Voices Found: Rejoicing with Mary and Hildegard, VF 152

 

                                                                                       

                                                                                               

The Song of Mary 

Voices Found # 152

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in you, O God my savior,

for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your name.

You have mercy on those who fear you from generation to generation.

You have shown the strength of your arm

and have scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly.

You have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

You have come to the help of your servant Isreal,

for you have remembered your promise of mercy,

The promise you made to our forebears, to Abraham and his children forever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.

Words: the Song of Mary, Enriching our worship 1, 1998 The Church Pension fund

Music: Melody from Antiphon 17 (Laus Trinitati) by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) adapted by Lisa Neufeld Thomas

In her song Mary rejoices in the Angel's news, proclaiming and praising God.  Christians have been rejoicing with Mary ever since Gabriel's visit.  Her canticle is sung in Christian worship both Eastern and Western, most frequently in the Offices.  The earliest musical settings are monophonic chants: simple plainsong in the West, more melismatic Singing Tones in the East.   Her words, translated into Latin, are known as Magnificat which is  included in the Liber Usualis, a compilation of liturgical chant by the Monks of Solesmes in France, published in 1898. "My soul proclaims," is an English translation published in Enriching Our Worship (1998, Church Pension Fund) a supplement to The Book of Common Prayer.

We do not know how Hildegard and her community sang Magnificat.  Although she composed many songs, hymns, and antiphons in praise of Mary, she did not write a musical setting of Mary's words.  The women  singers at St. Mark's Locust St, Philadelphia, who founded the Voices Found movement, wanted to sing Magnificat and they wanted to sing Hildegard's music. Thus,  I adapted Hildegard's melody for  Antiphon 17, Voices Found #105, to set Mary's song.  That group of singers included mostly volunteers supported by a trained cantor,  I arranged most of  the text with a simple syllabic musical setting. I highlighted  some crucial text with Hildegard's extensive, ethereal melismas.   This arrangement brings  Hildegard and Mary together in a simple format easily accessible for a small group or  congregation with cantor.  It is appropriate for Vespers or Evensong,  Eucharistic liturgies especially  during Advent, or for any celebration of the Virgin Mary.

Medieval chant is usually sung unaccompanied; however, handbells could be used.  It is not clear if Hildegard used  instruments in her community, although she wrote about them. The Leader's Guide to Voices Found offers performance suggestions that support congregational singing, helping to bring Hildegard and Mary to life in today's worship.  

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