Magnificat (Bruckner)

1852 work composed by Anton Bruckner

Magnificat

by Anton Bruckner

Mary visiting Elizabeth, Rötenbach

Key| B-flat major
Catalogue| WAB 24
Performed| 15 August 1852 (1852-08-15):  St. Florian Monastery
Published| 1996 (1996)
Recorded| 1984 (1984)
Vocal| SATB choir and soloists
Instrumental| Orchestra and organ

The Magnificat, WAB 24 is a setting of the Magnificat[1] for SATB choir and soloists, orchestra and organ composed by Anton Bruckner in 1852.

## History

[edit]

Bruckner composed the work for the Vesper service of the feast of the Assumption of Mary.[2] 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,[3] the work remained in the repertoire of the monastery.[4] Other performances occurred on 25 December 1852, 15 May 1854, 25 December 1854 and 27 May 1855.[4][3]

The work, the manuscript of which is stored in the archive of the St. Florian Abbey, was first publish in volume II/2, pp. 99–110 of the Göllerich/Auer biography. It was critically edited by Paul Hawkshaw in 1996 in volume XX/3 of the Gesamtausgabe.[3][4][5]

On 25 June 2017 a new edition of the score by Cohrs, prepared for the Anton Bruckner Urtext Gesamtausgabe,[6] has been premiered by Łukasz Borowicz with the RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.[7]

## Setting

[edit]

The 77-bar long composition in B♭ major is set in Allegro moderato for SATB choir and soloists, and orchestra (2 trumpets in B♭, timpani, and strings without violas). The organ supplies figured bass.[4]

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 a unison on "Gloria Patri", the recap of the melody of the first verse on "Sicut erat", and concludes with a 23-bar long fugal Amen.[4][8] Mean duration: 5 minutes.[4]

The influence of Mozart is revealed through comparison to Mozart's Vespers K. 321 and K. 339.[2][3]

## Discography

[edit]

The first recording of Bruckner's Magnificat occurred in 1984:

* Jürgen Jürgens, Anton Bruckner - Music of the St. Florian Period, Monteverdi-Chor and Israel Chamber Orchestra – LP: Jerusalem Records ATD 8503 (Bruckner Archive Production), 1984. For this performance a score was specially prepared by William Carragan and David Aldeborgh.[9] This long out-of-print LP has been transferred by John Berky to CD: BSVD-0109, 2011

There are three other recordings of this work:

* Franz Farnberger, Anton Bruckner in St. Florian - Requiem & Motetten, St. Florianer Sängerknaben and Instrumentalensemble St. Florian – CD: Studio SM D2639 SM 44, 1997. This performance, which was recorded in the St. Florian Abbey, provides the listener with a whiff of authenticity.
* Thomas Kerbl, Anton Bruckner – Lieder | Magnificat, Chorvereinigung Bruckner 2011 and Kammerorchester der Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz – CD: Bruckner Haus LIVA 046, 2011[10]
* Łukasz Borowicz, RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Raphael Alpermann (Organ), Anton Bruckner – Missa solemnis – CD: Accentus ACC 30429, 2017 (Cohrs edition)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ R. Simpson, p. 14
2. ^ a b J. Williamson, pp. 43–45
3. ^ a b c d U. Harten, p. 267
4. ^ a b c d e f C. van Zwol, p. 697
5. ^ Anton Bruckner - Critical complete edition
6. ^ The Anton Bruckner Urtext Gesamtausgabe
7. ^ 27.05.2017: Neue Bruckner Urtext Ausgabe in Berlin
8. ^ D. Watson, p. 92
9. ^ Score of Bruckner's Magnificat by William Carragan and David Aldeborgh
10. ^ This performance of the Magnificat can also be heard on YouTube: Magnificat, WAB 24

## Sources

[edit]

* August Göllerich, Anton Bruckner. Ein Lebens- und Schaffens-Bild, c. 1922 – posthumous edited by Max Auer by G. Bosse, Regensburg, 1932
* Anton Bruckner – Sämtliche Werke, Band XX/3: Magnificat (1852), Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag der Internationalen Bruckner-Gesellschaft, Paul Hawkshaw (Editor), Vienna, 1997
* Derek Watson, Bruckner, J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, London, 1975
* Robert Simpson, Essence of Bruckner: An essay towards the understanding of his music, Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, 1977
* Uwe Harten, Anton Bruckner. Ein Handbuch. Residenz Verlag [de], Salzburg, 1996. ISBN 3-7017-1030-9.
* John Williamson, The Cambridge Companion to Bruckner, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004
* Cornelis van Zwol, Anton Bruckner - Leven en Werken, Thot, Bussum (Netherlands), 2012 - ISBN 90-686-8590-2

## External links

[edit]

* Anton Bruckner Critical Complete Edition - Psalms and Magnificat
* Magnificat B-Dur, WAB 24 Critical discography by Hans Roelofs (in German)
* Magnificat, WAB 24: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
* Priestly ordination on 30th April, 2023, Karmelitenkirche Linz  – In the 43rd minute live-performance of the Magnificat by Michael Stenov with the Cantores Carmeli Linz.

