Wanted: Simple Magnificat Setting in English
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Can anyone recommend a simple setting of the Magnificat in English that I could (quickly) teach children to sing?
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    Choose any psalm tone, preferably one from the Solemn Tones if you have them available. Remember that, for the Canticles, the introductory formula is sung on every verse. If you have The Hymnal 1940 you may find Magnificat set to Tone VIII at number 658 in the back. There are Latin settings, of course, in all 8 tones in the LU. Also, there are English settings in all 8 tones in the back of Saint Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter (Lancelot Andrewes Press). There is, I think, a metrical setting in the new Lutheran hymnal.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Thanks. That's helpful. I don't have The Hymnal 1940 or the Saint Dunstan Psalter, so those are not options for now. The Parish Book of Chant has two Latin settings to Tone VIII (solemn and otherwise) which look like they could be easily adapted to English. I think I'll go with one of those.
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    #495 in Marier's "Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles" which might still be available for download. It's worth doing a Google search.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    No luck on Google or used bookstores. (Well, you can apparently download it at a bitorrent place, but it looked sketchy to me). But I'll check again from time to time in the hopes it turns up. Sounds like a good book to have.
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,048
    "Marier's "Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Canticles" which might still be available for download."

    I came across a "sketchy" site as well site that claimed to offer it, but I read on other sites that it (the sketchy site) is likely to be passing spyware and other bad stuff.

    Sam Schmitt
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    Not everything on the intertubes is going to infect your computer with malware. If you have a good anti-virus (like Macafee or Noton), I think there's little chance of a pop-up of Diane Bish causing you any embarrassment in the parish office. Even if you were to encounter a problem, having to run spybot or another malware remover would be well worth having this valuable resource.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,216
    Putting on my hat as a former Unix system administrator (23 years of I.T. geek experience):

    incantu is quite correct: PDF and MP3 files, for example, cannot transmit viruses.

    I think there's a peer-to-peer "torrent" download of the hymnal out there somewhere -- so if you know how to do peer-to-peer downloads -- or if you have a teenager around -- you can figure out how to get it. It may be dodgy in terms of copyright liceity, of course.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    I'm attaching what I came up with setting the KJV version of the Magnificat to the Psalm Tone VIII. Is this more or less right?

    Update: Never mind. The forum won't let me upload a small PDF for some reason. If there's a magic trick that works, could someone let me know?
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    I finally got the forum to upload my setting the KJV version of the Magnificat to the Psalm Tone VIII. I welcome any pointers for improvement.
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    "Pointers" - bwaaaaaaaaaaa! No pun intended, I'm sure. It looks lovely, however I believe the common practice is not to intone the even numbered verses. Can someone back me up on this?
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    WJA, my comments:

    You seem to be missing a line after "all generations shall call me blessed." Then comes, "The Almighty hath magnified me / and holy is his name" (or some such in the KJV; Lk 1:49).

    I don't understand why the strict application of the termination works for "call me blesséd", "them that fear Him", and "seed forever", but not for "(exalt-)ed the humble" or "of his mercy". The first moving note of the formula does not demand a textual accent (which you can usually tell because it moves down, rather than up).

    Customarily, the Gloria Patri is treated as two verses, not one:

    "Glory be... the Son * and to the Holy Ghost.
    As it was... ever shall be, * world without end. Amen."

    with the "Amen" incorporated into the formula ("world | with-out end. A-men.", or "world with-|out end. A-men."
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    This is nice. Two suggestions. I would point v. 7 thus: '...mindful | of his mercy' rather that the way you have it, which seems a little clumsy to me. Also, as was mentioned above, Gloria Patri is customarily treated as two vv., thus: 'Glory be... Father, and to the | Son * and | to the Holy Ghost'. In sicut erat, a flex (+) is generally observed on the last syllable of 'beginning', thus: as it was in the begin+ning, is now & ever | shall be * world | without end. Amen. I know of no custom in which the introductory formula is not sung on all verses of Canticles.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Incantu, Richard, and Jackson: thank you for taking the time to review my amateur work and offer helpful comments. People like you make this forum a godsend to amateurs like me.

    I think I've made most of the changes you suggested. Also, I changed the incipit for "My soul doth magnify the Lord" to match that of the simple Latin setting. Oh, and I was mistaken about the text: it's not KJV, it's D-R.

    The terminations on "hath exalted the humble" and "conceit of their heart" don't follow the formula, because I have the accent on "the" and "their," and to my ear, anyway, those are unaccented. Yet I couldn't seem to get it work according to the formula.

    By the way, I read the accents thus: "*hath* ex*alt*ed the *hum*ble" (s-u-s-u-u-s-u) and "con*ceit* of their *heart*" (u-s-u-u-s). Maybe I'm hearing the accents incorrectly?

    WJA
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    Here is my setting (this afternoon's project) for treble voices and organ (piano), using the ICET Christian Prayer translation. If nothing else, it might make a good rhythmic exercise.
    Thanked by 1tomboysuze
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    R.R. -
    How utterly nice! Beautifully clean and balanced of line and rhythm. All the more admirable for the tackling of an ICET text.
  • Jeffrey TuckerJeffrey Tucker
    Posts: 3,624
    This is very nice. Moving really.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Richard:

    Wow!

    WJA
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    WJA: Do let me know if you use it.

    RR [canticnov@aol.com]
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    Richard:

    We won't have organ accompaniment (or any other sort of accompaniment). I don't think that will pose a problem. Do you?

    WJA
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    Am I losing my mind? Or is the link to Rice's setting missing? Or both?
  • Donna Robillard
    Posts: 33
    Another mind lost. I don't see any links either.
  • WJA
    Posts: 237
    I think it's missing. I was assuming it wasn't showing up due to some problem with my browser, but now I'm thinking the attachment went missing. I've noticed this happening before on other strings. Is there some sort of time-limit, after which attachments disappear?

    I have the PDF on another computer, but I don't have access to it right now. I could post it later this evening or tomorrow when I do.

    WJA
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    To me, it also appears to be missing. You are speaking of R. Rice's setting, correct?
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    Yes, O Jeff O.
  • Richard R.
    Posts: 776
    Reposted, FYI.
    MagnificatTreble.pdf
    136K
    Thanked by 5SpeakNSpirit tomboysuze noel jones, aago rich_enough Ioannes Andreades
  • aria
    Posts: 85
    This is an old thread but I just wanted to say thanks Richard R. for posting this! I wanted to teach my kids the Magnificat this Advent, and was looking for a lovely sung version- this will be perfect!
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    The Hymnal 1940 version (Tone VIII) is online: http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/HPEC1940/page/724
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    The 1982 has a nice setting of the contemporary BCP translation, set to the Tonus Peregrinus. Some of the word accents are not quite where I would put them, but the setting as a whole is quite nice.
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