Page:The history of Mendelssohn's oratorio 'Elijah'.djvu/86

 HISTORY OF MENDELSSOHN'S '•ELIJAH."

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pound were both for me. /uh - ren. •

Other distinct features may be traced, but these two are enough to give it the stamp of at least an imitation, which if you intend it to be, I have nothing further to say on the subject; except that it will lay you open to the impertinence of the saucy boys of the musical press, one of whom has had the audacity to accuse you of copying, borrowing, making your own, the ideas of the little man of the party !

��" Enough of this. Place what I have said to the right side of my friendly account in your ledger lines ! If you alter the notation of the song, bring or send me another score of it, and I will take care to place this one only in your own hands. Mr. Klingemann thought I ought to tell you of the coincidence, I having mentioned it to him."

In answer to this letter — which I^Iendelssohn erroneously considered to be a request to omit the song — came the following reply : —

• The German words which Mendelssohn orif^inally selected for " O rest in the Lord " wore : " Sei stille dem Herrn, und warte auf ihn ; dor wird dich wohl zum Guten fiihren. Befiehl dem Herrn deine Wege, und hofle auf ihn ; der wird dich erretten von allem Dbel." He aubseiiuently chanj^ed the second and fourth clauses to the more familiar Luther version. (Psalm x.x.wii., 7, 4, 5, S.) ( 68 )

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