Page:The history of Mendelssohn's oratorio 'Elijah'.djvu/27

 THE LIBRETTO.

��Mendelssohn, having at last received the "sketch" from Klingemann, showed it to his friend Schubring, who was staying with the composer at Leipzig. The following letter gives Schubring's views on the said " sketch " :—

[Schubring to Mendelssohn.]

" Dessau, October 28, 1838.* write to you the first week after my visit, but when I thought of what you had entrusted to me, and to which I had done nothing, I felt ashamed ; therefore the manuscriptt became somewhat odious to me. I took it up three or four times, but either some of the sheets — large and small — had got mixed, or I could not make out the abbreviations ; and then again I was often interrupted by other work. I was afraid I should have to send it back to you untouched. But yesterday the light suddenly dawned upon me and I understood everything at once — the whole and also the details. I see at the same time that there is still much to be done, and therefore I write at once to-day to ask if you can let me keep the MS. a little longer."
 * ' At last I must make a start. I wanted to

[The letter then goes on to make suggestions for the "text," which it is not necessary to reproduce here.]

To the above communication Mendelssohn replied in a letter which has hitherto been quoted as being


 * " Brief wechsel," p. 124.

t This refers to Klingemann's "sketch" for "Elijah," London, September, 1837.

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