Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis

These two evening canticles were arranged in 1979 by Dr Eric Arnold for the choir of All Saints, Margaret Street, London. Dr Arnold, who was Organist and Director of Music at All Saints 1968–1988, adapted the Magnificat (movement 11) and Nunc dimittis (movement 5) from Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil (‘Vespers’) to the English words in the Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer. Rachmaninoff himself considered his Vespers, which is based on centuries-old Orthodox chants, to be one of his best compositions.

These accessible canticles are an ideal way for choirs to explore the music of Rachmaninoff without the need to tackle Russian language and pronunciation. Now available for the first time as part of the Boosey & Hawkes Choral Treasury.