Magnificat & Nunc Dimmittis

Between the staff and congregations of Stavanger Cathedral in Norway and Winchester Cathedral
in England there exists a strong bond of friendship. There are frequent exchange visits where
there is a beneficial sharing of experience and an opportunity to take part in each others’ worship.
Many long-lasting friendships have blossomed under this bond.

The Canticles Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are central to the Anglican office of Choral Evensong.
Norway has no well-established equivalent of Choral Evensong so the opportunity for a
Norwegian choir to sing an Evensong in one of England’s great cathedrals will always be
something of a special occasion. This set was written for Stavanger Cathedral Girls’ Choir and
their conductor, Jorunn Lovise Husan and were given their first liturgical performance at a Festal
Choral Evensong in Winchester Cathedral in June 2017 for which occasion they were written.
The first non-liturgical performance of these canticles was given at a concert in Portsmouth
Cathedral a few days earlier.

Although the organ part was written with the sound and resources of Winchester Cathedral’s
large Willis/Harrison organ in mind, it works quite well on a smaller instrument. The canticles
were first tried out accompanied on a single manual instrument with only a little loss of overall
effect, although the range of colour and volume afforded by a larger instrument is certainly
desirable. So as not to restrict the imagination of players who may have the possibility of
exploiting a variety of registrations and different manuals, the score provides only dynamic
indications.

Timothy Miller