Christmas Repertoire 2 of 6

"My soul doth magnify the Lord...", is one of the most ancient Marian hymns and widely spread in Western Christianity. The Magnificat or Canticle of Mary, comes from Luke's Gospel during the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. A fitting piece for the Christmas Liturgy, Mary's song tells of the greatness of the Lord and the joy which comes from bearing Him in her womb. The canticle expresses the reoccurring theme of the salvation and fulfillment of God's covenant with the chosen people which is found throughout the propers of Christmas.

The Magnificat is most well associated with Evensong, where it is paired with the Nunc Dimittis, or Song of Simeon. The amount of settings of these two canticles by well-known English composers over the ages are immense. From Purcell's Service in G minor to Stanford's Service in C and Dyson's Setting in D, we have some of the most beautiful music ever composed in the English language. The setting which will be sung this year at Lessons and Carols is from an English composer earlier than all of the previous three mentioned.

Thomas Morley lived between 1557 and 1602 and claimed to be a student of William Byrd. He was organist of St. Paul's London after receiving a degree from Oxford. He wrote two services for evening prayer, one entitled Short Service and the other in the fauxbourdon style. Literally meaning, false base, a piece in fauxbourdon is harmonies above and below the melody, usually a 4th and 6th, which allow for the chant to move parallel with it. This was the basis for hymn singing in the English tradition, where the melody was in the tenor, and the harmonies above and below. In this case, the tenor sings the chant from the VIII psalm tone throughout the piece, while the other three parts sing in fauxbourdon. This creates a clear, simple, but beautiful setting for the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary.