Analytical

 Synopsis  
Felix  Mendelssoh-­‐Bartholdy  –  Excerpts  from  “Elijah”:  #11  to  15  
Yu  Hang  Tan  
   
Composer’s  Biography  
 
Best  known  for  his  oratorios  St.  Paul,  Elijah,  and  Christus,  choral  symphony  Hymn  of  Praise,  
the  revival  of  Bach’s  St.  Matthew  Passion,  Felix  Mendelssohn  (1809-­‐1847)  was  one  of  the  
few  19th-­‐century  musical  prodigies  whose  stature  could  rival  that  of  Wolfgang  Amadeus  
Mozart  (1756  –  1791).  Not  only  was  Mendelssohn  a  gifted  composer,  he  was  also  a  piano  
virtuoso,  conductor,  and  was  the  administrator  and  head  teacher  at  the  Conservatory  in  
Leipzig,  Germany.    
 
Mendelssohn  began  taking  piano  from  his  mother  when  he  was  six,  then  Marie  Bigot  (1786  
–  1820)  and  Ludwig  Berger  (1777  –  1839)  before  joining  the  Berlin  Singakademie  in  1819  
to  study  under  Carl  Friedrich  Zelter  (1758  –  1832),  the  director  of  the  academy.  These  early  
teachers,  especially  Zelter,  whose  tastes  in  music  were  conservative  and  was  also  an  
admirer  of  the  Johann  Sebastian  Bach  (1685  –  1750)  tradition,  left  an  important  influence  
on  Mendelssohn’s  composition  style  and  musical  tastes.  This  explains  Mendelssohn’s  
fugues  and  chorales  that  reflect  the  tonal  clarity  and  use  of  counterpoint  reminiscent  of  
Bach.    
 
At  the  Singakademie,  Mendelssohn  also  became  a  conductor.  In  1829,  he  famously  revived  
the  performance  of  Bach’s  St.  Matthew  Passion  at  the  Singakadamie.  That  performance’s  
success  gained  Mendelssohn  great  fame  and  led  him  to  many  other  opportunities,  including  
an  invitation  to  conduct  the  London  Philharmonic  Society  that  same  year.  He  wrote  the  
Reformation  Symphony  (1830)  a  year  later,  and  then  performed  the  symphony  in  Europe  
for  three  years.  Following  that,  he  took  the  position  as  the  municipal  music  director  in  a  
wealthy,  second-­‐most  populated  city  in  Germany  during  that  time,  called  Düsseldorf.  At  
Düsseldorf,  Mendelssohn  brought  the  local  ensembles  to  new  standards  of  excellence,  
making  him  one  of  the  most  sought-­‐after  conductors  of  his  time.    
 
Mendelssohn  continued  composing  actively  while  working  as  a  conductor.  His  famous  later  
works  include  the  Symphonies  No.  3  (1841  –  1842),  Violin  Concerto  in  E  minor  (1844)  and  
Elijah  (1846).  In  May  1847,  Mendelssohn’s  sister,  Fanny,  who  was  a  lifelong  inspiration  to  
him,  died  suddenly.  Losing  his  sister  left  Mendelssohn  so  devastated  that  his  health  started  
to  go  down  hill  and  a  final  tour  of  England  also  left  him  exhausted  and  caused  him  further  
distress.  In  November  1847,  Mendelssohn  passed  away  after  a  series  of  strokes.    
 
Source  of  the  text  
 
Mendelssohn  initially  had  hoped  that  his  friend,  Karl  Klingemann  (1798  –  1862),  a  poet  and  
diplomat,  would  help  him  devise  the  libretto  for  an  oratorio  commissioned  by  the  
Birmingham  Music  Festival  in  1845.  However,  other  obligations  prevented  his  trusted  
friend  from  doing  more  than  preliminary  work.  In  the  end,  Mendelssohn  put  together  the  
text  himself,  drawing  mostly  from  the  First  Book  of  Kings,  but  he  also  sought  advice  from  
Schubring,  who  was  his  librettist  for  St.  Paul.  
 
The  texts  “Baal,  we  cry  to  thee!”  (#11),  “Call  Him  louder,  for  He  is  a  God!”  (#12),  “  Call  Him  
louder!  He  heareth  not!”  (#13)  and  “Lord  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Israel!”  (#14)  come  
from  the  Book  of  1  King  from  the  tenth  books  of  the  Hebrew  Bible  or  the  twelfth  books  of  
the  Christian  Old  Testament.  The  quartet,  “Cast  thy  burden  upon  the  Lord”  (#15)  comes  
from  four  different  psalms  (Psalm  55,  16,  108  and  25)  from  the  Book  of  Psalms.  
Mendelssohn  worked  with  Schubring  to  put  the  text  in  final  form  in  both  German  and  
English.  The  English  translation  was  made  by  William  Bartholomew,  approved  by  the  
composer.  The  oratorio  was  premiered  on  August  26th,  1846  in  English,  conducted  by  
Mendelssohn  himself.    

Text  and  IPA  

#11 Priests of Baal

Baal,     we     cry     to    thee;    

[ˈbeɪəl wiː kraɪ tuː ðiː]

hear     and     answer     us!    

[hɪər ænd ˈɑːnsər ʌs]

Heed     the     sacrifice     we     offer!    

[hiːd ðə ˈsækrɪfaɪs wiː ˈɒfə]

Hear,     mighty  god!    

[hɪə ˈmaɪti gɒd]

Baal,    O     answer     us!    

[ˈbeɪəl, əʊ ˈɑːnsər ʌs]

Baal,     let     thy     flames     fall     and     extirpate     the     foe!    

[ˈbeɪəl, lɛt ðaɪ fleɪmz fɔːl ænd ˈɛkstɜːpeɪt ðə fəʊ]

Baal,     O     hear     us!  

[ˈbeɪəl, əʊ hɪər ʌs]

#12  Call  Him  louder!    

 
Call    him     louder!  He     heareth     not.    
[kɔːl hɪm ˈlaʊdə! hiː heareth nɒt]

With    knives  and    lancets     cut     yourselves    after     your     manner;    

[wɪð naɪvz ænd ˈlɑːnsɪts kʌt jɔːˈsɛlvz ˈɑːftə jɔː ˈmænə]
Leap    upon     the     altar     ye     have     made;    
[liːp əˈpɒn ði ˈ ɔːltə jiː hæv meɪd]

call     him     and     prophesy!    

[kɔːl hɪm ænd ˈ prɒfɪsaɪ]

Not    a    voice    will     answer     you;

[nɒt ə vɔɪs wɪl ˈɑːnsə juː]

none   will    listen,  none     heed     you!  

[nʌn wɪl ˈlɪsn, nʌn hiːd juː]

#13 Call him louder!

Hear    and     answer,     Baal!  

[hɪər ænd ˈɑːnsə, ˈbeɪəl]

Mark     how     the     scorner     derideth     us!    

[mɑːk haʊ ðə ˈskɔːnə derideth ʌs]

Hear     and     answer!  

[hɪər ænd ˈɑːnsə]

#14 Draw near, all ye people.

Draw     near,     all     ye     people;     come     to     me!  

[drɔː nɪə, ɔːl jiː ˈpiːpl kʌm tuː miː]

Lord     God     of     Abraham,     Isaac     and     Israel!  

[lɔːd gɒd ɒv ˈeɪbrəhæm ˈaɪzək ænd ˈɪzreɪəl]

This     day    let    it    be    known     that     Thou     art     God;    
[ðɪs deɪ lɛt ɪt biː nəʊn ðæt ðaʊ ɑːt gɒd]

and     I     am     Thy     servant!    

[ænd aɪ æm ðaɪ ˈsɜːvənt]

O     show     to    all    this     people    

[əʊ ʃəʊ tuː ɔːl ðɪs ˈ piːpl]

that     I     have     done     these     things    according     to     Thy     word!    

[ðæt aɪ hæv dʌn ðiːz θɪŋz əˈkɔːdɪŋ tuː ðaɪ wɜːd]

O     hear     me     Lord     and     answer     me;    

[əʊ hɪə miː lɔːd ænd ˈɑːnsə miː]
and     show     this     people    that   Thou     art     Lord     God;    
[ænd ʃəʊ ðɪs ˈpiːpl ðæt ðaʊ ɑːt lɔːd gɒd]

and     let     their     hearts    again     be     turned!  

[ænd lɛt ðeə hɑːts əˈgɛn biː tɜːnd]

#15 Cast thy burden upon the Lord

Cast     thy     burden  upon    the     Lord,    

[kɑːst ðaɪ ˈbɜːdn əˈpɒn ðə lɔːd]

and     He    shall     sustain     thee.    

[ænd hiː ʃæl səsˈteɪn ðiː]

He     never     will     suffer     the     righteous     to     fall;    

[hiː ˈ nɛvə wɪl ˈsʌfə ðə ˈraɪʧəs tuː fɔːl]

He     is     at     thy     right     hand.    

[hiː ɪz æt ðaɪ raɪt hænd]

Thy     mercy,  Lord,     is     great;    

[ðaɪ ˈmɜːsi lɔːd ɪz greɪt]

and    far     above   the     heavens.    

[ænd fɑːr əˈbʌv ðə ˈhɛvnz]

Let     none     be     made     ashamed     that     wait     upon     Thee.  

[lɛt nʌn biː meɪd əˈʃeɪmd ðæt weɪt əˈpɒn ðiː]

Significant  Musical  Features    

 
-­‐ Antiphonal  writing  in  the  opening  of  “Baal,  we  cry  to  thee”.  Two  choirs  in  eight  parts  
is  bolstered  by  trombones  (complementing  the  Tenors  and  Basses)  and  brighter  
instruments  such  as  oboes,  clarinets,  bassoons,  trumpet  (supporting  the  Sopranos  
and  Altos).    
-­‐ In  Number  11,  the  meter  change  from  4/4  to  3/4  to  transition  from  the  opening  
section  to  the  Allegro  non  troppo  section.  The  melodic  motive  is  interchanged  
between  upper  voices  (Soprano  and  Tenor)  and  lower  voices  (Alto  and  Bass).  
-­‐ Number  11,  12  and  13  portray  the  climax  of  Part  One:  the  battle.    
-­‐ In  Number  12,  as  Elijah  mocks  the  priests  with  words,  Mendelssohn  mocks  them  
with  a  screech  of  woodwinds,  as  flutes,  clarinets  and  bassoons  repeat  at  measure  2  
the  “hear  us!”  earnestly  at  the  end  of  the  preceding  chorus.    
-­‐ In  Number  13,  as  Elijah’s  baiting  rises  to  a  fever  pitch,  so  does  the  music,  as  
Mendelssohn  sets  “Call  him  louder”  up  a  half  step  from  Number  12.  In  the  closing  
 section,  the  two  homophonic,  fortissimo  a  capella  outbursts  on  the  text  “hear  and  
answer!”  is  one  the  most  impactful  moments  in  the  entire  oratorio.    
-­‐ In  Number  15,  the  piece  opened  with  a  capella  chorus  to  create  the  sounds  of  angels.  
Violins  plays  ascending  broken  chords,  ending  on  a  the  tonic  of  each  chord  to  create  
a  “halo”  over  each  strophe  of  text,  the  same  gesture  with  which  Bach  adorned  the  
words  of  Jesus  in  the  Passions.    
 
Potential  Rehearsal  Issues  and  Conducting  Issues    
 
-­‐ Changing  tempos  between  sections  and  movements.    
-­‐ Treatment  of  fermatas  between  movements  and  also  between  phrases  in  the  
recitatives.  
-­‐ The  ending  consonants  for  the  words  such  as  “hear”,  “answer”  and  “baal”  in  
numbers  11,  12  and  13  might  causes  the  vowels  sound  too  far  back.  On  the  other  
hand,  if  we  were  to  take  all  the  r’s  and  l’s  out,  it  could  affect  the  intelligibility  of  the  
texts.  Remind  singers  of  the  correct  neutral/resting  place  for  the  tip  of  the  tongues  
for  those  problematic  consonants.    
-­‐ When  performing  with  the  orchestra,  it  is  very  tempting  for  the  choir  to  over-­‐sing  
the  fortissimo  section.  Remind  singers  to  sing  more  freely  and  use  more  air  for  loud  
sections.  Encourage  them  to  project  by  singing  forward  and  brighter.    
-­‐ Place  the  tip  of  the  tongue  at  the  back  of  the  bottom  front  teeth  as  we  would  for  
letter  “k”  for  the  word  “God”  to  avoid  “o”  to  sound  too  dark.    
-­‐ In  Number  13’s  closing  section,  remind  basses  and  tenors  to  treat  the  downward  
leaps  with  care.  In  another  word,  mix  in  some  head  voice  for  the  lower  notes  of  the  
octave  and  perfect  fourth  and  fifth  leaps.  In  the  same  section,  remind  singers  not  to  
over-­‐sing.  It  is  marked  fortissimo  but  the  choir  will  be  singing  without  the  orchestra,  
so  there  is  no  need  for  singing  extra  loud.    
-­‐ Number  15  is  a  meditative,  quiet  movement.  Remind  singers  to  use  more  air  in  their  
singing  and  it  is  okay  if  they  were  to  sound  a  little  breathy.  Use  lots  of  consonants  to  
propel  the  vowels  forward.      
-­‐ In  Number  15,  there  are  several  spots  where  the  tenor  line  sits  in  the  higher  end  of  
the  tessitura  but  they  are  required  to  sing  very  softly.  Move  a  few  tenors  down  to  
the  bass  section  or  invite  a  few  altos  to  sing  the  high  tenor  notes  if  needed  to  make  
sure  the  sections  are  balanced.