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Anton Bruckner

List of compositions

Symphonies|

* Symphonies (1863–1896)
* Symphony in F minor (1863)
* No. 1 in C minor (1866/1891)
* Symphony in D minor (1869)
* No. 2 in C minor (1872/1877)
* No. 3 in D minor (1873/1877/1889)
* No. 4 in E♭ major (Romantic; 1874/1878–1880/1888)
* No. 5 in B♭ major (1876)
* No. 6 in A major (1881)
* No. 7 in E major (1883)
* No. 8 in C minor (1887/1890)
* No. 9 in D minor (1896) (unfinished)

Other orchestral|

* Four Orchestral Pieces (1862)
* Overture in G minor (1862–1863)
* March in E-flat major (1865)
* Symphonisches Präludium (1876)

Sacred works|

| Masses|

* Masses (1842–1868)
* Windhaager Messe (1842)
* Kronstorfer Messe (1843)
* Messe für den Gründonnerstag (1844–1845)
* Requiem in D minor (1849)
* Missa solemnis (1854)
* Mass No. 1 in D minor (1864)
* Mass No. 2 in E minor (1866/1882)
* Mass No. 3 in F minor (1868/1883/1893)

|

Cantatas|

* Psalm settings (1852–1892)
* Psalm 114 (1852)
* Magnificat (1852)
* Psalm 22 (c. 1852)
* Psalm 146 (c. 1856)
* Festive Cantata: Preiset den Herrn (1862)
* Psalm 112 (1863)
* Te Deum (1881–1884)
* Psalm 150 (1892)

Motets|

* Motets (c. 1835–1892)
* Pange lingua (c. 1835/1891)
* Libera me (c. 1843)
* Asperges me (1843–1844)
* Two Asperges me (1844–1845)
* Tantum ergo (1845)
* Tantum ergo (1845–1846)
* Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben (c. 1845)
* O Du liebes Jesu-Kind (1845–1846)
* Herz Jesu-Lied (1845–1846)
* Four Tantum ergo (1846/1888)
* Tantum ergo (1846/1888)
* In jener letzten der Nächte (c. 1848)
* Two Totenlieder (1852)
* Libera me (1854)
* Tantum ergo (c. 1854)
* Ave Maria (1856)
* Ave Maria (1861)
* Afferentur regi (1861)
* Pange lingua (1868)
* Inveni David (1868)
* Iam lucis orto sidere (1868/1886)
* Locus iste (1869)
* Christus factus est (1873)
* Tota pulchra es (1878)
* Os justi (1879)
* Ave Maria (1882)
* Christus factus est (1884)
* Salvum fac populum tuum (1884)
* Veni Creator Spiritus (c. 1884)
* Ecce sacerdos magnus (1885)
* Virga Jesse (1885)
* Ave Regina caelorum (c. 1886)
* Vexilla regis (1892)

Other works|

* Organ works (1835–1890)
* Two Aequali (1847)

Secular vocal|

| Cantatas|

* Cantatas (1845–1893)
* Vergißmeinnicht (1845)
* Entsagen (c. 1851)
* Arneth Cantata: Heil Vater! Dir zum hohen Feste (1852)
* Mayer Cantata: Auf Brüder! auf (1855)
* Festgesang: Sankt Jodok sproß (1855)
* Germanenzug (1865)
* Helgoland (1893)

|

Lieder|

* Lieder (1850–1882)
* Der Mondabend (c. 1850)
* Frühlingslied (1851)
* Wie bist du, Frühling, gut und treu (1856)
* Herbstkummer (1864)
* Im April (c. 1865)
* Mein Herz und deine Stimme (1868)
* Volkslied (1882)

Choral works|

* Weltliche Chorwerke (1843–1893)
* An dem Feste (1843)
* Das Lied vom deutschen Vaterland (c. 1845)
* Ständchen (c. 1846)
* Der Lehrerstand (c. 1847)
* Sternschnuppen (c. 1848)
* Das edle Herz (c. 1851)
* Die Geburt (1852)
* Vor Arneths Grab (1854)
* Laßt Jubeltöne laut erklingen (1854)
* Des Dankes Wort sei mir vergönnt (at the latest 1855)
* Das edle Herz (1857)
* Am Grabe (1861)
* Du bist wie eine Blume (1861)
* Der Abendhimmel (1862)
* Herbstlied (1864)
* Um Mitternacht (1864)
* Trauungschor (1865)
* Der Abendhimmel (1866)
* Vaterlandslied (1866)
* Vaterländisch Weinlied (1866)
* Mitternacht (1869)
* Nachruf (1877)
* Das hohe Lied (1876–1879)
* Abendzauber (1878)
* Zur Vermählungsfeier (1878)
* Sängerbund (1882)
* Volkslied (1882)
* Trösterin Musik (1886)
* Um Mitternacht (1886)
* Träumen und Wachen (1890)
* Der deutsche Gesang (1892)
* Tafellied (1893)

Chamber|

* Piano works (1850–1868)
* Chamber music (1862–1879)
* String Quartet (1862)
* Rondo in C minor (1862)
* Abendklänge (1866)
* String Quintet (1879)
* Intermezzo in D minor (1879)

Related articles|

* International Bruckner Society
* Bruckner Gesamtausgabe
* Kitzler Study Book
* Versions and editions of Bruckner's symphonies
* Bruckner rhythm
* Anton Bruckner Private University
* Bruckner Orchestra Linz
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* Anton Bruckner Museum

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*[SATB]: soprano, alto, tenor and bass
*[c.]: circa
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