For soprano solo, mixed choir (SATB) and piano (organ). Latin.


Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis was commissioned by the Renaissance Singers of Kitchener, Waterloo (Ontario) in memory of one of their former singers, Jane Wilson Eade, who died at a tragically young age.

The Magnificat section begins with a lilting 6/8 keyboard introduction in F major which sets the stage for the entry of the solo soprano voice. The choir follows echoing the solo voice and this alternation between solo and choir charecterize the first part of the movement. The text "He hath shown strength" is set in a vigorous 4/4 in the key of A, and this leads through a series of modulations into a fugato on "As it was spoken..." The "Glory be to the Father" reintroduces the opening Magnificat motif and the movement ends with a quiet "world without end."

The Nunc Dimittis begins in C minor with a plodding 2/4 rhythm, but brightens into A-flat major (poco piu mosso) on the words "mine eyes have seen the salvation," and progresses through a series of rising modulations to a joyful climax. The work ends with reiterations of the Magnificat theme.