Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D (Wood)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The composer Charles Wood (ca.1910)

Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D is a sacred choral work by Irish composer Charles Wood to set his first version, Magnificat and Nunc dimittis , the regular parts of the Anglican Evening Prayer , to music. He wrote the work for four-part choir and organ in 1898. It's also called Evening Service in D known.

history

The Irishman Wood received a scholarship to the University of Cambridge . There he became organist at Gonville and Caius College , and later a fellow of the college after his doctorate. He set the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis , the two biblical chants that appear in every Evensong , several times, based on the translation of the Book of Common Prayer . Evensong is a traditional daily worship service that includes elements of Vespers and Compline . Wood's first version in D major is considered a particularly popular movement of the two chants, and for many represents the epitome of sacred music of the Church of England.

music

The chapel of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where Wood was the organist

Wood set the text to music for four-part choir and organ. He put each chant as a sentence. Both are completed by the same doxology . The Magnificat is in 4/4 time and is labeled Allegro . All voices begin in unison with a slowly increasing sequence in half notes that begins with D. With and my spirit has rejoiced (“and my spirit rejoices”) the melody moves in a lively rhythm and jumps, and calms down to the text in God, my savior (“in God, my Savior”). Wood implements the rest of the text with equal attention to the meaning of the words. The choir sings mostly homophonically , while the concluding doxology Glory be to the father ("Ehre sei dem Vater") is set polyphonically .

In the Nunc dimittis , which is in 3/4 time and is labeled Adagio, the basses take over the full text of old Simon, while the upper parts merely repeat key terms like an echo.

The work was included in Part 11 of a series by Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis , along with eight other movements, sung by the St Edmundsbury Cathedral Choir with organist Scott Farrell and conducted by Mervyn Cousins .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Maggie Humphreys, Robert Evans: Dictionary of Composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland . A&C Black, 1997, ISBN 978-0-72-012330-2 , p. 365.
  2. ^ Charles Wood sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
  3. ↑ Choral Evensong / sung by the cathedral choir . Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. 2016.
  4. ↑ a b Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D . Boosey & Hawkes .
  5. ↑ Trevor Beeson: In Tuneful Accord: The Church Musicians . Hymns Ancient and Modern, 2009, ISBN 978-0-33-404193-1 , p. 73.
  6. ↑ a b c d Charles Wood : Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D .
  7. ↑ Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, Volume 11 . Gramophones. 1997.