Bach’s Magnificate: metamorphoses of the genre on the way from Baroque to Classicism

Abstract

The article examines the Magnificat by Johann Christian Bach, created in 1760 in Milan. For the first time, its place in the evolution of the musical culture of the 18th century, the family compositional tradition and the work of Johann Christian himself is clarified. J. C. Bach’s opus is analyzed through the prism of the Lutheran and Catholic interpretation of the canonical text and the practice of using musical rhetoric for its embodiment. The Magnificat is inscribed in the picture of the stylistic turn of the pre-classical period. Special attention is paid to the musi cal and historical ideas of that time about the unity of music and words within the framework of the genre with the canonical text and the problem of the relationship between church and secu lar styles in Latin liturgical compositions. As sources giving an idea of the discussions on this problem, the provisions of the encyclical of Pope Benedict XIV, the competition requirements for church composers of Milan and the discussions of Milanese music by Padre Martini are consid ered. The study allows us to conclude that J. C. Bach’s Magnificat occupies a borderline position between the canons of the high baroque genre and early Viennese classicism and reflects the deep evolutionary processes taking place in the culture of that time.