# J.D Zelenka's 2 Magnificat settings, ZWV 107 & 108 in C and D Major respectively.



## kfriegedank

Some of the most contrapuntal, beautiful and harmonically daring music of the Baroque right here - and it is not even Bach! Such a underrated composer I am happy to share; here is my analysis of the 2 musical settings (which I as a transcriber am currently making Urtext edition scores from the original manuscripts):

"2 Magnificat settings by Jan Dismas Zelenka, a first rate composer of the Baroque era, yet underrated and not as popular as he deserves to be. The first Magnificat setting in C Major (ZWV 107 in the catalogue of his works), is in two movements, the first and the longest covers most of the Magnificat text, with a opening Ritornello that cascades harmonies upon harmonies in a fugal and imitative manner characteristic of Zelenka's music, leading to a short intermission where a complex, ornate and most of all beautiful Aria like character is given to the music whereby the Soprano leaves the Chorus behind and becomes entwined with the Violins in virtuosic passages and some notable quadruple stops, the Ritornello repeating several times until the movement is concluded, leading to a final Fugue on the simple praise of "Amen", a cascading, not in harmony but rather interval subject with flows between voices, from the Soprano down to the Basses, back to the Soprano and every where inbetween to make a perfect conclusion to this setting.
The second Magnificat in D Major (ZWV 108), is a much more ornate setting in three movements which includes 3 Trumpets and Timpani, and begins with a simple melodic line in the Continuo, doubled by the strings leading right into a massive Tutti section of immense and rising harmonies, where again he employs the solo Soprano in a Aria like setting, but eventually is interrupted by a sudden interjection of the entire Chorus with rapid Trumpet motives, reinforced with the Timpani from a frantic burst of energy slowing down to a sudden Adagio with descending harmonies, before being brought back to a Tempo and full forte to conclude the first movement. The second is a reversal of the previous 2 structures in that the Soprano takes a leading role in a solemn lamentable Aria with Chorus interjecting at various points throughout. There is a notable recurring motive in the bass which carries this movement forwards to the end. The final Amen fugue is not only a fugue, but a double fugue of 2 subjects. The initial subject is introduced and proceeds in the various voices before being interrupted by the 2nd subject, which works it way through the voices as well, and eventually is interjected with the first subject, at which point Zelenka at his best interweaves them in the most brilliant manners that only Johann Sebastian Bach himself could do... so much so Bach very likely performed this very double Fugue himself which he had his elder son Wilhelm Friedemann copy out from him as Zelenka gave Bach enough trust and mutual respect, from a later dated 13 January 1775 by his other younger son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach."


----------



## ArtMusic

Thank you for that history. The Bach family must have thought the work was great enough. Bach himself was probably the most learned of "Baroque music critics".


----------



## kfriegedank

ArtMusic said:


> Thank you for that history. The Bach family must have thought the work was great enough. Bach himself was probably the most learned of "Baroque music critics".


I have a rule in life - if it was good enough for Bach, it is good enough for me.

Minus the churchy stuff. I am more of a brothel-stuff kind of guy.


----------

