It’s a key moment in Scripture when Mary, visiting her cousin, Elizabeth, praises God and rejoices that she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God.

The passage — Luke 1:46-55 — is known as the Song of Mary, or the Magnificat, because of the way the first line reads in Latin: “My soul magnifies (or glorifies) the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

For centuries, composers such as Monteverdi, Bach and Mozart have set the words to music, writing religious anthems referred to as the Magnificat.

To that list of famous composers add the name of Scott Murphy, assistant professor at Kansas University who teaches music theory and composition in the department of music and dance.

On Sunday, Murphy, 33, will conduct the First Baptist Church chancel choir in a performance of his original composition during worship services. It is part of the church’s continuing celebration of Advent.

Murphy knows he’s following in the footsteps of musical giants, a feat posing a challenge to any 21st-century composer.

“How can someone like myself tackle this (biblical) text? There’s a bit of anxiety. The reverse side of this is that we’re all trying to interpret Scripture; it’s your (own) personal interpretation,” he says.

Murphy’s Magnificat will be performed by 25 to 28 members of the chancel choir, accompanied by cello, violin, piano, solo soprano and organ. The anthem is about six minutes long.

Luke 1:46-55 is often incorporated into worship during one of the Sundays of Advent, the season that leads into Christmas.

Scott Murphy, a Kansas University assistant professor of music and dance, has written an original religious anthem, Magnificat, that will be performed Sunday at First Baptist Church. Murphy rehearsed the piece last Sunday with the church's chancel choir.

“The text (of that passage) is the focus of the Magnificat, and the music, I believe, serves the text. In this liturgical setting, what I hope people get out of it is a greater understanding of that text,” Murphy said. “That’s what I’m going for here — that my musical interpretation helps people come away with a better understanding of the Scripture.”

Class led to invitation

It won’t be the first time the KU professor’s Magnificat has been performed. That occasion was 10 years ago, almost to the week.

An earlier version of it, composed as an orchestral piece for 15 musicians, was presented Dec. 18, 1994, at First United Methodist Church, 946 Vt.

At the time, Murphy was still a graduate student at KU. He did not conduct the anthem then.

The Magnificat to be performed Sunday at First Baptist is a chamber — versus orchestral — version of that composition, tailored expressly for the musical talents of the church.

It includes four parts written for young musicians who either belong to the congregation or have studied with Murphy at KU: Robert Weinaug, cello; Rebecca Weinaug, violin; Jeff Robinson, piano; and Hilary Dow, soprano solo.

Robert Weinaug, Robinson and Dow attend KU. Rebecca Weinaug attends Free State High School.

Evelyn Falen, First Baptist’s church organist, will play the part composed for the organ.

Murphy’s Magnificat went unperformed for 10 years, until the Rev. Sandra Walton of First Baptist recently invited Murphy to lead a three-session adult class on church music intended to link music and Advent.

Murphy agreed. His class, which already met Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, is called “Scriptural Interpretations in Song: Four Centuries of Magnificat.” It’s part of the church’s regular, Wednesday evening fellowship.

“Scott created this class as a response to my request. Then he said he had written this Magnificat, and could we use it in our (church) music. That seemed like a great tie between Wednesday evening and Sunday morning (worship),” says Walton, First Baptist’s associate pastor.

“He just asked me if this was an anthem we could use during the Advent season, and I was delighted to use it. But I also invited him to be the guest conductor of the chancel choir. It’s always good when the actual composer can direct the music.”

Venerated for centuries

Luke 1:46-55 is a pivotal passage in the New Testament, according to Murphy, Mary’s first expression after learning that she will be the mother of God.

This Song of Mary, called a canticle, was an important part of the early Christian church. At every vespers service, worshippers would sing the Magnificat, set to music by different composers.

Originally, it was chanted in Latin, beginning with the words, “Magnificat anima mea dominum” — “My soul magnifies the Lord.”

“This has been a venerated hymn for centuries,” Murphy says.

He admits to having some pre-performance butterflies as Sunday approaches.

“I’m a little anxious, because last week I just started working with the choir. As a composer, there is always some anxiety, and a lot of anticipation. But frankly, that’s what Advent is all about: anticipation, waiting and hoping.”