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The Magnificat in D major, BWV
BWV

The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number now is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions....
 243, is one of the major vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
. It was composed for an orchestra
Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
 and choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
 of five voices. The text is the canticle
Canticle

A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgy....
 of Mary, mother of Jesus as recounted by Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist

Luke the Evangelist was an early Christianity leader who is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles....
 (see Magnificat
Magnificat

The Magnificat is a canticle frequently sung liturgy in Christian church services. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth....
 for more). It is also one of the two large works Bach composed in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
; the other being his Mass in B minor, which also shared its use of a five-voice choir.

Bach composed an initial version in E flat major in 1723 for the Christmas Vespers
Vespers

Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican, and Lutheran Liturgy of the canonical hours....
 in Leipzig
Leipzig

Leipzig is, with a population of over 511,252, the largest city in the States of Germany of Saxony, Germany....
 which contained several Christmas texts.






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The Magnificat in D major, BWV
BWV

The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number now is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions....
 243, is one of the major vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque music period and brought it to its ultimate maturity....
. It was composed for an orchestra
Orchestra

An orchestra is an Musical ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an theatre of ancient Greece reserved for the Greek chorus....
 and choir
Choir

A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....
 of five voices. The text is the canticle
Canticle

A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgy....
 of Mary, mother of Jesus as recounted by Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist

Luke the Evangelist was an early Christianity leader who is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles....
 (see Magnificat
Magnificat

The Magnificat is a canticle frequently sung liturgy in Christian church services. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth....
 for more). It is also one of the two large works Bach composed in Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
; the other being his Mass in B minor, which also shared its use of a five-voice choir.

Bach composed an initial version in E flat major in 1723 for the Christmas Vespers
Vespers

Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican, and Lutheran Liturgy of the canonical hours....
 in Leipzig
Leipzig

Leipzig is, with a population of over 511,252, the largest city in the States of Germany of Saxony, Germany....
 which contained several Christmas texts. During the years he removed the Christmas-specific texts to make it suitable for year-round performance, as well as transposing it to D major, providing better sonority for the trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
s in particular. The new version, which is the one usually performed, had its premiere at the Thomaskirche on July 2, 1733, the fourth Sunday after Trinity Sunday, which was the Feast of the Visitation at the time. The Feast was later moved to the end of May.

The work is divided into twelve parts which can be grouped into three movements, each beginning with an aria
Aria

An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment....
 and completed by the choir in a fugal chorus. Its performance lasts approximately thirty minutes. The indented parts below indicate the removed Christmas texts.

  1. Choir — "Magnificat“
  2. Aria (Soprano II) — "Et exsultavit spiritus meus“
    A. Choral motet
    Motet

    In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choir musical compositions.The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is "motectum", and the Italian mottetto was also used....
     — "Vom Himmel hoch“
  3. Aria (Soprano I) — "Quia respexit humilitatem“
  4. Choir — "Omnes generationes“
  5. Aria (Bass) — "Quia fecit mihi magna“
    B. Choir — "Freut euch und jubiliert“
  6. Duet (Alto, Tenor) — "Et misericordia“
  7. Choir — "Fecit potentiam“
    C. Choir — "Gloria in excelsis Deo“
  8. Aria (Tenor) — "Deposuit potentes“
  9. Aria (Alto) — "Esurientes implevit bonis“
    D. Duet (Soprano, Bass) — "Virga Jesse floruit“
  10. Choir (Soprano I/II, Alto) — "Suscepit Israel“
  11. Choir — "Sicut locutus est“
  12. Choir — "Gloria Patri“


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