Page:The history of Mendelssohn's oratorio 'Elijah'.djvu/122

 HISTORY OF MENDELSSOHN'S "ELIJAH."

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 God " (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 basses : —

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Hear and an - swer.

��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 1S37, ^'''^^ enrolled Mendelssohn as a member, and had presented ( 100 )

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