Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis: SSAATTBB, Accompanied Choral Octavo

This pair of canticles stands apart from safe, conservative sacred choral writing. Harvey's fusion of ancient liturgical text with glissandi, controlled improvisation, and chromatic harmony creates settings that respect the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis while refusing to pretend the 20th century didn't happen. A choir ready for this will find themselves playing with genuine modern classical language rather than pastiche.

Luminous and unsettled at once. The harmonic language moves through unexpected tonal territory, and moments of shimmering vocal texture (especially the glissandi) create an otherworldly quality. Yet the settings never lose sight of the profound solemnity of these canticles; Harvey's modernism serves contemplation rather than disrupting it.

Adventurous choirs with secure basic technique and genuine appetite for contemporary sacred music. You'll need singers comfortable with expanded vocal techniques and conductors willing to invest rehearsal time in unfamiliar notational and timbral challenges.

• Treat the glissandi as precise musical elements, not afterthoughts. They should be shaped and timed with the same care you'd give to traditional melodic gestures.
• Establish clear sectional balances between your soprano and alto lines in the SSAA sections, as the doubled voices are doing distinct harmonic work rather than simply reinforcing.
• Work the improvisation passages separately from the rest of the piece so singers understand the boundaries and the intended harmonic space; ambiguity in rehearsal becomes confidence in performance.
• Let the accompaniment breathe during moments of choral silence. The piano part is integral to the harmonic architecture, not decorative.

These canticles work powerfully in a concert or service context devoted to sacred music across centuries. Consider pairing them with a more traditional Magnificat setting (perhaps Britten or an earlier master) to show how liturgical texts have been reimagined by successive generations. They also function as a strong anchor for a program exploring 20th-century choral repertoire.

• Reading and executing glissandi notation with rhythmic precision
• Balancing double (and triple) voice parts where each line carries independent harmonic function
• Navigating chromatic harmony and suspended tonality without losing pitch security
• Performing controlled improvisation within specified harmonic and rhythmic parameters
• Responding to complex accompanying textures from a prepared accompanist