composed the setting of the biblical hymn Magnificat shortly after he took over the post of cantor at St. Thomas in 1723. In Leipzig, the hymn was a regular part of the service and on ordinary Sundays, it was sung in German, but on important holidays, especially the Marian ones, such as the Annunciation and the Visitation or the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, it was performed in Latin.

Magnificat is the first major liturgical composition in which Bach worked with a Latin text, rather than with a German one, thus to some extent erasing the differences between the Catholic and Protestant tradition. He later opted for the same unusual approach regarding the choice of language in the case of his famous Mass in B Minor. Sometime around 1733, probably on the occasion of the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary or other liturgical celebration, he prepared a new version of Magnificat transposed from the original key in E flat major to D major (BWV 243), mainly in order to use trumpets in the orchestra. In Saxony, trumpets were usually tuned into this particular key.

The text of the hymn comes from the Gospel of Luke and captures the speech of the Virgin Mary, who, already pregnant, meets St. Elizabeth, who also in with child. During the encounter, the child, the future John the Baptist, moves in Elizabeth’s womb, and Elizabeth pays homage to Mary (this eulogy is the basis of the prayer “Hail, Mary”). Mary responds with a speech in which she glorifies God’s power and his great deeds. This passage became known as Magnificat (“My soul doth magnify the Lord.”) The text therefore calls for a joyful, celebratory, and exalted atmosphere, which is evident in Bach’s music from the very beginning.

Bach’s setting requires five parts (two sopranos, alto, tenor, and bass) and a Baroque orchestra with trumpet and timpani. The expressive composition consists of twelve relatively short parts, and Bach skilfully illustrates the meaning of the biblical text by musical means: these remarkable and clever choices include brass instruments for passages representing the Lord as the victorious warrior, the almost complete ensemble in the exclamation “Omnes generations” which bursts into the meditative soprano solo, or the energetic and vigorous fugue for the verse “Fecit potentiam in brachio suo” (He has shown strength with His arm).

One of the most successful and popular passages in the composition is the meditative aria “Quia respexit”, in which the first soprano is accompanied by the obligatory oboe d’ amore, a special type of oboe tuned in A major, characterized by a softer, alto sound. American music critic Michael Steinberg notes that the voice and the instrument first share the musical material in a “contemplative duet”, and later the voice assumes a simpler, declamatory style. “Esurientes”, a lovely aria for alto and two obligatory flutes, exudes a similar spirit.

Despite the fact that Magnificat is a relatively early work and a rarity in Bach’s oeuvre in terms of the chosen language, it has become one of the most beloved compositions by the Leipzig cantor, which is also evident from the large number of recordings and the frequency of concert performances.