[To Paul Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.]
"Birmingham, August 26 [? 27], 1846.
"My dear Brother,—From the very first you took so kind an interest in my 'Elijah,' and thus inspired me with so much energy and courage for its completion, that I must write to tell you all about its first performance yesterday. No work of mine ever went so admirably the first time of execution, or was received with such enthusiasm, by both the musicians and the audience, as this oratorio. It was quite evident, at the first rehearsal in London, that they liked it, and liked to sing and to play it; but I own I was far from anticipating that it would acquire such fresh vigour and 'go' in it at the performance. If you had only been there! During the whole two hours and a half that it lasted, the two thousand people in the large hall, and the large orchestra, were all so fully intent on the one object in question, that not the slightest sound was to be heard among the whole audience, so that I could sway at pleasure the enormous orchestra and choir, and also the organ accompaniment. How often I thought of you during the time! More especially, however, when the 'sound of abundance of rain' came, and when they sang the final chorus with furore, and when, after the close of the first part, we were obliged to repeat the whole movement ['Thanks be to God']. Not less than four choruses and four airs were encored, and not one single mistake occurred in the whole of the first part; there were some afterwards in the second part, but even these were but trifling. A young English tenor[49] sang the last air ['Then shall the righteous shine forth'] so beautifully, that I was obliged to collect all my energies so as not to be affected, and to continue beating time steadily. As I said, if you had only been there!"
In a letter written from London (August 31, 1846) to Frau Livia Frege, of Leipzig—a gifted amateur singer with a very lovely and high soprano voice—Mendelssohn said:—
"You have always shown so much kind interest in my 'Elijah,' that I look upon it as a duty to write to you after its performance, and to give you an account of it. If this should weary you, you have only yourself to blame; for why did you allow me to come to you with the score under my arm, and play to you those parts that were half completed, and why did you sing so much of it to me at sight? You really ought to have felt it a duty to travel with me to Birmingham; for one ought not to make people's mouths water and make them feel dissatisfied with their condition where one cannot help them; and it was just the solo soprano part I found there in a most helpless and lamentable state. But there was so much that was good by way of compensation that, on the whole, I bring back a very pleasant impression, and I often thought that you also would have taken pleasure in it.
"The rich, full sounds of the orchestra and the huge organ, combined with the powerful voices of the chorus, who sang with sincere enthusiasm; the wonderful resonance in the huge grand hall; an admirable English tenor; Staudigl, too, who took all possible pains, and whose talents and powers you already well know; some very good second soprano and contralto solo singers; all executing the music with special zest and the utmost fire and spirit, doing justice not only to the loudest passages, but also to the softest pianos in a manner which I never before heard from such masses; and, in addition, an impressionable, kindly, hushed, and enthusiastic audience—now still as mice, now exultant—all this is indeed sufficient good fortune for a first performance. In fact, I never in my life heard a better, or I may say one as good; and I almost doubt whether I shall ever again hear one equal to it, because there were so many favourable combinations on this occasion.
"With so much light the shadows were not absent, and the worst was the soprano part. It was all so pretty, so pleasing, so elegant, at the same time so flat, so heartless, so unintelligent, so soulless, that the music acquired a sort of amiable expression about which I could go mad even to-day when I think of it. The alto had not enough voice to fill the hall ... but her rendering was musical and intelligent, which to me makes it far more easy to put up with than want of voice. Nothing is so unpleasant to my taste as such cold, heartless coquetry in music. It is so unmusical in itself, and yet it is often made the basis of singing and playing—making music, in fact."
To Jenny Lind, Mendelssohn wrote:—
"The performance of my 'Elijah' was the best performance that I ever heard of any one of my compositions. There was so much go and swing in the way in which the people played, and sang, and listened. I wish you had been there."
MADAME CARADORI-ALLAN
(1800-1865)
The original soprano in Mendelssohn’s “Elijah.”
