Cornell University Library ML 53.M53E4 Elijah, a sacred drama.and other poenis^^^^^ ■3""T924 022 148 104 THE GIFT OF a.a,^....O^..g},.,.U^^ .A..I 5[pi.3..o ...MUSIC '..^i.?..(..'. ?.. that hospif ablo soil. The splendor of his reception in England gave him an extemporaneous fame throughout Europe. In 1831 we find him at Rome, where the Walpurgisnacht of his early friend Goethe occupied his eminently artistic pen. There also he pieced together the inspirations which he had previously conce;'/ed amongst t he basaltic caverns of the Western Isles of Sc' it- land, and the romantic Hall of Fingal vm-f the result. This overture was performed in London, in 1832. While at Rome,' also, he struck into a new line of composition, altofri-ihei his own, in those matchless Lieder ohne Worte. which prove, beyond denial, that music has its poetry, as well as poetry its music. His agreea- ble exterior, his cultivated intelligence, and the independence of his position, made him evt^ry where received with distinction. And on bis second visit to London, in 1832, he found him- self quite identified"with the artistic monde of that capital. In the mean time he had travelled, in the combined quality of tourist and musician, through Scotland, France, Germany, and Italy ; and after four years' improving and ennoblit)g absence, he returned to Berlin ; but not to make that home of his boyhood his exclusive resi- dence. "In 1834," says M. Fetis, " I found him again at Aix-la-Chapelle, whither he had betaken himself on the occasion of the Musical ' F6te of the Pentecost. He was then twenty- five years of age ; his former youthful timidity had given place to the assurance of the ackn6vr- ledged artist, and even to a certain air of hauteur." Until 1836, he continued to direct the fetes at Dusseldorf and Cologne, and then retired, in consequence of his finding it impos- sible to keep in accordance with the artists and amateurs of Dusseldorf, where he resided. During this year, he spebt a considerable time at Frankfort ; and while there he married. Throughout the period of his celebrity, he was not only distinguished for his compositions, but universally run after as a performer. Lan- guage was exhausted of its tropes and figures in the fruitless attempt to describe his unsur- passed excellence as a pianist ; and the churches were invaded by crowds, who thronged the aisles when he was expected to play on the organ. In a word, the only thing he could not do on the organ was to " play the congregation lif: OF MENDELSSOHN out," The more effectively he played, the more 1 fixed the congregation remained — the more artistically persuaBive his intimation to depart, the more determined were they not to go ; and an instance is on record, how once, at St. Paul's Cathedral, the vergers, impatient to clear the church and get their supper, managed to give an effectual blow to the energy of the performer by surreptitiously stopping the bellows. It was, possibly, his tran<;cendent skill as an executant that led to the notion, about this time generally received, that Mendelssohn was deficient in genius — the possession of the lower faculty being takeia as a negation of the higher. ft is possible, moreover, that the strict and formal discipline of the erudite Zelter had swathed the infant mind of his pupil in bands ■of rigid form, which, retarded its development ; yet, perhaps, only to render its maturity more beautiful and perfect. However this may be, Mendelssohn was spoken of as a distinguished talent, rather than as possessing a name likely to rar.k with Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart. In reference to this opinion, M. Fetis has the following remarks : " The childhood of M. Mendelssohn gave birth to tie hope, that we' should see another g-reat musician in Germany ; his earliest w^orks gave indication of more talent than it is usual to find in youth, but did not seem to realize the qualities of genius which were supposed to be in him. There were, however, even in 1830, tendencies to originality in his productions, p.irticularly in the overture of the Midsum- mer Night's Dream, which I heard at Paris ; but it was easy to see that they were rather the fruits of research and labor than of inspir- ation. Since then the artist has been continu- ally growing ; and his manner has deyeloped every day more individual qualities. His con- certo in G minor for the piaaio-forte, his octet, and, above all, his oratorio of Si. Paul, are works de grande porUe. Among his most beautiful compositions iire also mentioned the cantata which be wrote for the anniversary fete of Albert Durer; another composed for the fete given by M. Alexandre de Humboldt to thu naturalists assembled at Berlin ; and also his Walpurgis Night, on the poem of