User:Smallgirlmad/Sieben Magnificat Antiphonen (Seven Magnificat Antiphons)

Sieben Magnificat Antiphonen ("Seven Magnificat Antiphons") is a series of seven short pieces composed for a cappella SATB choir. Composed by Arvo Pärt in 1988, and revised in 1991, the piece lasts around 15 minutes in total. It premiered in Berlin on October 11, 1988 with the RIAS Kammerchor conducted by Marcus Creed.

Techniques

Considered a composer of the religious or mystic minimalism movement, Pärt minimizes the number of pitch classes utilized within a piece while maximizing their combinatorial effects through a series of techniques.

Tintinnabulation

Tintinnabulation, a technique developed by Pärt in the mid-1970s is a process in which one voice (the "Tintinnabular voice" or "T voice") acts by arpeggiating the tonic triad. The second voice (the "Melodic voice" or "M voice") moves diatonically in stepwise motion creating a generally slow and meditative piece with no obvious forward drive. The two voices are inextricably tied to each other and always move as one.

Rhythm and Text

In Sieben Magnificat Antiphonen, the rhythmic form of the piece is completely determined by the text. The duration of the notes depend on the syllabic value of the word. An organization set becomes apparent when musical and textual analysis occur simultaneously. Double bars appear at the end of each full textual statement and at points of dynamic or textural change. Dotted lines further mark the division of each word from the next. Final words in phrases may be given longer durational values. Rhythmic variability results from the progressive change in the duration of consecutive stressed syllables . This unusual use of text setting creates a thematic mismatch between the importance of the word or its strength within the text, with musical emphasis placed generally on weak or unimportant words. This removal of normal musical reinforcement of natural text accents helps to further diffuse forward motion in the piece, creating an expansive open sound.

Additional Techniques

Additional techniques utilized within the piece include hocket, minor tonality, open intervals, controlled dissonance, and harmonic stasis.

Text

The Magnificat Antiphons are believed to have originated in the 8th century or the 12th century. Based on the translation from their original Latin form, the metrical texts appear in their German form within Pärt's composition. Included below is the German text and its English translation.

German

"O Weisheit, hervorgegangen aus dem Munde des Höchsten, die Welt umspannst du von einem Ende zu andern, in Kraft und Milde ordnest du alles: O komm und offenbare uns den Weg der Weisheit und der Einsicht, O Weisheit.

O Adonai, der Herr und Führer des Hauses Israel, im flammender Dornbusch bist du dem Moses erschienen, und hast ihm auf dem Berg das Gesetz gegeben. O komm und befreie uns mit deinem straken Arm.

O Sproß aus Isais Wurzel, gesetzt zum Zeichen für die Völker, vor dir verstummen die Herrscher der Erde, dich flehen an die Völker: o komm und errette uns, erhebe dich, säume nicht länger.

O Schlüssel Davids, Zepter des Hauses Israel, du öffnest, und niemand kann schließen, du schließt, und keine Macht vermag zu öffnen: o komm und öffne den Kerker der Finsternis und die Fessel des Todes.

O Morgenstern, Glanz des unversehrten Lichtes: Der Gerechtigkeit strahlende Sonne: o komm und erleuchte, die da sitzen in Finsternis, und im Schatten des Todes.

O König aller Völker, ihre Erwartung und Sehnsucht, Schlußstein, der den Bau zusammenhält, o komm und errette den Menschen, den du aus Erde gebildet!

O Immanuel, unser König und Lehrer, du Hoffnung und Heiland der Völker: o komm, eile und schaffe uns Hilfe, du unser Herr und unser Gott."

English

"O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other mightily, and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence O Wisdom.

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O Morning Star, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God"

Performances and Recordings

The piece appears on a number of albums by various choirs including:

• Tavener - Pärt - Gorecki (January 23, 2007; EMI Classics) -- Vasari Singers; Conducted by Jeremy Backhouse
• Out of the Night (January 11, 2000; Sony Classics) -- Taverner Choir; Conducted by Andrew Parrott
• Bluebird -- Voices from Heaven (October 9, 2000; Decca) -- New College Choir Oxford
• De Profundis (October 1, 1999; Harmonia Mundi France) -- Theatre of Voices; Conducted by Paul Hillier
• Magnificat --Berlin Mass (May 3, 1998; Hyperion) -- Polyphony; Conducted by Stephen Layton

Sources

• Taruskin, Richard Music in the Late Twentieth Century Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010
• Biringer, Gene Reimagining the Divine in Two Choral Works by Arvo Pärt Lawrence University, WI
• Robinson, Thomas Transformations of Pitch-Class Multiplicity in the Tintinnabuli University of Alabama

External links

• Arvopart.info
• Boston University Pärt Festival Paper Abstracts -- Interesting analyses of Pärt's work from a festival celebrating his career
• Arvopart.org -- collection of Arvo Pärt facts and analyses by webmaster David Pinkerton