The opinions of the professional critic and the composer have been given; the impressions of a cultured amateur in the audience may therefore appropriately follow. The subjoined extract is from a letter written by the late Mrs. Samuel Bache, of Birmingham (mother of those gifted musicians, Francis Edward and Walter Bache), to her nephew, Mr. Russell Martineau, M.A., in which she gives a full account of the Festival:—
"Edgbaston, September 4, 1846.
"... Wednesday morning 'Elijah' was performed, and of this I cannot exaggerate my reverential admiration. The old admirers of Handel, who always crowd to 'The Messiah,' which they must not miss whatever else they give up, would be shocked to hear anyone confess a greater, a more refined and spiritual influence exercised by Mendelssohn over the mind and heart; but to me it is so undoubtedly, whether in part from too great familiarity lessening the impression in Handel's case, I am not quite sure. I think it is that Mendelssohn's whole nature is profoundly educated; that his adaptation of the music to the meaning is not of that broad unmistakable kind which even an uneducated ear can comprehend, but is of that refined and far-reaching nature which carries along with it in fullest sympathy, mind, heart, and soul, be they cultivated ever so highly. If I could send you my scheme [word-book] of 'Elijah' with my own remarks, you would at once see what I mean; one instance must suffice now—the Widow entreating Elijah's 'help' for her sick son receives this answer, 'Give me thy son.' Then follows his prayer for God's help that he again may live. The 'Give me thy son' expressed all that religious reliance, that confidence in power from above which already assured the prayer's fulfilment; and Staudigl being Elijah, Mendelssohn's every intention was carried out. Then the contrast between the 'Baal music' and Elijah's and the Israelites' prayers and adoration is finely and truly maintained. To select beauties where the whole is so perfect seems nearly impossible. There is one song deep in my heart, like 'the Lord is mindful of His own' from 'Paul,' which I should call the song of the oratorio—namely, the angel's comfort to Elijah in his despondency, 'O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, and He shall give thee thine heart's desires,' &c. And one quartett of surpassing power and beauty, viz., 'O! every one that thirsteth.' The choruses I consider quite uncommonly impressive; no noise, all music and meaning, and some of almost unparalleled power and grandeur. Such a triumphant first performance has, I should think, seldom been known....
"And where was your cousin Edward [Bache] all the time? He was in the orchestra, very near his old master, Mr. [Alfred] Mellon, and our kind friend Mr. Flersheim, and thus had the great advantage and enjoyment of hearing nearly all the performances and taking his part on the violin; it has been a great stimulus to him and an encouragement."[50]
At the same time Mrs. Bache wrote to her sister, Mrs. Martineau, the wife of the Rev. Dr. James Martineau, as follows:—
"Let me tell you that Mendelssohn's noble oratorio of 'Elijah' was even more than I had expected, and I had very great expectations. To see him conducting was worth anything. He seemed inspired, and might well be forgiven for something of self-reverence, though he looked all humility; and when he came down from his chair when it was all over, he seemed all unstrung as if he could no more. The interest that invests that man is quite inexpressible, and indeed I never felt, as I have done throughout this week's Festival, the greatness of a truly great composer; what are all the performers compared with him!"[51]
In a letter ("Leipzig, September 28, 1846"), written in English, to his Birmingham host, Mr. Joseph Moore, Mendelssohn said:—
"I have now returned home, found all my family as well as I might have wished, and, while I think over the events of this last journey, I cannot help addressing these few lines to you in order to express once more the most sincere and most heartfelt thanks for your very kind reception, and for the friendship you have again shown to me during my stay at your house. Indeed, the first performance of my 'Elijah' exceeded all the wishes which a composer may feel at such an important moment, and the evident goodwill of all the artists in the orchestra, as well as the kindness with which the audience received the work, will be as long as I live a source of grateful recollection. And yet it seems to me that I should not have enjoyed so great a treat as thoroughly and intensely as I did, if it had not been for your kindness and continued friendship, and for the comfortable home which you offered to me during those days of excitement. Our quiet morning and evening conversations with Mr. Ayrton and Mr. Webb are to my mind quite connected with the performances at the Town Hall, and form an important part of my Musical Festival at Birmingham; and while I should certainly never have assisted at one of them if it had not been for our very old acquaintance, and while I accordingly owe to you the whole of the treat which this first performance of 'Elijah' afforded me, I must at the same time thank you no less heartily and sincerely for the quiet and comfortable stay, and the friendly reception at your house, which enhanced all those pleasures so considerably. That your health may now be quite restored again after the fatigues you have undergone, and that we may soon meet again (either in your country, or once more in mine), and that you will continue the same kindness and friendship which you have now shown to me, and which I always met with from you since so many years, is the most earnest wish and hope of
"Yours very truly and gratefully,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy."
