Page:The history of Mendelssohn's oratorio 'Elijah'.djvu/110

 HISTORY OF MENDELSSOHN'S "ELIJAH."

��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., *0! every one that thirsteth.' The choruses I consider quite uncommonly impres- sive ; 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." *

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 t'(:/_)' great expectations. To see him conducting was worth anything. He seemed

• F. Edward Bache was then a boy of thirteen. His name does not appear in the othcial Hst of the Band; but Mr. Andrew Deakin's recollection of the event confirms the statement in Mrs. Bache's letter.

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