Tuesday, October 11, 2022
The Parish Choir
Magnificat
What is Evensong, and what happens at a service?
The St. John’s Parish Choir offered a service of Choral Evensong earlier this month. For the next two Tuesday musical reflections, we’ll explore the outline of this service. This week, I’ll describe the first half of the service leading up to the Magnificat – today’s musical reflection.
The service opens with the Invitatory: “O God make speed to save us. O Lord make haste to help us.” It can be a simple chant response sung by priest and choir/congregation, or as a full choral setting.
All are then invited to sing the Phos Hilaron, an ancient lamp-lighting hymn. Meaning “gladdening light” in Greek, it is among the earliest known hymn texts:
O gracious Light, Lord Jesus Christ,
in you the Father’s glory shone.
Immortal, holy, blest is he,
and blest are you, his holy Son.
Now sunset comes, but light shines forth,
the lamps are lit to pierce the night.
Praise Father, Son, and Spirit: God
who dwells in the eternal light.
Worthy are you of endless praise,
O Son of God, Life-giving Lord;
wherefore you are through all the earth
and in the highest heaven adored.
At this point, the congregation is seated, and the service moves to a chanted psalm (check out last Tuesday’s reflection for that recording), readings, and the two main choral pieces of the evening: the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis.
Click above to listen to the chanted psalm.
The Magnificat is the Song of Mary, which she sings when visiting her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth is carrying John the Baptist; Mary is carrying Jesus. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb — an early anticipation of John’s role as Christ’s forerunner and prophet. Thus, Mary sang the Magnificat:
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm.
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things.
And the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel
as he promised to our forefathers Abraham, and his seed forever.
Amen.