Reviewed Book: Terrien, Samuel L. The Magnificat: musicians as biblical interpreters. New York: Paulist Press, 1995

Nevile, Donald C.

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 23Issue 2 Essays by Younger Theologians Article 2011-1-1997The Magnificat: musicians as biblical interpretersDonald C. NevileFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationNevile, Donald C. (1997) "The Magnificat: musicians as biblical interpreters," Consensus: Vol. 23 : Iss. 2 , Article 20.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol23/iss2/20154 ConsensusWhy, then, publish a book which says so little? Especially for musicians,it is important to know how little we have to deal with. And Foley provides aneeded corrective to the speculations of those like Suzanne Haik- Ventoura,who claims to have unpacked the entire story of music in the OT, and haseven produced compact discs of the Psalms of David, sung and performedas she believes they were some 2500 years ago. For this reason alone, Foley’swork is important.For a short monograph, the writing is quite pedantic and heavy-handed.And the print is very small! The book can be obtained through the AlcuinClub, the Pastoral Press in Washington, or the Anglican Book Centre inToronto.Donald C. NevileHighwood Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AlbertaThe Magnificat: Musicians as Biblical InterpretersSamuel TerrienNew York: Paulist Press, 1995xxii + 89 pp. $14.95In recent years some good books have been written which disclose the-ological insight into musical classics. Among these are J. Pelikan’s “BachAmong the Theologians” and Paul Minear’s discussion of the Requiem,“Death Set to Music”. The present book, by Samuel Terrien, professoremeritus of Hebrew at Union Theological Seminary in New York, and aconfessed non-musician, is part of this tradition.Terrien states his purpose this way: “The book seeks to present, not formusicologists, but for enlightened worshipers, an illumination of the poemin light of recent scholarship, together with the interpretation of the textthrough selected musical excerpts from the greatest compositions of theMagnificat during the past six centuries” (xv).At the outset Terrien distances himself from current Liberation The-ology and Feminist interpretations of the text. He also rejects Marianauthorship of the poem, linking it rather with the Old Testament Psalms,and even suggesting that the original may have been in Hebrew. He spendstime identifying Old Testament referents in Mary’s song to support this.However, he perhaps gives too much emphasis to these Old Testament con-nections, especially since all we have ever had is the Greek version of thesong!Terrien claims that his book is for the layperson, even though we suspectthat many laypersons would find his etymology of the Magnificat excessivelythorough and over-scholarly. He even provides a new translation of thepoem, rendered from his own “highly probable reconstruction of the HebrewBook Reviews 155original”. An interesting exercise, to translate the Greek back into Hebrew,and then re-translate it into English!In contrast, his musical analysis is quite “lite”. He provides reflectionson the alternating moods of the various strophes, designed, he says, to“...get us into listening to Magniflcats”. He discusses composers rangingall the way from the early Renaissance to the present: de Quatris, Byrd,Telemann, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, A. Gabrieli, J. S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach,Charpentier, Hovahaness, Tippett, and Penderecki.His textual analysis is detailed, but his musical analysis is thin. Hesketches musical themes on a wide canvas (or should we say score), ratherthan providing any musicological detail. And missing entirely is any treat-ment of the liturgical role of the Magniflcat in Evening Prayer (Vespers),the other Offices, or the Lectionary.In sum, this is an introduction to the music of the Magniflcat for thebiblically literate rather than an introduction to the text for the musicallyliterate. Terrien provides a flne overture for the musical novice. But anin-depth study of the theology of the Magniflcat in music still remains tobe written.He provides a bibliography of “available recordings of the Magniflcat”which includes 37 titles—hardly a comprehensive, all-inclusive listing ofrecordings or composers! In addition, there is a selected bibliography ofwritings on the Magniflcat in music. There is one serious printing flaw:three paragraphs of text on page 22 are repeated on page 23.Donald C. NevileHighwood Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AlbertaSources of Confirmation: From the Fathers Throughthe ReformersPaul TurnerCollegeville, Minn.: The Liturgical Press, 199492 pp. $14.00This is a book of “readings” on the topic of confirmation, chosen andedited by Turner, a Roman priest, who made his entry into this field withthe publication of his doctoral thesis, “The Meaning and Practise of Con-firmation” (Peter Lang, 1987). The purpose of the present book is “to offerreaders a collection of texts from which they may follow the course of con-firmation from its patristic origins through the Reformation” (9). Most ofthe texts chosen come from the period of the Middle Ages and the Reforma-tion. Turner’s context for writing is the Roman sacrament of confirmation:but the book will be of interest to anyone concerned about the status ofconfirmation today.

The Magnificat: musicians as biblical interpreters

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The Magnificat: musicians as biblical interpreters

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