In spite of Mendelssohn's protest, "Elijah" was immediately followed by two Italian "selections" and a Handel chorus! If the Committee tried their skill at providing an anti-climax, they admirably succeeded.
At the concluding concert, on Friday morning, the final chorus of Handel's "Zadok the Priest" was set down for performance. Almost at the last minute it was found that there was no music for the preceding Recitative printed in the word-book.[52] The Committee were in a fix, and then they suddenly thought that Mendelssohn might be able to help them in their hour of need. He was sitting in the Vice-President's gallery, enjoying the performance, when the chairman of the Orchestral Committee, the late Mr. J.F. Ledsam, went to him and stated their difficulty. Mendelssohn at once proceeded to the ante-room, and, in a few minutes, composed a recitative for tenor solo, with accompaniment for strings and two trumpets. The parts were expeditiously copied by the indefatigable Goodwin, and the whole recitative was performed prima vista by Mr. Lockey, a quintet of strings, and the two trumpet players. The audience were entirely ignorant of the circumstance of this impromptu composition, and doubtless thought that they were listening to music by Handel.
Through the kindness of the late Dr. W.A. Barrett and Messrs. Goodwin and Tabb, it is possible to give the score, together with Mendelssohn's felicitous postscript:—
Recit. Tenor. The Lord God Almighty, who ordereth all things in heaven and on earth, hath anointed His handmaid, to be ruler over the nations, to gladden the hearts, the hearts of His servants, Let the trumpets blow, let the trumpets
blow, And let all the people rejoice, rejoice and say,
[[Listen]
[Chorus—"God save the Queen."]
"Composed expressly for this Festival, and for Mr. Lockey, with many thanks for—
| music [Listen] |
and for |
music [Listen] |
"by me,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
"Birmingham, August 28, 1846."
Mendelssohn left Birmingham the same day and came to London, "where," he says, "my only important business was a 'fish dinner' at Lovegrove's at Blackwall; after which I stayed four days at Ramsgate for sea air, and ate crabs, and enjoyed myself with the Beneckes." The late Mrs. Benecke, for whom Mendelssohn had a particular affection, remembered that he was in most cheerful and excellent spirits during his visit at the seaside, and that he often referred with great satisfaction to the first performance of his "Elijah." Although his stay at Ramsgate was so short, he there began to write out the pianoforte arrangement of the oratorio, and worked at it several hours daily.
The Festival Committee, at their meeting immediately after the Festival (August 29), passed the following resolution:—
"That this Committee, deeply impressed by the unprecedented success of the oratorio of 'Elijah,' written for this Festival, do return their very cordial and grateful thanks to Dr. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy for a Composition in which the most consummate musical knowledge and the highest intellectual conceptions are displayed; a Composition which will soon be universally known, and not only add to the fame, already so great, of the Author, but tend to exalt the art which he professes, and on which his genius and judgment reflect so much honour."
HERR JOSEPH STAUDIGL
(1807-1861)
The original Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Oratorio.
