Elijah (Mendelssohn)

Elijah (Mendelssohn)
Name	Elijah
Type	Oratorio
Composer	Felix Mendelssohn
Key	D minor
Opus	Op. 70
Text	William Bartholomew
Language	English, Latin, German
Based on	Biblical stories of the prophet Elijah
Composed	1845–1846
Premiered	26 August 1846
Premiere location	Birmingham Festival
Duration	c. 2 hours

Elijah (Mendelssohn) is a large-scale oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn first performed at the Birmingham Festival in 1846, with a libretto compiled by William Bartholomew. Combining texts from the Hebrew Bible, the King James Version, and liturgical sources, the work reflects Mendelssohn's engagement with choral tradition from Johann Sebastian Bach to contemporaries such as Hector Berlioz and Gioachino Rossini. The premiere secured Mendelssohn's reputation in Victorian Britain and across Europe.

Background and Composition

Mendelssohn composed Elijah during a prolific period that included the completion of the String Quartet No. 6, the revision of the Violin Concerto in E minor, and his activities at the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. Commissioned for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival by organizers including Sir George Smart and conducted by William Sterndale Bennett at the premiere, Mendelssohn drew on influences from Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and the choral reforms associated with the Royal Philharmonic Society. The compositional process involved Mendelssohn's correspondence with Fanny Mendelssohn and exchanges with British patrons such as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, situating the piece within the cross-cultural networks of 19th-century musical life.

Libretto and Biblical Sources

The libretto, prepared by William Bartholomew in consultation with Mendelssohn, arranges episodes from the Books of Kings and other biblical passages, incorporating texts from the King James Bible, the Vulgate, and chorales adapted from Lutheran sources. Dramatic scenes—Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, the flight to Horeb, and the ascension—are framed by choruses, arias, and recitatives following models established by Handel in works like Messiah. Bartholomew also employed passages associated with Anglican liturgy and English sacred poetry, linking Mendelssohn's settings to the traditions of St Matthew Passion performance practice and the wider oratorio canon.

Premieres and Performance History

The premiere on 26 August 1846 at the Birmingham Festival was conducted by Mendelssohn, with soloists drawn from the British and European stage and a large chorus and orchestra assembled from the Royal Academy of Music and provincial ensembles. Subsequent early performances occurred in London at the Royal Albert Hall and in Leipzig under Mendelssohn's direction with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Through the late 19th and 20th centuries Elijah became a staple at festivals like the Three Choirs Festival, the Bremen Music Festival, and North American choral societies including the Oratorio Society of New York and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conductors associated with landmark stagings include Hans von Bülow, Arturo Toscanini, John Barbirolli, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and Sir Colin Davis.

Structure and Musical Analysis

Elijah is structured in two parts comprising overtures, recitatives, arias, duets, choruses, and ensembles. Mendelssohn employs baroque techniques—fugue, chorale harmonization, and secco recitative—alongside Romantic orchestration reminiscent of Hector Berlioz and Franz Schubert. Key movements include the opening chorus, the dramatic "Is not his word like a fire?", the soprano aria "Hear ye, Israel", the mezzo-soprano/alto lament "It is enough", and the final chorale and chorus that recall Bachian counterpoint. Instrumental color uses violin soli, brass chorales invoking the Protestant tradition, and orchestral interludes that nod to Weimar and Berlin aesthetics. Harmonic language balances classical clarity against Romantic expressivity found in contemporaries like Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt.

Reception and Critical Assessment

Contemporary reactions praised Mendelssohn's craftsmanship, with reviews in The Times (London) and commentary from figures such as Ignaz Moscheles and Giacomo Meyerbeer. Critics noted the work's synthesis of Handelian grandeur and Mendelssohn's lyricism; later scholars have debated its theological framing and performative scale in relation to liturgical contexts. Twentieth-century reassessments by musicologists associated with Cambridge University and Juilliard School highlighted its contrapuntal mastery and historical importance, while some modern critics argue about period performance issues raised by proponents of Historically Informed Performance such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Philippe Herreweghe.

Notable Recordings and Interpretations

Significant recordings span early monaural sets to landmark stereo and digital editions: early conductors include Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini; mid-century versions by Sir John Barbirolli and Sir Malcolm Sargent; historically informed and modern interpretations by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Colin Davis, and Roger Norrington; and choral-led recordings from ensembles like the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, the Monteverdi Choir, and the Vienna Philharmonic Choir. Soloists featured in major recordings include Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Joan Sutherland, Lauris Elms, and Peter Pears, each bringing differing approaches to diction, tempo, and ensemble balance that reflect evolving performance practice.

Category:Oratorios Category:Compositions by Felix Mendelssohn Category:1846 compositions