The Song of Mary, sometimes also known as the Magnificat (from the first word of the Latin text of her hymn), is one of the oldest hymns of the Christian church. Through the centuries, the words sung by Mary have been the inspiration for works of art ranging from sculpture to poetry to musical composition.

One avid
Adventist Review reader, Dr. Bruce Ashton, retired professor of music at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, recently requested permission to use the text of the December Adventist Review cover story by editor Bill Knott, “A Hymn to Coming Justice” as part of a musical program he was assembling for broadcast on the university’s radio station, WSMC.

Dr. Ashton has gracious supplied the Adventist Review with the audio file of that program, which intersperses the text of Knott’s article with major musical compositions that highlight Mary’s famous hymn.