Magnificat (Bruckner)
Vorlage:Infobox musical composition
The Magnificat WAB 24 by Anton Bruckner is a setting of the Magnificat[1] for vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra and organ written in 1852.
History
the work was premiered in Sankt Florian, as Bruckner had specifically composed it for the Vesper service of the feast of the Assumption of Mary.[2] The work "remained in the repertoire of the monastery for at least the next few years."[3][4] The work was critically edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1996.[5]
Setting
The quartet of vocal soloists consists of a soprano, an alto, a tenor, and a bass, while the choir consists of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses. The orchestra consists of 2 trumpets in B-flat, timpani, and strings without violas. The organ supplies figured bass. The setting is in B-flat major at a tempo of Allegro moderato.
The first verse ("Magnificat") is sung by the soprano soloist. The next verses are sung as an Arioso alternatingly by the soloists and the choir. The setting is followed by a Gloria Patri, starting by an unison on "Gloria Patri", the retake of the melody of the first verse on "Sicut erat", and concludes with "a final fugal Amen."[6]
The influence of Mozart is revealed through comparison to Mozart's Vespers K. 321 and K. 339.[7]
Discography
There are three recordings of this work:
- Anton Bruckner – Music of the St. Florian Period, Jürgen Jürgens conducting the Monteverdi-Chor and the Israel Chamber Orchestra – LP: Jerusalem Records ATD 8503 (Bruckner Archive Production), 1984; this long out-of-print LP has recently been transferred to CD: BSVD-0109, 2011
- Anton Bruckner in St. Florian – Requiem & Motetten, Franz Farnberger conducting the Instrumentalensemble St. Florian and the St. Florianer Sängerknaben – CD Studio SM D2639 SM 44, 1997
- Anton Bruckner – Lieder | Magnificat, Thomas Kerbl conducting the Chorvereinigung Bruckner 2011 and the Kammerorchester der Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz, CD Bruckner Haus LIVA 046, 2011
References
Sources
- Hawkshaw, Paul (2004) "Bruckner's large sacred compositions", The Cambridge Companion to Bruckner edited by Williamson, John, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
- Hawkshaw, Paul (1996) Foreword to Anton Bruckner: Sämtliche Werke: Band 20 Teil 3: Magnificat F-Moll: Studienpartitur Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Vienna
- Howie, A. Crawford (2004) "Bruckner and the motet", The Cambridge Companion to Bruckner, edited by Williamson, John. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
- Jackson,Timothy (1997) "Bruckner's 'Oktaven'", Music & Letters 78 No. 3
- Lovallo, Lee (1991) "Magnificat in B flat major" Anton Bruckner: a Discography, Rowman & Littlefield, New York
- Schönzeler, Hans-Hubert (1978) Bruckner, Marion Boyars, London
- Simpson, Robert (1977) Essence of Bruckner: An essay towards the understanding of his music, Victor Gollancz Ltd, London
- Watson, Derek (1975) Bruckner, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, London
- van Zwol, Cornelis (2012) Anton Bruckner - Leven en Werken, Thot, Bussum (Netherlands) - ISBN 90-686-8590-2