Mendelssohn, upon his return to Leipzig, was much exhausted after the severe strain of composing, and the exertion connected with the production of "Elijah." But, although he led "a vegetable existence, doing nothing the whole day but eat and sleep and take walks," he very soon began to work at the revision of his new oratorio. It has been shown that Mendelssohn had to write against time in order to complete his oratorio for the Birmingham Festival; and after—if not before, or during—the first performance he discovered numerous instances in which the work could be greatly improved. He told Mr. Bartholomew that he should make many alterations, and he did. In a letter to Klingemann, dated December 6, 1846, Mendelssohn says:—
"I have again begun to work with all my might at my 'Elijah,' and hope to amend the greater part of what I thought deficient at the first performance. I have quite completed one of the most difficult parts (the Widow); and I am sure you will be satisfied with the alterations which I may call improvements. 'Elijah' has become far more impressive and solemn here. I missed that in my first version and was annoyed by this want; but, unfortunately, I never find out such things till afterwards, and till I have improved them. I hope, too, to hit upon the true sense of other passages that we have discussed together. I shall most seriously revise all that I did not deem satisfactory; and I hope to see the whole completely finished within a few weeks, so as to be able to set to work on something new. The parts that I have already remodelled prove to me again that I am right not to rest till such work is as good as it is in my power to make it; even though very few people care to hear about such things, or notice them, and even though they take very much time; yet the impression such passages, if really better, produce in themselves and on the whole work, is such a different one, that I feel I cannot leave them as they now stand."
In a letter to his English publisher, Mr. Buxton (Ewer & Co.), Mendelssohn calls this habit of constant alteration a "dreadful disease," from which he suffered chronically and severely. He says: "I was sorry to see that you will have to make so many alterations in the choral parts; but I think I told you before, that I was subject to this dreadful disease of altering as long as I did not feel my conscience quite at rest, and therefore I could not help it, and you must bear it patiently." In the same letter (written in English) he says:—"I did what I could to reconcile myself to the idea of adding a few bars to the Overture to make it a separate piece, and give it a conclusion; but, I assure you, it is impossible. I tried hard to do what you want, in order to show my goodwill—but I could not find an end, and I am sure there is none to be found."
The chief alterations (to quote from Sir George Grove's invaluable article "Mendelssohn," in his "Dictionary of Music and Musicians," II., 289) were:—
"The chorus 'Help, Lord!' (No. 1), much changed: the end of the double quartett (No. 7), re-written: the scene with the Widow (No. 8), entirely re-cast and much extended: the chorus 'Blessed are the men' (No. 9), re-scored: the words of the quartett 'Cast thy burden' (No. 15), new: the soprano air 'Hear ye' (No. 21), added to and re-constructed: in the Jezebel scene a new chorus, 'Woe to him' (No. 24), in place of a suppressed one, 'Do unto him as he hath done,' and the recitative 'Man of God' added: the trio 'Lift thine eyes' (No. 28) was originally a duet, quite different: Obadiah's recitative and air (No. 25) are new: the chorus 'Go, return,' and Elijah's answer (No. 36) are also new. The last chorus (No. 42) is entirely re-written to fresh words, the text having formerly been 'Unto Him that is abundantly able,' etc. The omissions are chiefly a movement of 95 {86} bars, alla breve, to the words 'He shall open the eyes of the blind,' which formed the second part of the chorus 'But thus saith the Lord' (No. 41), and a recitative for tenor, 'Elijah is come already; and yet they have known him not; but have done unto him whatsoever they listed,' with which Part II. of the oratorio originally opened. In addition to these more prominent alterations, there is hardly a movement throughout the work which has not been more or less worked upon."
The phrase of four bars (instrumental) at the end of "Man of God" (No. 25), and leading into "It is enough," was an afterthought, and, like the overture, was due to the English translator. Bartholomew made the suggestion—a hint, it may be called, but a very interesting one—in the following words: "Elijah—'Tarry here, my servant, and I will go a day's journey into the wilderness.' What if an instrumental interlude (short) gave time for the journey? and then, spent with fatigue, he might, from very weariness, say, 'It is enough!'"
Another interesting instance of Mendelssohn's afterthoughts is that near the end of the last Baal chorus, where the sustained and piercing cry of the sopranos and altos was not originally re-echoed by the tenors and basses:—
Hear and answer.