Goethe ; also a symphony for the fete of the reformation, which has been performed at many of the great musical reiinions. M. Mendelssohn shows at once fecundity and much ease in the composi- tion of his -works. The St. Paul seems to me to be that which affords most hope for his avenir. In that piece he has found means to unite the classical qualities of the best masters of the German school with a certain boldness of good augury. In fine, this young artist (M. Mendelssohn has not reached his thirty-first year) is incontestably, up to this day, the musi cian who affords most hope to Germany, and comprises in himself the future school, of that country. Talent does raot always manifest it- self in the same way ; and but few exam- pleo are known 'of that vigor of invention which burst forth with Rossini at the age of twenty ; with others, and even with the im- petuous Beethoven, originality was the force of meditation. The same phenomenon appeared in the talent of Gluck." The prophetic spirit, gleaming through these judicious criticisms, was amply accredited by Mendelssohn's subsequent career, unhappily but too brief. In 1846 he completed, and, on the 26th of August, himself conducted, at the Birmingham Festival, the oratorio of Elijah ; the reception of whicn left his warmest admir- ers nothing to desire. But it was in the decrees of that unsearchable Providence which often only shows us the highly gifted, " To mockiOur fond pursuits, And teach our hiimblBd hopes tliat life is vain,'' that this star, the cynosure of all observers, should stoop to the horizon before it had reached its culminating point. During his last visit to England, the keen eye of anxious friend- ship might trace the secret ravages which the ethereal spirit within had made upon his deli- cately organized frame. He was for the most part invisible to the innumerable friendly in- quirers whom his celebrity brought about him, at No. 4 Hobart Place, Eaton Square, where he had fixed his temporary residence. So nil- iia-mus, indeed, were the calls made upon him, that his old and faithful servant, in answer to an inquiry, exclaimed; "Ach! me almost run down — dere be so many visitors." The honors which were accumulated upon him were oppressive to the constant sense of fatigue which possessed him. To a young friend, who begged him to play after the trium- phant conclusion of the Birmingham Festival, he replied mournfully — even with tears — in expressive but imperfect English, that he could not play — " write and practice too much," he continued, " no strength — can not play ;" and placing his attenuated hand upon his pale fore- head, exclaiming, " O mj head ! my head !" he VI OEATOEIO 01" ELIJAH. looked up to heaven, whither he was fast has- tening. The abiding shadow of the unseen \rorld was settling upon hinn. In 1837 he had accepted the post of director of the concerts at Leipsic. in this city he con- tinued to reside till his death, which happened on the 6th of November, 1847. Thus, at the age of thirty-eight, died this great and accomplished man. tii the early period of his decease, Mendelssohn strikingly resembles Mozart, who died in his thirty-sixth year. Of Mozart it can not be said that he died prematurely. His faculty was developed with amazing rapidity ; and, from the very early age at which he began to hold a plac^ in public estimation, his artistic life was by no means short. Although a painful apprehension to the contrary embittered his last days, yet he lived long enough for fame. Not so with Men- delssohn. However extended his mortal span might have been, his fine talent would have continued, in all probability, to unfold and dis- cover fresh beauties as long as his natural faculties were perfect. He died in the period of fall promise, withered in the spring-time of bis genius. AI^ALTSIS OF MENDELSSOHN'S ELIJAH. The following able Analysis of JSlijali, taken from DwighCs Journal of Music, will be read with unmingled pleasure and satisfaction : The figure of the prophet is stationed, at once, boldly in the foreground. Even the Overttjre is prefaced by a brief Eecitative, in which, with firm, deep voice, he declares that There shall not be dew nor rain these years. Had Mendelssohn composed expressly for an American audience, who never begin to settle down into the listening state until they hear the human voice — we might have suspected him of an innocent manoeuvre here, to procure silence, and a hearing for the Overture. In this Overture there is a sort of sullen, smoth- ered, choking energy, fretting against chains self-forged ; an obdurate .willfulness seems de- picted — a desperate impulse continually trying itself over again, only to find the same fatal limita'tions ; it is the mood of an unrepenting criminal ill his cell. The musieisall of very short fibre, woven into the toughest, knottiest sort of texture; full of movement, but na pro- gress. One or two little short starts of melody constantly repeated, are its themes ; and, though these are woven into a consistent and artistic whole, you hear nothing else from first to last. This is in the appropriate key of D minor, and sheds the right murky coloring over all that is to follow, helping imagination to realize the state of Israel under Ahab. Drought and famine ; life denied its outward sustenance; starved impulses, which, getting no expansion, only murmur of themselves — are the alternate changes of one figure on this monotonous web of tones. And now the suffering finds a voice. There is a chorus of the people — Help, Lord ! wilt thou quite destroy us ? — still in D minor, 4-4 time. Andante. First a loud cry. Help, Lord ! upon the minor common chord of D, the ac- companiments traversing downwards and up- wards through all its inversions for two bars ; then, as the air climbs one note higher, the same process is repeated on the crying chord of the Diminished Seventh, which, through the dominant Seventh upon C, would fain force its way out into the bright major key of F, and find relief; but while the base tends boldly that way, the chord of D minor returning in the upper parts smothers the tendency, produc- ing a discordant mixture of tonics, which is peculiarly expi'essive, on the words : Wilt thou quite destroy us ? Out of this massive and compact beginning the tenors lead the way in a freer movement, chanting the two plaintive phrases : The harvest now is over, the Summer days are gone, and And yet no power eometh to help us, which are duly taken up by the other voices and passed round as the themes of a very beautiful and graceful Fugue, which works itself up by degrees, into the right chord for a traiisition to the key of E major, whea the Fugue is quelled for a while into a uniform OEATOEIO OF ELIJAH. ''n? movement, Will then the Lord be no more God in Zion ? with a fitful, tremulous accompani- ment ; but it soon breaks loose again, and, amid renewals of the cry, Help, Lord! from single voices, terminates the chorus. A re- markable Choral Eecitativo succeeds, in which the complaints of famine come up in distinct, successive fragments of melody from one mass of voices after another : The deep affords no water — The infant children ask for bread, etc. — exceedingly expressive, if the voices start the theme with perfect concert. Next we have a plaintive duet for sopranos, Zion spreadeth her hands for aid — one of those wild and tender melodies, (each part a melody however,) in which we get the genuine aroma of Mendels- sohn's peculiar genius, as in his Lieder. There are several such in jElijah. In the pauses of the duet, which is in A minor, and forming a sort of background to it, is constantly heard -the burthen (an old Jewish Chant) alternately of the entire female and of the entire male chorus, in unison, on- the words. Lord, bow thine ear to our prayer. The effect is as poetic as it is original. At first was the popular complaint of the short harvest ; then, in the Recitative, it was the children hungering at home; now it is youthful loveliness and beauty interceding as by special affinity with heaven ; remark this fine touch of the delicate and feminine side of the composer's genius — had this Duet been left out, it would hardly have been Mendelssohn. So much in description of the drought. Now comes the appeal of Obadiah to the consciences of the people — a Tenor Recitative, Bend your hearts, etc., followed by the exquisitely tender and consoling tenor song, (Andante, in E flat :) If with all your hearts ye truly seek me. If you comparfe it with Handel's Comfort ye, my people, you have the whole difference of com- plexion between these two deeply religious natures. In that, it is the perfect sanguine buoyancy and confident announcement of hope ; in this, it is hope tinged with sadness — more of reflective yearning, and less of the child's unquestioning acceptance and assurance. It would compare more closely with He shall feed his flock ; only that is an alto song, and this a tenor, as befits the difference of aentir me'nt ; for in that, the feminine element, or Love, is all in all ; whereas in this, the mascu- line element of Justice tempers Love. In this song, as in the duet before, and as throughout the oratorio, Mendelssohn displays his rare poetic invention in accompaniment ; in every bar at first it takes, as if unconsciously, th? form of seek aiid find — a climbing arpeggio, answered by a full chord ; when it reaches tho words. Oh ! that I knew where I might find Him, the whole air pulses to the heart beat ol the melody, as the violins divide the measurv' into crystal and precise vibrations. Thci: breaks out the turbulent chorus in C minoi-. Yet doth the Lord see it not • . .'. his wrath will pursue us, etc. ; full of diminished seventh ■ and of discords from bold overlapping of oiio chord upon another. Its vehement and angrv motion is suddenly arrested on a discord nf this sort, (dominant seventh upon the tonic,) in the words till he destroys us ; and after tho pause, follows the grave, massive, psalm-like solid piece of counterpoint, all in long half -notes " For He, the Lord our God, He is a jbalou? God, etc., thrown up like a mountain range of the primeval granite in the midst of this great musical creation ; yet its solemnity is not all barren, for erelong its sides wave with the for- ests sprung from the accumulated soil of ages, and the solemn procession of the clouds iii heaven passes in shadows over their surface ; the key shifts to the major : the accompani- ments acquire a freer movijment ; rich, refresh- ing modulations succeed each other smoothly, and the vocal parts diverge iti separate stream f. of perfect harmony, at the thought : His Meu- ciBS ON thousands FALL, etc. Fit prelude tc the voice of 'angels ! An alto voice, in recita tive, bids Elijah hence to Cherith's brook, tel I ing of the ravens who will feed him. Then a remarkable double Quartet (four male and four female voices) follows with the words : For He shall give his angels charge, etc. The very simplicity, together with the animated movf- ment of this, requiring perfect precision and blending of the eight distinct parts, makes it difficult to convey its beauty in a performance. Again the angel warns him to Zarephath to the widow woman ; and the homely images of the barrel of meal and the cruise of oil do not fail, or fall in any wise short of digtiity and beauty, in Mendelssohn's pure recitative, which quite transcends the usual common-place. We have now reached the first in the serie* of dramatic sketches, of which the body of the Oratorio is mainly composed : the miracle of raising the widow's son. The sentiment of the marvellous is first raised by the accompani- ments, which, confined chiefly to the violins and treble wood instruments, keep up a light trem- olo, to a melody, full of sad, sweet humility, (E minor, 6-8,) which introduces the lamenta- • •• Vlll OKATOBIO OF ELIJAH. ♦!?m of the woman over her son. The answer of tae prophet, and his prayer, Twrn unto her, are m the major of the key, in grave, fourfold measure. The return of the tremolo, in the still more mystical key of F sharp major — swelling and diminishing, raises expectation to the height, and makes natural the woman's question of surprise. Wilt thou show wonders to th*. dead? The prayer is renewed, and so too the woman's exclamation, striking a higher note in her growing earnestness. Yet a third time the prophet prays, amid crashing, measur- ed peals of harmony, announcing that the mir- aculous agency is at work restoring life. The joy and devout thankfulness of the mother, prompting the question, What shall I render the Lord? are followed by the brief but.beauti- fiil duet between her and the prophet, Thou sliall love the Lord with all thy heart, which is in broad four-fold measure, and glides directly into the chorus. Blessed are the men who fear him, which is distinguished by the soft, rippling flow of the accompaniments, the violoncellos keeping up one uniformly varied and contin- uous figure in sixteenths through the whole of it, while the vocal parts steal in one after an- other with the same .whispered melody, which, with that multitude of voices, is like the soft rustle of the bending grass, before successive breathings of the west wind — ^until the words, Through darkness riseth light to the upright, where the sopranos shout forth a clarion call, climbing through the harmonic intervals of the fifth of the key as far as its tenth, and closing with a cadence upon B, which note the bases take for a starting point, and thence repeat nearly the same figure, ending in A, where it is taken up by the' altos, and again echoed ere it is half out of their mouths by the tenors, until all come unitedly upoir the words : He is gracious, compassionate, righteous. These words are treated somewhat after the manner of, And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, etc., in Handel's sublime chorus, though no such stupendous effects are here at- tempted. The original whispered melody flows in again with mingled fragments of the second theme, And the chorus ends with echoing, re- treating calls of Blessed! while that rippling accompaniment floats skyward and is lost. Now comes the appearance of Elijah hefore Ahab, and the second dramatic scene, the chal. lenge of the priests of Baal. The several pro- posals of Elijah (in bold recitative) are echoed in choral bursts from the people, Then we sliall see whose God is the Lord, etc. The in^ vocation of the priests of Baal is very efTective musically, however fruitless for their purpose, and the music of it is in striking contrast with the severe and spiritual tone of the rest of the Oratorio. Noisy, impetuous, full of accent and of animal life, it befits the worshippers of natural things ; and it commences in the key of nature, or F major. First, it is in 4-4 time, a double chorus, with a sort of bacchanalian energy, Baal, we erg to thee j then sets in an Allegro movement, with arpeggio accompaniment in thirds, in single chorus, bases and altos in uni- son crying, Sear us, Baal I hear, mighty God, and sopranos and tenors in unison more earn- est following, Baal, oh! answer us; let Ihg flames fall and extirpate the foe, etc. In vain ; no help for them ! in long loud cadences (the minor third, so loved by Mendelssohn) with hopeless pauses between their Hear us ! floats away upon the empty air. The prophet taunts them : Call him louder. Again they raise their cry, this time in F sharp minor, in hurried, 4-4 time, the full force of the orchestra reiter- ating quick, short, angry notes, as if they were all instruments of percussion, and trying rest- less and discordant modulations, as the voices with agonized impatience repeat : Jfbw arise ; wherefore slumber? Again the prophet taunts, and again they call on Baal, still in the same wild key, but with the most furious presto movement, in 6-8, ending as before in fruitless cadences. Hear and answer, succeeded by un- broken pauses. It is now Elijah's turn. In a solemn Ada- gio air, expressive of siiblimest faith and feel- ing of the right, and even of a tenderness which you can not help contrasting afterwards with his ruthless slaughter of his defeated rivals, he offers up his prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, This is followed by a short and simple quartet : Cast thy burden upon the Lord. All this was in the confident key of E flat major. In his invocation : O Thou, wh^ makest thine angels spirits • Them, whose rfiin- isters are flaming fires j let them, now descend! The prophet's voice, unaccompanied, rises a miner third in uttering the first clause, followed by the full minor chord, pianissimo, from the instruments ; in the second clause it ascends (through the minor third again, to the fifth) again more loudly answered by the instru.. ments ; and in the third clause it reaches th^ octave, when bursts forth the wild descriptive chorus : The fire descends from heaven ! This change to the minor in the invocation makes a presentioient of miracle, as surely as a prcteF ORATORIO OF ELIJAH. IX natural change of d&ylight, or the noon-day darkening of eclipse. The Fire-chorus, with its imitative accompaniments, we will not at- tempt to describe ; it is fearfully grand, and terminates in a massive Choral : The Lord is God, etc. ; the earth quakes as it rolls away, with the prolonged tremolo of the double bases, during which Elijah dooms the prophets of Baal This scene closes with twa remarkable songs. First, a base solo by Elijah: Is not his word like afire^ and like a hammer that breaketh the rock into pieces ? Here the composer evidently had in his mind a similar great solo in Handel's Messiah. Both song and accompaniment are cast in the same iron mould, requiring a gigan- tic voice to execute it. Indeed, it is almost too great to be sung, as some parts are too great to be acted. Next, the exquisite alto solo. Woe unto them that forsake Him ! which is again of the Lieder ohne Wbrte order, haying that char- acteristic wild-flower beauty, so indescribable in the melodies of Mendelssohn. Finally, we have the coming of rain, pre- pared in a dialogue between the people, the prophet and the youth whom he sends forth to look toward the sea. There is a gradual mellowing of the instruments, so that you seem almost to snuff rain in the parched air. The responses of the youth, clear, trumpet-toned, in the major chord of C, as he declares, there is nothing, each time with the enhanced effect of the mellow, continuous high monotone from the orchestra, and finally an- nouncing, amid the mysterious thrilling of the air with violin thirds, a little cloud no bigger than a man's hand ; then the blackening the heavens with clouds and with wind ; and then the loud rushing of the storm, are wrought up to an admirable olimajf, ftnd the .cljopus breaks forth, Ijlfa * pepfceit flood of joy, refreshing and pef lying all things : Thanks be to God ! He laveth the thirsty land. The waters gather; they rush along ; they are lifting their voices ! The stormy billows are high ; their fury is mighty ;, but the Lord is above them and Al- mighty ! This rain.chorus (which is in E flat major) is in perfect contrast with that Fire- chorus, The musjc itself is 0.S welcome as showers aftgr long drought ; as tears of joy and reconciliation after years of barren, obsti- nate self will and coldness ; as the revisiting of inspired thoughts to the dry, dul), jaded, un- guggestive brain ; and that not the less be- c^iuse g,ll the music which precedes is rich and varigus, Th? ygices sgeis to launch themselves along rejoicing, like the copious bllloivs o^ a torrent, while the instruments, by a well-ehosou figure, imitate the sound of dripping streams. You feel the changing temperature of the air in some of those modulations. What a gusto, what a sense of coolness in some of those flat sevenths in the base ! there are certain chords there which we would call barometrical or at- mospheric, if the extravagance of fancy might be allowed to keep pace with the fullness of delight in listening to this tone-translation of one of the inexhaustible phenomena of nature. This closes the First Part of the Oratorio. The Second Part has for its subject-matter the reaction of the popular sentiment against Elijah,, at the instigation of the queen — his so- journ in the wilderness, and his translation to heaven. This is prefaced by a song of warning to Israel, Hear ye, Israel, for a soprano voice, in B minor, 3-8 time : one of those quaint lit- tle wild flowers of melody again, which seem to have dropped so often from another planet at the feet of Mendelssohn. The short-breath- ed, syncopated form of the accompaniment, and the continual cadence of the voice through a third, give it an expression of singularly child- like innocence and seriousness. Then follows, , in the major of the key, in statelier 3-4 mea- sure, and with trumpet obligato, a cheering air, which differs from the last as a bracing October morning from a soft summer Sabbath evening, Thus saith the Lord, I am he that comforfeth, etc., leading into the very spirited chorus in G major : Be not afraid, saith God the Lord. This has a full, broad, generous, Hatidelian flow, like a great river rolling rapidly ; and as youp ear detects the mingling separate currents when you heed the riyep's general roar more closely, so hurrying, pursuing, mingling, go the voices of the fugue. Though thousands languish, which gives the. chorus a more thoughtful cha- racter for a moment, before they arc all merged again in the grand whole of that first strain, Be not afraid ! One can not conceive how the scene which follows could have been wrought into music with a more dramatic effect. The prophet de- nounces A-hab ; then the queen in the low tones of deepest excitement, in angry and emphatic sentences of recitative, demands. Hath he noi prophesied against all Israel ? Hath he not des- troyed BaaVs prophets ? Hath he not closed the heavens ? etc. ; and to each question comes an ominous, brief choral response : We heard it with our ears, etc. ; and finiiUy the furious chorus, Wqb (o Mm, h? shall perish^ if) which . OEATOEIO OF ELIJAH. tbe quick, short petulant notes of the orchestra seem to crackle and boil with rage. Yielding to Obadiah's friendly warning, the prophet journeys to the wilderness ; and here we have the tenderest and deepest portions of all this music ; here we approach Elijah in his solitary communings and his sufferings ; here we feel a more human interest and sympathy for the mighty man of miracle ; we forget the terrible denouncer of God's enemies, and love his human heart, all melting to the loveliness of justice, and mourning over Israel's insane sepa- ration of herself from God, more than over his ownstrials. Follow him there ! genial guides stand ready to your imagination's bidding : first, the grand old words of the brief and simple Hebrew narrative ; then the befitting and con- genial music of this modern descendant of the Hebrews, this artist, son of Mendel. Listen to that grand deep song which he has put here into the mouth of Elijah : li is enough, Lord; now take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers, ^\x,. What resignation ! His great soul bowed to that unselfish sadness, gives you a nobler, more colossal image than the fallen Saturn in the " Hyperion " of Keats. The grave and measured movement of the orchestra marks well his weary, thoughtful, heavy steps. But his soul summons a new energy, the smoulder- ing music blazes up, as he remembers : / have been very jealous for the Lord. Follow him ! Fatigue brings sleep, and sleep brings angel voices. Let that sweet tenor recitative interpret his wanderings and his whereabouts, and the angelic voices inter- pret the heaven in his heart. Under a juniper tree in the wilderness ! Mark the quaint sim- plicity of the words, and how heartily the mu- sical vein in Mendelssohn adapts itself to such a child's narrative. And now hear, as the com- poser heard, the heavenly voices floating down. It is a scene almost as beautiful as that por- trayed in Handel's music for the nativity of the Messiah. First a Trio (female voices) without accompaniments. Lift thine eyes to the moun- tains, pure and chaste as starlight ; then the lovely chorus, (for all four parts ;) He watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps. If the Trio was like heaven descending, this is like the peacefulness of earth encompassed with hea- ven ; it has a gentle, soothing, pastoral cha- racter, like " There were shepherds watching their flocks by night." The universal bosom seems to heave with the serene feeling of pro- tection, and the heart to throb most joyously, most gently, with the equal and continuous rise and fall of those softly modulated tripk-i*- m the accompaniments. Voice after voice orealhcs out the melody : and what unspeakable tender- ness in the new theme which the tenors intro- duce, Shouldst thou, walking in grief, lart- guish. He will quicken thee. Again follow him 1 Forty days and forty nights : so sings the angel, (alto recitative,) and again the noble recitative of the prophet. " wrestling with the Lord in prayer :" Lord! I have labored in vain ; Ohlthatlnow might die ! This is relieved by the profoundly beautiful alto song, in the natural key, four fold measure: Oh! rest in the Lord; and he re- sumes; Night falleth round me, Lord! Be thou not far from me ; my soul is thirsting for Tliee, as a thirsty land ; which last sugges- tion the instruments accompany with a remi- niscence from that first chorus, descriptive of the drought, The harvest now is over, etc. And now he stands upon the mount, and Behold ! Qod the Lord passed by ! We are too weary with fruitless attempts to convey a notion of the different portions of this oratorio by words, to undertake the same thing with this most descriptive and effective chorus. One can not but remark the multitude of subjects which the story of Elijah offers for every vari- ety of' musical effects. The orchestra preludes the coming of the mighty wind. Voices, ac- companied in loud high unison, proclaim. The Lord passed by ! the storm swells up amid the voices, wave on wave, with brief fury subsides — and again the voices in whispered harmony pronounce, yet the Lord was not in tlie tem- pest. The same order of treatment is re- peated with regard to the "earthquake," and with regard to the " fire." All this is in E minor ; the key opens into the major, in the moist, mild, spring-like atmosphere of E major, and the voices' in a very low, sweet chorus, in long notes, whispfer the coming of the still, small voice, while the liquid, stroking divisions of the accompaniment seem " smoothing the raven down of darkness till it smiles." The Seraphim are heard in double chorus, chanting, Holy, holy, etc., marked by sublime simpli- city. One more recitative from the prophet, / go on my way in the strength of the Lord, with the air, For the mountain shall depart, during which the instruments tread on with stately, solid steps, in notes of uniform length, in 6-4 measure ; and we have the marvellously descriptive, awe-inspiring chorus which de- scribes his ascent to heaven in the fiery chariot. There is no mistaking the sound of the swif' OEATQRIO OF ELIJAH. XI isvolving fiery wheels, suggested by the ac- i/ompaniment. Another beautiful tenor song, Then shall ihe righteous shine, and a fit conclusion to the whole is made by two grand choruses, fore- shadowing the consummation of all prophecy in the God-Man, just leaving off" where Handel's l/wsia/t, the oratorio of oratorios, began. The first, Behold my servant, and mine elect, has much of the grandeur, but not the simpli- city of Handel. It is separated from the last by an exquisite quartet, Come, every one thai thirsteth, which is wholly in the vein of Men- delssohn. And the whole closes with a solid, massive fugue, in the grand old styl Lord, our Creator J how excellent thy name. -^s*'-*-^- -^-r,.^^ © INTRODUCTION. RECITATIVE. Elijah. As God the Lord of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor tain these years, but according to my word. OVERTURE. CHORUS. The People. Help, Lord ! wilt Thou quite destroy us ? The harvest now is over, the summer days are gone, and yet no power cometh to iielp us ! Will then the Lord be no more God in Zion ? RECITATIVE CHORUS. The deep affords no water ; and the rivers are exhausted ! The suckling's tongue now cleaveth for thirst to his mouth : the infant children ask for bread, and there is no one breaketh it to feed them ! DUETT AND CHORUS. People. — Lord ! bow thine ear co our prayer! DrETT. — Zion spreadeth her hands for aid j and there is neither help nor comfort. RECITATIVE. Obadiah. Ye people, rend your hearts, and not your garments for your transgressions ; even as Elijah hath sealed the heavens through the word of God. I therefore say to ye, Forsake your Idols, return to God ; for He is slow to anger, and merciful, and kind, and gracious, and repenteth him of the evil. I Andnte con moto F WITH AI .L YOUR HEAR TS. Teno 1 ' 1 p. SOLO. =-5— i— r— r-j=^— - .J U— -1 / — ■<' — j> — :*__Si,_L_ -^-1?