Key B-flat major Published 1996 (1996) | Catalogue WAB 24 Recorded 1984 (1984) | |
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Performed 15 August 1852 (1852-08-15): St. Florian Monastery Vocal SATB choir and soloists | ||
The Magnificat, WAB 24 is a setting of the Magnificat for SATB choir and soloists, orchestra and organ composed by Anton Bruckner in 1852.
Contents
History
Bruckner composed the work for the Vesper service of the feast of the Assumption of Mary. He dedicated the work to Ignaz Traumihler, the choirmaster of the St. Florian Abbey.
The work was premiered on 15 August 1852 in St. Florian. Despite the fact that Traumihler was a fervent adept of the Cecilian Movement, the work remained in the repertoire of the monastery. Other performances occurred on 25 December 1852, 15 May 1854, 25 December 1854 and 27 May 1855.
The work, the manuscript of which is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey, was first edited in Band II/2, pp. 99-110 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It was critically edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1996 in Band XX/3 of the Gesamtausgabe.
Setting
The 77-bar long composition in B-flat major is set in Allegro moderato for SATB choir and soloists, and orchestra (2 trumpets in B-flat, timpani, and strings without violas). The organ supplies figured bass.
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 the doxology 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 23-bar long fugal Amen. Mean duration: 5 minutes.
The influence of Mozart is revealed through comparison to Mozart's Vespers K. 321 and K. 339.
Discography
The first recording of Bruckner's Magnificat occurred in 1984:
There are two other recordings of this work: