation
Gummert, Julie A., "Magnificat" (1987). Masters Theses. 1213.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1213