Canticle
A Latin song of praise, specifically a biblical song outside the Psalms used in the liturgy (e.g. the Magnificat).
What it means
A canticle (Latin canticum, literally “song”) is, in Christian liturgy, a biblical song of praise that does not come from the Book of Psalms but from elsewhere in the Old or New Testament. Canticles are poetically shaped texts handed down in the Bible as independent songs, typically praises spoken by individuals at significant turning points in salvation history.
Among the best-known New Testament canticles are the Magnificat (the Song of Mary), the Benedictus (the Song of Zechariah), and the Nunc dimittis (the Song of Simeon). Together they are sometimes called the “Gospel canticles,” since all three are found in the Gospel of Luke.
Musical use
In the liturgy of the Divine Office, canticles occupy fixed positions: the Magnificat belongs to Vespers, the Benedictus to Lauds, and the Nunc dimittis to Compline. Like the psalms, they were set for centuries in Gregorian chant and sung to psalm-tones in the eight church modes, each framed by its own antiphon.
Later, polyphonic settings of individual canticles appeared, above all of the Magnificat, which became its own genre of church music because of its liturgical importance, comparable to the Mass or the Te Deum.
The canticle should be distinguished from the psalm: both are liturgical songs of praise, but the psalm comes from the Psalter while the canticle comes from other books of the Bible. It differs from a freely written hymn in that its text is taken directly from Scripture rather than newly composed.
Performance practice
When singing a canticle, take your cue from the calm, narrative tone of the text: canticles are songs of praise, not dramatic narratives, and their delivery stays measured and even. In polyphonic settings, pay attention to the recurring verse structure inherited from psalmody.