Et incarnatus est‘And was made flesh’As a choral singer, these are Latin words that I frequently sing and know in a variety of settings from a wide range of composers. Each musical setting has its own strength and beauty, but the music that always comes immediately to mind for me is J.S. Bach’s setting in his Mass in B minor.
Probably no one has excelled Bach in his ability to ‘word paint’ in his religious works. ‘Et incarnatus est’ follows a powerful statement of belief in God the Father, and a duet between soprano and alto soloists with interweaving parts which seek to emphasise the total unity which exists between Father and Son. And then there is total change of mood. The orchestra have a plaintive falling motif and each section of the choir enters one after the other with a descending arpeggio. It is a poignant moment in the work (there are many more!) which speaks so powerfully of the wonder of the incarnation.
Paul, writing to the Philippian church, expresses in words what Bach so wonderfully captures in his music when he says Jesus Christ ‘made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness’.
During the coming Advent season, we are called upon as Christians to ponder again on the wonder of God coming to us in Christ. My prayer is that in the busyness and familiarity of Advent and Christmas, God will break afresh into our lives, just as he did to the world that first Christmas.
