Page:The history of Mendelssohn's oratorio 'Elijah'.djvu/121

 THE REVISED ORATORIO.

��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. i), 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. g), re-scored : the words of the quartett


 * Cast thy burden ' (No. 15), new : the soprano air

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 recita- tive 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, alia breve, to the words ' He shall open the eyes of the blind,' which formed the second part of the chorus 'But thus saiththe 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
 * Hear ye ' (No. 21), added to and re-constructed : in

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