The magnificat was a chant sung at vespers. The chant intones the passage from the New Testament in Luke 1:45-55 in which Mary contemplates the message she received from the angel Gabriel in which she was told that she would give birth to the Son of God. This particular magnificat setting by Buxtehude works much more like a typical seventeenth century magnificat than the other two extant magnificats. Typically organ magnificat settings would be performed in alternation with a choir intoning portions of the magnificat chant. The organ versets performed would include the chant melody in one verse or another so that although the choir would not sing the entire chant, the organ would play the portions of the chant melody not sung by the choir. This magnificat setting includes two versets. The first is in four-voice counterpoint with the chant melody appearing in the bass. In the second verse the ascending and descending minor third from the beginning of the chant is tossed back and forth between all four of the voices. It is possible that Buxtehude may have written more versets since typically an organ magnificat alternating with a choir would have at least four and as many as seven versets.

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