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, 21:01, January 19, 2009
The '''Magnificat''', the words of [[Virgin Mary|Mary]] in Luke i. 47 starting with “''My soul doth magnify the Lord''” is a [[canticle]] sung with an [[antiphon]] during the Vespers. There were many [[polyphony|polyphonic]] settings starting from the 14th century and the text continued as part of the Vespers in many notable instances into the 18th century by which time it had also reached its full development as a stand-alone piece (with the inevitable major participation of [[J. S. Bach]]).
The Magnificat transferred to the [[Classical period (music)|classical period]] with a setting by C. P. E. Bach using his father's technique but in a classical form, and this reached full height in [[Mozart]]’s setting in his K339 Vespers of 1780.
Settings almost disappeared during the 19th century, but various 20th century masters have been inspired by the text and many modern, and even contemporary, major settings exist.
[[Category: Sacred Music]]