As we talked about in class, different composers set the Magnificat to different rhythms and notes and languages. A specific composer that we talked about was Hubert Parry. A setting that he wrote that we very briefly talked about was how Hubert Parry set the Magnificat in Latin. This added variation to the text and made it different than other settings of the same text. Another example I can think of that takes place in the modern day is the song “Awake My Soul” by Hillsong. They have sang the song hundreds of time in English, which is the language in which it was written. They then decided to set the same lyrics and melody to Spanish in order to capture a broader audience.The first verse of “Awake My Soul” in English is:
There is a sound I love to hear
It’s the sound of the Saviour’s robe
As He walks into the room where people pray
Where we hear praises He hears faith
The first verse of “Awake My Soul” in Spanish is:
Puedes oír qué hermoso es
Son los pasos del Salvador
Él está ahora aquí moviéndose
Cuando alabamos Él ve fe
This creates variation and is a very cool way to make the song different but also keep it the same simultaneously.