Favorite song of praise in the bible

[GospelS]

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

- by Mary. (Luke 1:46-55)

 

[tim hu]

Psalms 23: 1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 

[angelT17]

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

(Psalm 46)

 

[The Liturgist]

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

- by Mary. (Luke 1:46-55)

You have good taste, for this piece, known as the Magnificat is the most beloved of the three Evangelical Canticles, as they are called, found in the Gospel According to Luke. This canticle* is traditionally sung at Vespers and Choral Evensong in the Western liturgical tradition. My favorite settings, which being Anglican include the Nunc Dimitis, (“Let Thy servant depart in peace...”) are by George Dyson and Herbert Howells.

In the Eastern Orthodox church, this canticle is the basis for Ode 9 of a special super-hymn, the lyrics of which can change, at Matins. The canticle itself js sung as is in Lent on some occasions, but mostly, the nine odes which comprise the Canon are used as the starting point for hymns themed to the occasion. The canon itself is a great, ancient meta-hymn composed of nine canticles or odes, and additional hymns inserted between them, all of which follow a common theme based on the liturgical occasion (at most services, two of the nine odes are sung; in Lent and Eastertide three are usually sung, and at some penitential services in Lent, all nine odes are sung; otherwise Ode 2 is invariably omitted). The lyrics are extremely beautiful; I will post them and videos from YouTube of Choral Evensong with the settings I mentioned earlier, and videos of some of the Canons sung at Orthodox Matins. My favorite canon is the Canon of the Resurrection sung at the Paschal Matins at midnight on Easter Sunday.

@GreekOrthodox is a cantor and can provide much more in depth information both on this beautiful canticle sung by Mary and the Odes based on it, and the Canons they are a part of, because he leads the singing of these in ancient Byzantine Chant.