Page:The history of Mendelssohn's oratorio 'Elijah'.djvu/144

 HISTORY OF MENDELSSOHN'S •'ELIJAH."

written by Scribe." These advertisements were, to say the least, very premature, as Mendelssohn had not only disapproved of parts of the libretto, but had not written a note of the music! The sugges- tion contained in the above letter that he (Mendels- sohn) should postpone his visit till the autumn, must have caused some consternation amongst his London friends, especially as all arrangements had been made for the various performances of the revised oratorio, which were to be given under his own personal direction. Bartholomew — ever resourceful and indefatigable — at once wrote the following letter to the composer : —

•' 2, Walcot Place, Hackney, March 19, 1847.

last night, and in reply to it I can tell you twenty reasons why you should come, and not one why you should not come. Upon the faith of your letter, which Buxton has been obliged to quote from in order to prove his warranty to treat for your coming with the Committee at Exeter Hall, he has made the engage- ment for you with them, and they have made their engagements with others for April i6th and 23rd ; and, I think, the 28th. The Manchester Hargreaves Society h?.ve fixed their date for one of the inter- vening days and advertised it. . . . Everybody is now in town expecting you and anxious to hail your appearance. Nobody will be in town in the autumn. (Is that a reason why you should come then?) If you don't come, ' Elijah ' would go — for go it must — but I mean it won't go well. . . . ( 122 )
 * ' My dear Sir, — Yours of the loth came to hand

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