George Arthur

Magnificat

A gentle, reflective setting that has a three-part structure with a short coda. Three and four part rising choral lines at the start, contrast with a central melodic section in the sopranos, supported by the three lower voices. The soprano line has sections featuring a solo voice or a reduced number of voices. The setting reaches a climax at the doxology where the four voices are in close imitation leading to a C major chord in second inversion on the word 'ghost'. The work concludes with a short reference to the opening bars in the three upper voices and one statement of Amen in all four parts.