It has been about nine months since our Culture editor Marcello Brownsberger has proposed J.S. Bach’s “Quia respexit”—the third movement of his setting of the Magnificat—as an article idea. Pitching what he said to be a fitting use of the melodic minor scale for this particular verse of Our Lady’s canticle of praise to Our Lord, he had not, until now, succeeded in getting anyone to write about it.
And what a shame it is that it has taken so long.
Bach first composed his Magnificat in E-flat Major, the first version of his setting of St. Mary’s canticle as seen in the Latin text of Luke’s Gospel (1:46-55), in 1723, with four inserted hymns for use at Christmas. In 1733, a decade later, he composed a new version without the Christmas interpolations in the key of D major, likely for the Feast of the Visitation. Here, I will be referring to the D major version, which is the more famous version today.
“Quia respexit”, as the third movement of Bach’s Magnificat, follows the first two movements, which correspond to the first two verses of the Gospel canticle and are set in the tonic major key in both of Bach’s versions:
Magnificat anima mea Dominum: et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo (My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.) (Lk. 1:46-47).
“Quia respexit” marks the first key change in the work, as the movement shifts into the relative minor key, which is B minor in the D major version. This change, along with the reduced tempo from the prior movements, reflects the humility now expressed by Mary in the text:
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae (For he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant) (Lk. 1:48).
This is also reflected in the change in instrumentation. Bach composed the first movement (Magnificat … Dominum) for full Baroque orchestra and five voices (two sopranos, alto, tenor, and bass) and the second movement (et exultavit … salutari meo) for solo soprano II and string accompaniment (two violins, a viola, and basso continuo). Moving into the third movement, the instrumentation becomes even more simple, as Bach now sets the verse to solo soprano I, solo oboe d’amore (a relative of the modern oboe), and basso continuo.
Now with adagio tempo, a shift into minor tonality, and a stripped-down instrumentation, Bach has set the stage for Mary’s humble exaltation of Our Lord. With the oboe providing a more melancholy timbre than the bright tone quality of the strings before it, the oboe and solo voice, starting with an oboe introduction, begin to reference each other in a sort of flowing, conversational aria, or, as the late Michael Steinberg put it, in a “contemplative duet.”
Once they reach the second half of the verse—ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes (surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed) (Lk. 1:48)—the soprano interrupts the free-flowing nature of the melody to proclaim “Ecce, ecce” (“behold, behold”), in the words of Steinberg, in a “simpler, more declamatory style.”
The last measure of the soprano solo is actually the first measure of the fourth movement, where we hear a return of the entire chorus, as well as another oboe, strings, and two Baroque flutes, in a much-accelerated rendition of the words omnes generationes (all generations) in the key of F-sharp minor. This keeps some continuity between the third and fourth movements not just in the overlapping measure, but also the tonal structure in shifting between two minor keys, while also accompanying the change in character between the movements by shifting key. Nestled in between a light and content major movement and a semi-climactic and up-tempo minor movement, the slow and tranquil “Quia respexit” movement skillfully emphasizes its underlying text.
Philipp Spitta, in his 1873 biography of Bach, thought similarly about Bach’s Quia respexit: “Scarcely ever has the idea of virgin purity, simplicity, and humble happiness found more perfect expression than in this German picture of the Madonna, translated, as it were, into musical language.”
Do yourself a favor and listen at least to this movement, if not the whole of Bach’s Magnificat. It’s the sort of art that reveals part of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful that God provides us. As for myself, I wish I had heeded this advice nine months ago.
Adam is a senior from Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as Campus News and Culture Editor, and boasts the title of least cultured to ever serve as the latter. Holding a minor in Biology, he recently converted from STEM and now majors in Philosophy and Classical Studies. He currently leads Una Voce, the Latin Mass society at BC, and sings with the University Chorale of Boston College and the Chorale Chamber Singers. He enjoys Gregorian Chant, relearning the clarinet, and is an unabashed Ohio apologist.
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