[Listen]
The above impressive response to the entreaty of the female voices is inserted, in Bartholomew's writing, in a proof copy of the oratorio, now in my possession. Its appropriateness is unquestionable; yet it was not in the original version.
The Sacred Harmonic Society, who, in 1837, had enrolled Mendelssohn as a member, and had presented him with a silver snuff-box,[53] were very anxious to be the first to perform the revised oratorio. Within a month of the Birmingham performance, the Secretary addressed to Mendelssohn a long letter, in which (1) the Society congratulated the composer upon the success of his new work, (2) asked that they might have the honour of giving the first performance of the revised version before a London audience, and (3) that, if possible, Mendelssohn should himself conduct the said performance. Here is Mendelssohn's reply:—
To T. Brewer, Esq., Hon. Sec. to the Sacred Harmonic Society,
Exeter Hall, London.
[Written in English.]
"Leipzig, October 7, 1846.
"Dear Sir,—I beg to express my best thanks for the letter dated September 24, and it gives me much pleasure that the Sacred Harmonic Society will undertake the first performance of my 'Elijah' before a London Audience. I beg to thank the Committee most sincerely for their flattering intention, and of course should be most happy to conduct the work myself on such an occasion, if I can come to London in April next. I hope and trust that I may have that pleasure, and that nothing may prevent me from doing so. But I am still doubtful, and cannot give a positive promise as far as regards my coming over; and as for the parts which you wish to have as soon as possible, I shall speak to the Editor [publisher] of them, Mr. Buxton, who, I hear, is expected shortly in Leipzig, and will ask him to let you have them as soon as they can be ready.
"With many thanks to yourself and the Society, believe me, dear Sir, your very obedient servant,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy."
Before the receipt of the Sacred Harmonic Society's invitation, Mendelssohn must have begun the work of revision, as the following letter to Bartholomew (dated exactly a month after the Birmingham performance) will show:—
[Written in English, and on a sheet of music-paper.]
"Leipzig, September 26, 1846.
"Dear Mr. Bartholomew,—Many thanks for your new alterations which you made to meet my wishes. I decidedly prefer the second version of the beginning of No. 41: 'But the Lord from the north hath raised one!' (this is very good), but at the last bar before the Andante I cannot approve of—
| music [Listen] |
instead of |
music [Listen] |
"Indeed these two long notes are necessary, for the development of the whole phrase, as I intended it. Now, could you not say 'call His name,' instead of 'call upon His name?' Then the chief difficulty would be removed. And perhaps would it be possible to leave out 'of the sun,' and only say 'from the rising' (this is done very often, at least in our German Bible)? Then the second passage would also stand nearly as with the German words:—
And from the rising he shall call His Name.
[Listen]
"The rest of the Andante con moto suits my music now very well in the alteration, as you wrote it out, but I should prefer there the first, and in the beginning (Andante sostenuto) the second version. And why not? So the Andante con moto might begin: 'But the Lord hath upraised one, the Lord,' etc. But if this is against your conscience, leave here also the second version. For the beginning is much more important.
"I prefer:
He shall call upon His Name, &c.
[Listen]
"In No. 38 I should prefer: 'his words appeared like burning torches'—I am so obstinate about the torches because they account for the F minor character which I gave to that beginning more than any other word could possibly do.[54]
"As for 'the transgressor,' etc., I may possibly send another piece instead of the one which now stands, and therefore we will settle the translation hereafter.
"In No. 34 I prefer:—
Behold, God the
[Listen]
and afterwards—
But yet the
[Listen]
and likewise—
But yet the
[Listen]
for I should not like to place the word 'God' on so short a note, and in such a rhythm, while the word yet is just as light and insignificant as will do on such a note.
"And again many thanks,
"F.M.-B."
The following letters from Mendelssohn to Bartholomew, all written in English, may now follow on, seriatim; they lead up to the period of the composer's arrival—for the last time—in England.
"Leipzig, 30 December, 1846.
"My dear Sir,—I send to-day to Mr. Buxton all the pieces which were still wanting in the first part of my 'Elijah.' Wherever I could, I took the words from the English Bible and adapted them as well as I could to the alterations, in order to save you trouble; but, nevertheless, I must ask you to look over all I have done, that no wrong accent or other blunders might remain in it. So, for instance, in the 13 bars which I have added before the chorus 'Blessed are the men,' and which are taken from Psalm cxvi. {12} and Deuteron. vi., 15 {5}, I wrote the German words under the English in case you should prefer the notation as originally composed, and choose to add a word or a syllable here and there in the English version, in order to give it the same rhythm as in German. I should wish this in the passage just quoted, particularly in the beginning of Elijah's answer, 'Du sollst den,' where the two slurred notes 'Thou♩slur shalt' are not equally good. But I could not find something else, and I also think that passages like these are best left as in the Bible. In the following chorus, No. 9, there is a curious specimen of the different meaning of the German and English version: the words 'He is gracious,' &c. (or, as you had it, 'they are gracious'), apply, in your version, to the righteous, while in ours they apply to God, and the passage is in our version, 'the light ariseth to the righteous from Him who is gracious, full of compassion,' &c., &c. Now I certainly composed it with this last meaning, and the question is whether you would think it advisable to introduce it, or not. I proposed 'He is' instead of 'they are,' because I thought it could then be understood both ways; but most probably you might hit on something much better still. Instead of 'who delight in His commands,' I preferred 'they ever walk in the ways of peace' only, as more expressive, and I hope you will be of my opinion. I see in the Birmingham book that you quoted the words of this chorus Psalm cvi., 3; but I took them from Psalm cxxviii., 1, and Psalm cxii., 1 and 4, although nearly the same passage occurs in Psalm cvi., 3.
"No. 15 is a piece in which I must again require your friendly assistance. From the time I first sent it away for the Birmingham performance I felt that it should not remain as it stood, with its verses and rimes, the only specimen of a Lutheran Chorale in this old-testamential work.[55] I wanted to have the colour of a Chorale, and I felt that I could not do without it, and yet I did not like to have a Chorale. At last I took those passages from the Psalms which best apply to the situation, and composed them in about the same style and colour, and very glad I was when I found (as I looked into the English Bible) that the beginning went word by word as in German. But after the beginning my joy was soon at an end, and there it is that I must ask you to come to my assistance. The words are taken from Psalm lv., 23 {22}; Psalm cviii., 5 {4}; and Psalm xxv., 3.
"In the chorus No. 16, I added the German words 'Fallt nieder auf euer Angesicht,' in pencil, because I thought that the English translation, 'adoring,' etc., did not express the meaning entirely, nor did it render the rhythm of the German, which is still more to be felt by the bar I have added before the pause. Our 'fallt nieder' means something still more awful, I think, than to 'bow down' or 'to adore'; but query whether it can or should be given in English![56]
"You will also find the Allegro of the Soprano song at the beginning of Part 2 ['Hear ye, Israel'] with the subsequent chorus. I never thought of omitting the Allegro of the song, but wanted to find something (in words and music) better appropriated to make the transition from the slow movement to the Allegro. The Recit. which I now send is taken from Isaiah xlix., 7. Here again the English words went at first perfectly well, but afterwards they would not do at all, and (which is the most essential) their meaning differed greatly. The German means that the Lord speaks 'to the soul that is despised and to the nation that is abhorred by others, and to His servant who is oppressed by tyrants,' and all this made me adopt the words for this Recit., and therefore I wish it to be expressed also in the English version.
"And besides all this you will find here and there little deviations from your words, where I have been forced into them by my alterations; and therefore I beg you will look over the whole, that nothing might be in it of which you did not approve.
"I owe you still many thanks for several very, very kind letters, and indeed would have written long ago had it not been for a sea of tedious and complicated businesses with which they overload me here. I could not avail myself of the whole of the amplification which you proposed for the Widow's part, although I adopted several of your quotations in that passage; but I was not able to give it the extent you proposed; for although I very often feel the urgent necessity of altering the details (of which you now see so many instances), I can but very seldom bring myself to a deviation from the whole original plan; and I even make those alterations almost everywhere in order to keep more faithfully to the object I had first in view. And on that account I could not make the whole of this passage more prominent, although I always wish to do as you advise.
"Of course 'commandments' must be left in the soprano song, instead of 'commands,' if you do not approve of the latter. Do you like my way of getting rid of 'to slay, to slay my son?'[57]
"And many, many thanks for the trouble you have taken with the 'Sons of Art.' I am afraid the thing is only fit for a German musical men-festival, and that it is impossible to give it any effect in another language and at other occasions; but whatever can be done with it has indeed been done by you. And so I end as I began with thanks and thanks.
"Very truly yours,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy."
"Leipzig, January 20, 1847.
"My dear Mr. Bartholomew,—A happy new year to you (although it is rather old already), and many, many thanks for your kind and precious letter! Indeed, nobody could have written it but you, and nobody could have taken so much trouble with my choruses to the 'Athalie' but you, and to nobody could I feel so sincerely and heartily indebted but to you. Have many, many thanks, my dear Sir, and be sure that you confer all these obligations to one who knows how to value them, and who will always remain thankful to you!...
"The second part of 'Elijah' will in very short time be in Mr. Buxton's [Ewer & Co.] hands. And now, my dear Sir, let me repeat to you my heartfelt thanks for all you did again for me when they performed the 'Athalie' choruses,[58] and for your interesting report of all the proceedings before and during that performance, and for all the kindness and friendship which you always show me.
"Always very truly and sincerely yours,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy."
"L[eipzig], February 2nd, 1847.
"P.S.—This letter has been detained till to-day, when I send a great parcel to Mr. Buxton.
"Now I must add a few things about the second part of 'Elijah,' which I send to-day. In the Recit. No. 33, 'Hear me speedily, O Lord,' I have altered the beginning of the words thus:—
Herr, es wird Nacht um mich! I KINGS, xix., 9. Sei du nicht ferne! Verbirg dein, &c. PS. xxii., 12, 20.
[Listen]
"Pray alter the English words accordingly, and look that the following alterations are made in the music of that same Recitative: bar 16 (accompaniment) is to be thus:—
music
[Listen]
Bar 22 (accompaniment) is to be thus:—
music
[Listen]
Bar 24 the voice is to be thus:—
face must be veiled.
[Listen]
and bar 27 (the last) is to be thus in the voice:—
for He draweth near.
[Listen]
"Pray give your attention to all such passages of the words which I wrote in pencil in the arrangement. I think they will all require a new translation, or a modification of the old one. I always added the quotations. There are also some different (and I am sure) better words in No. 21 where I could not write them in pencil, but you will easily see and I hope adopt and adapt them. It is in the slow movement, the passage of Isaiah liii., 1, 'Aber wer glaubt uns'rer Predigt?' ['Who hath believed our report?'], and in the Allegro, instead of 'Wake up, Jerusalem,' etc., the direct appeal to Elijah, 'Weiche nicht, denn ich bin dein Gott, ich stärke dich!' ['Be not afraid, for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee.'], Isaiah xli., 10, from which also the following chorus ['Be not afraid'] is taken.[59]
"I hope the scene with the Queen and people [No. 23] will now offer less difficulties to you, as the 'Er ist des Todes schuldig' ['He is worthy to die'] occurs but once; and you will also see that I took your hint about their seeking Elijah, &c., &c.
"In the Terzetto, No. 28 ['Lift thine eyes'], without accompaniment, there might perhaps be an occasion for altering the words, although they are exactly the same as they were in the Duet; but I do not think the beginning would do well with the English words of the Duet.[60]
"And I write over the Chorus 'But, saith the Lord, I have raised one,' the German word 'Schluss-Gesang'—including this Chorus, the following Quartett, and the last Chorus. Could you find an English word which might be applied as well? It must not be Finale, because that reminds me of an Opera; and it must not be 'Final Chorus,' because it shall mean two Choruses and a Quartett; but I should like to have some word at the head of those three pieces, to show clearly my idea of their connection, and also as a kind of 'Epilogue' contrasted with the 'Prologue,' or 'Introduction' before the Overture.
"And excuse and pardon the trouble, and always and ever believe me,
"Yours very truly and gratefully,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy."
"Leipzig, 8th February, 1847.
"Dear Sir,—I receive your letter of the 2nd at the moment when I send the Orchestra parts of the 1st Part of 'Elijah' to Simrock, and the last chorus to Mr. Buxton, so I really answer by return of post.
"Recit. 'Now Cherith's brook,' bar 9. I do not quite like your two slurs at the end; and as you do not like my notation, what if we tried a third mode?
viz.:—
neither shall the cruse of oil fail,
[Listen]
"Now adopt which you like of the three. Bar 13, I prefer yours.
"I do not speak of bar 26 and bar 38 of No. 8, because Mr. Buxton will have informed you that I am going to send a new song for the Widow, and that therefore the whole No. 8 must be postponed till then. I hope it will follow soon after this letter, and then I will not teaze you any more about this 'Elijah.' Bars 83, 95, 114, 123 as you propose. Bar 151, as you like both ways, I should prefer mine; bar 155, yours. Bar 157, I do not like the two B's and two C's on the words 'render to the'; could it not be:—
What shall I render to the
[Listen]
or, if you object to this, it must be at least—
music
[Listen]
but I confess that I do not like the quavers, if they can be got rid of. The following bars, and bar 161, &c., as you have them.
"No. 9, Chorus, bar 10, I cannot approve of the twice F [sharp] in the Soprano, although I quite acknowledge the truth of your observation. But I propose instead:—
Bar 10. Blessed {are the men} {are they}
[Listen]
"If you dislike this, pray propose another mode; but the soprano cannot have the two F [sharps] while the tenor also has them.
"Bar 14 as you have it. Instead of your and my bar 13, I propose:—
men who fear Him.
[Listen]
"Bars 18, 19, 20, &c., as you have. Bar 15 also. And 44, and 45, also.
"No. 19. Recit. For the end I prefer by far: 'The Lord our God alone can do these things.' But in reading over these words I wonder whether the word 'Gentiles' cannot be objected to? Can one say of Baal that he is an idol of the 'Gentiles'? Indeed, Jeremiah seems to use the word in that sense, but do we not use it exclusively in another sense? If not, so much better. Pray answer to this, and excuse the hasty lines.
"Always very truly yours,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy."
"Leipzig, 8th February, 1847.
"My dear Sir,—I send you with these lines the last Chorus of 'Elijah.' Now I have only the song which is to come in at the beginning of No. 8 [the Widow scene], and as soon as that will be finished I will not teaze you any more about alterations and all that, for you have now the whole work in hand. But pray do not forget to postpone the engraving of No. 8 until I send you that song. All the rest may be forthwith engraved.
"While I wrote the alterations in the Chorus No. 40 {41} (in my last letter) I forgot to write that there is also one in the accompaniment of that passage. So please to correct bars 47, 48, and 49 (they are the last but two of the last page but one of that Chorus) thus:—
music
[Listen]
"As for the story of the opera,[61] my friend Klingemann will tell you all about it, as I have written it at length to him, and I am so overloaded with Leipzig music, and with letters, and with all sorts of things, that you must excuse me if I refer you to him, and cannot repeat again what I wrote about that story.
"Always very truly yours,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
"P.S.—I am now almost sure that I shall be able to leave here on the 6th of April, and to conduct in London my 'Elijah' on the 16th, &c. I shall then leave on the 30th (as you suggested) and go to Switzerland; and if Mr. Mitchell must have me and the 'Athalie' in July, I shall come back in July; if not I will stay at Vevay the whole summer, and compose away!"