Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah
Considered His Best Oratorio, at Par with Haydn's The Creation
Oratorio Elijah is considered the greatest work of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847), German composer of the Romantic era, born in Hamburg, Germany.
Facts about Elijah
- Original Title:Elias (Elijah, at the first performance)
- Original Language: German (English, at the first performance)
- Text: The story of Elijah based on the Bible passages, from the Old Testament, compiled by Mendelssohn himself. He was assisted by Julius Schubring and Karl Klingemann.
- Form: Oratorio in Two Parts, a total of 42 musical numbers, with an introduction and overture .
- Date of Writing: 1845-1846.
- First Performance: August 26, 1846, in Birmingham, 1846. Mendelssohn conducted but not with the world-famous Jenny Lind in the soprano role, as mentioned in some sources. Mendelssohn did write the soprano part with Jenny Lind in mind, but she decided she wanted to make her English debut in an opera, not oratorio. After Mendelssohn's death, a little more than a year after this first performance, Lind finally appeared in Elijah. (Reference: Gentle Genius, The Story of Mendelssohn, by George R. Marek, Robert Hale & Co., 1972, pp.302-303. The writer of this article wishes to acknowledge David Hawkins for the information.)
The Cast
- The Widow (soprano)
- The Youth (soprano)
- The Angel (soprano)
- Another Angel (alto)
- Jezebel, the Queen, (alto)
- Obadiah (tenor)
- Ahab, King of Israel (tenor)
- Elijah, the Prophet (bass)
- Four-part mixed chorus
- Orchestra: Flutes, clarinets, bassoons, oboes, horns, trumpets, trombones, timpani, strings, one bass tuba.
Brief Synopsis
Elijah by Mendelssohn is a dramatic story of the prophet Elijah as he summons the people to righteousness, performs miracles, and struggles against idol-worshipping. He confronts the wicked queen Jezebel. It ends as Elijah rises to heaven in a fiery chariot.
Brief history
The performance of oratorio St Paul at the 1836 Rhenish Music Festival in Düsseldorf was so successful that led Mendelssohnto immediately considera similar work. He wrote to a close friend in London, Karl Klingemann about his plan.
Mendelssohn opted for Elijah, the Old Testament prophet of Israel who preached against their people's idol worship.
Klingemann was unable to devote any time to artistic activity due to financial difficulties connected with the accession of Queen Victoria in England. However, when Mendelssohn was in London for two weeks in 1837, they worked out the oratorio's basic design. He also re-established contact with a cleric Julius Schubring. Eventually, he had to turn to Schubring when Klingemann suspended work on Elijah.
Fundamental religious differences got in the way. Schubring wanted it clear that Christ was the fulfillment of Elijah's prophecies and wanted Christ's appearance. Mendelssohn disagreed. This led to breaking off the joint undertaking. Mendelssohn returned to the project in 1845.
The Birmingham Music Festival was Mendelssohn's high point with Elijah performed in the company of the greatest choral works of all time: Handel's Messiah, Haydn's The Creation, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Of these, Elijah was the only oratorio premiered in England (Birmingham), a significant event in music history. (Messiah in Dublin, The Creation in Vienna and Missa Solemnis in Petersburg.)
Other Famous Oratorios
- Handel's Israel in Egypt
- Handel's Messiah
- Handel's Saul
- Handel's Solomon
- Haydn's The Creation
- Haydn's The Seasons
- JS Bach St Matthew Passion
- Mendelssohn's St Paul
Suggested CD
Mendelssohn: Elias & Paulus (Box Set) [BOX SET]
Sources:
Gentle Genius, The Story of Felix Mendelssohn by George R. Marek, Robert Hale & Co. (1972)
The Holy Bible (NIV and King James Versions)
The World of Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen (1990)
Mendelssohn's Elijah
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