Magnificat
The canticle of the Virgin, text ("My
soul doth magnify the Lord") from Luke 1:46-55. It consists of twelve
verses, including the Doxology at the end. In the Roman Catholic
rites it is sung at the Office of Vespers
by alternating choruses to one of eight recitation chants similar to the
psalm tones, in connection
with an antiphon that is usually somewhat
more elaborate in style than the psalm antiphons.
The earliest composers of the Magnificat were Dunstable,
Dufay, and Binchois.
Each of them composed the entire text, including the Doxology at the end.
After 1450 it became customary to compose only the even-numbered verses,
the others being sung in plainsong.