Magnificat - John Rutter (1945 - )
1. Magnificat anima mea
2. Of a Rose, a lovely Rose
3. Quia fecit mihi magna
4. Et misericordia
5. Fecit potentiam
6. Esurientes
7. Gloria Patri
John Rutter's Magnificat could not exactly be called a Christmastide
piece, but it does have strong associations with the Virgin Mary,
and it has a musical energy and rhythm that has a wonderfully festive
spirit. As the composer himself explains:
"The passage from St Luke (Chapter 1, verses 46-55) known as
the Magnificat has always been one of the most familiar and well-loved
of scriptural texts, not least because of its inclusion as a canticle
in the Catholic office of Vespers and in Anglican Evensong. It is
a poetic outpouring of praise, joy and trust in God, ascribed by
Luke to the Virgin Mary on learning that she was to give birth to
the Christ. Musical settings of it abound, though surprisingly few
of them since J. S. Bach's give the text extended treatment.
"I had long wished to write an extended Magnificat,
but was not sure how to approach it until I found my starting point
in the association of the text with the Virgin Mary. In countries
such as Spain, Mexico and Puerto Rico, feast days of the Virgin
are joyous opportunities for people to take to the streets and celebrate
with singing, dancing and processions. These images of outdoor celebration
were I think somewhere in my mind as I wrote, although I was not
fully conscious of the fact until afterwards. I was conscious
of following Bach's example in adding to the liturgical text: the
interpolated 'Sanctus' (to the Gregorian chant of the Missa
cum jubilo) in the third movement seems to grow out of the preceding
thought 'et sanctum nomen eius'. The lovely 15th Century
English poem 'Of a Rose' (which forms the second movement) and the
prayer 'Sancta Maria' (which the soloist sings to its Gregorian
melody in the middle of the Gloria), both strengthen the Marian
connection further."
The outburst of joy Rutter talks of is immediately apparent in the
opening few bars of the work: the rhythm (similar in feel to Bernstein's
'America' from West Side Story) is infectious in its drive
and energy. The second movement features all of the sections of
the choir in varying combinations that colour the text beautifully.
In the third movement the tenors and basses announce 'For He that
is mighty hath magnified me' accompanied by splendid fanfares from
the orchestra which eventually subside, and the passage follows
to which Rutter refers 'et sanctum nomen eius' (and holy
is His name) and then the Gregorian Sanctus. This segues
into Et misericordia (and His mercy is on them that fear
him) a duet for soprano and choir. The movement also features the
soloist repeating the opening text of the piece as a descant: the
Magnificat text gains a more personal feel than we heard
earlier, and Rutter's choice of solo voice strengthens the associations
with the Virgin Mary.
The Fifth movement concerns the Lord's strength and the setting
is muscular in its harmony and angular in its melodies. A short
and intense fugue ensues, then the text moves to the Lord 'scattering
the proud' (Dispersit superbos) which we hear as the choir
scatters down the musical scale one part at a time! After the basses,
tenors and altos in turn put the mighty 'down from their seat' (Deposuit),
the violence of the first half of the movement stops abruptly and
Rutter sets the words 'he hath exalted the humble and meek' (et
exaltavit humiles) exquisitely. Esurientes (He hath filled
the hungry with good things) is a beautiful soprano solo with interjections
by the choir. The final movement, the Gloria, is set to the
music of the third movement. This is interrupted by a final contemplative
moment of the soloist singing the Antiphon at feasts of the Virgin
'Sancta Maria', and the Magnificat concludes with
the music from the opening of the entire piece with a rousing Amen.
John Rutter is widely recognised as the leading choral composer
of his generation. He is also a distinguished editor and arranger
of choral music, as well as a renowned conductor. He was born in
London and received his first musical education as a chorister at
Highgate School. He went on to study music at Clare College, Cambridge,
where he wrote his first published compositions and conducted his
first recording while still a student. From 1975 to 1979 he was
the Director of Music at Clare College, whose choir he directed
in many broadcasts and recordings. After he gave up the Cambridge
post to allow more time for composition, he founded the Cambridge
Singers as a professional chamber choir dedicated to recording,
and he now divides his time between composition and conducting.
Rutter's writing career has embraced both large and small-scale
choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, a piano concerto,
two children's operas, music for television, and specialist writing
for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King's
Singers. He is also well known for co-editing four volumes of the
Carols for Choirs series with Sir David Willcocks. The first
performance of Rutter's Magnificat took place in Carnegie
Hall in New York in May 1990.
[Note to other societies: you are welcome to use the whole or parts
of this text in your own programmes, but if you do please (i) let
us know, and (ii) include an acknowledgement to the Aylesbury
Choral Society and this website in your programme.]
Click on
the links below for Real Audio excerpts:
I.
Magnificat anima mea
2.
Of a Rose, a lovely
Rose
3. Quia fecit mihi magna
4. Et misericordia
5.
Fecit potentiam
6. Esurientes
7.
Gloria Patri
Amazon.co.uk
advertised two recordings in September 2001:
