Listening to a variety of settings of both the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in class led me to a realization about music creation. I grew up in a very devout church setting where I learned a lot of sacred music. In the Divine Service, I am so used to hearing these two songs. I know about two variations of each text and their corresponding tune that are sung during church. I did not realize, however, that there were so many variations music-wise of these two texts. It makes me wish that I grew up learning a plethora of them, instead of the simple 2 different tunes of the Magnificat.
Hearing the songs that we did in class, even the “song” that we created as a class, I picked up on different things about the text that I had not noticed before. It has made me begin to wonder how much so many other people are missing out on by only have one or two tunes to sing their text to. The church as a whole tends to get stuck on traditions and repetition. At least at my church, people complain when we sing new songs. They miss the familiarity. I think, however, that there is a blessing in the unfamiliar. You are more likely to pay attention, hear things you didn’t know, catch connections between different words if there is something new going on. There is beauty in creating new things, and putting the same words to new melodies to make a song that can not only glorify, but also teach us new things about God. This class period reinforced the idea in my head that music creation is not only beneficial, I would argue that it is necessary for personal and spiritual enrichment.