The Latin canticle Nunc dimittis is based on the biblical narration of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple according to the Gospel of Luke. It is one of only three canticles in the New Testament, along with the Magnificat and the Benedictus. It is part of the daily evening service compline[1] and has often been set to music. In the English choral tradition, it is typically combined with a setting of the Magnificat for Vespers, colloquially called "Mag and Nunc".[2]
Pärt set the piece using the biblical text in the Vulgate version (Luke 2:29–32). He set it in C-sharp minor for a mixed choir a cappella.[5] The climax, on the words "lumen ad revelationem" (a light to reveal), is prepared by a "measured procession of gradually expanding phrases" and happens shifting from C-sharp minor to C-sharp major.[2][4] A reviewer noted that "gorgeous textures, harmonies and sonorities conjure a feeling of purity and emptiness."[6]
Recordings
The first recording of Nunc dimittis is part of Pärt: Triodion & other choral works, performed by Polyphony, conducted by Stephen Layton, and published by Hyperion.[2] It was recorded in 2003 in the presence of the composer at London's Temple Church.