The History of Mendelssohn's Oratorio "Elijah" Part 11

The Festival Committee, at their meeting immediately after the Festival (August 29), pa.s.sed 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."

[Ill.u.s.tration: HERR JOSEPH STAUDIGL

(1807-1861)

_The original Elijah in Mendelssohn's Oratorio._]

CHAPTER V.

THE REVISED 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 pa.s.sages 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 pa.s.sages, 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 a.s.sure 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 G.o.d' 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 G.o.d" (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 ba.s.ses:--

[Music: Hear and answer.]

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:--

[Footnote 53: This silver snuff-box, which cost nine guineas, bore upon it the following inscription:--

"Presented to Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, by the Sacred Harmonic Society, London, on the occasion of his attendance at their performance of his oratorio 'St. Paul,'

at Exeter Hall, on the 12th day of September, 1837."]

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] instead of [Music]

"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 pa.s.sage would also stand nearly as with the German words:--

[Music: And from the rising he shall call His Name.]

"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:

[Music: He shall call upon His Name, &c.]

"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:--[Music: Behold, _G.o.d the_]

and afterwards--[Music: But _yet_ the]

and likewise--[Music: But _yet_ the]

for I should not like to place the word 'G.o.d' 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."

[Footnote 54: Bartholomew had rendered the German words "und sein Wort brannte wie eine Fackel" as "his words appeared as _light in darkness_." The English Apocrypha (Ecclesiasticus xlviii., 1) has, "his word burned like a lamp." It is very difficult to fathom a composer's mind; but what _can_ be the connection between "torches"

and the key of F minor? Strangely enough the source of these words (and also of No. 24) has always been wrongly given as Ecclesiast_es_, instead of Ecclesiast_icus_. This mistake has been continued for fifty years!]

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.