-^-^^^=^-: m "If with all your hearts ye tru - Jy seek me, ye shall ev - cr sare - ly ii.id z^jiz. 4- Thu3 eaith our God, 'If with all your ELIJAH. 7 ^^fi — *^-f — r— ^— i — 1 — r— ' f — T—f—'—r—J^ -vd — J- -=-d- {4 .).^]2 ^ — 1^ — ^__ :• — J — r__ > — ^ — 1,, — i_^_ ? — tH — H^— ?— _._4 hearts ve {ra - ly seek Ye shall ev - er sure »EEtE :tti rpzi: -h-i- ly find cres. f f a *- =1 Thus saith our God, Thus eaith our God. Oh! that I hearts ye tru - ly seek me ; Ye shall ev - er sure-ly find me," Thus saith our F-P2= t^ =^: t=rFz iJt God. shall ev er sure - ly find Thus saith our God. CHOEUS. The People. Yet doth the Lord see it not : He mocketh at us ; His curse hath fallen down upon us : His wrath will pursue us, till he destroy us ! For He, the Lord our God, He is a jealous Grod ; and He visiteth all the fathers' sins on the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Hinri. His mercies on thousands fall — fall on all them that love him and keep His command- ments. RECITATIVE. An Angel. Elijah ! get thee hence ; depart, and turn thee eastward ; thither hide thee by Cherith's brook. There shalt thou drink its waters; and the Lord thy God hath com- manded the ravens to feed thee there : so go according unto his word. DOUBLE QUARTETTE. Angels. X\. For He shall give His angels charge over thee ; that they sh^ll ^^Qi^ct thee in all the ways thou goest ; that their hands shall uphold and guide thee, lesf thou dash thy foot against a stone. ELIJAH. 5 RECITATIVE. An Angel. Now Cherith's brook is dried up, Elij.ali ; arise and depart and get thee to Zare- phath ; thither abide : for the Lord hath commatided a widow woman there to sustain thee. And the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that |he Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. REGIT. AND AIR. The Widow. What have I to do with thee, man of God? art thou come to me, to call my sin unto remembrance? to slay my son art thou come hither? Help me, rpan of God! my son is sick ! and his sickness is so sore that there is no breath in him ! I go mourning all the day long; I lay down and weep at night. See mine affliction. Be thou the orphan's helper ! Elijah. Give me thy son. Turn unto her, O Lord, my God ; in mercy help this widow's son ! For thou art gracious., and full of compassion, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Lord my God, let the spirit of this child return, that he again may live. The Widow. W?'> thou show wonders unto thg dead? Shall the dead arise and praise thee ? Elijah. T jrd my God, let the spirit of this child return, that he again may live ! The Widow. , f he Lord hath heard thy prayer, the soul of my son reviveth ! ELrJAH. Now behold, thy son liveth ! The Widow. Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that his word in thy mouth is the truth. What shall I render to the Lord, for all his benefits to me ? DUETT. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God ; with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. blessed are they who fear Him ! CHORUS. Blessed are the men who fear Him : they ever walk in the ways of peace. Through darkness riseth light to the upright. He is gracious, compassionate ; He is righteous. RECITATIVE. Elijah, Ahab, and Chords. Elijah. — As God the Lord of Sabaoth liveth, before whom I stand; three years this day fulfilled, I will shew myself unto Ahab : and the Lord will then send rain upon the earth. AhAB. — Art thou Elijah, he that troubleth Israel ! Chohus. — Thou art Elijah, he that troubleth Israel ! Elijah. — I never troubled Israel's peace : it is ishoa, Ahab, and all thy father s house. Ye have forsaken God's commands ; and thou hast followed Baalim ! Now se»d and gather to me, the whole of Israel unto Mount Carmel: there summon the prophets of Baal, and also the prophets of the grove, who are feasted at Jezebel's tables. Then we shall see whose God is the Lord. Ohokus. — And then we shall see whose God is God the Lord. 6 ELIJAH. Elijah. — Rise, then, ye priests of Baal : select and slay a bullock, and put no fire under it; uplift your voices, and call the god ye worship ; and I then will call on the Lord Jehovah : and the God who by fire shall answer, let Him be God. Chorus. — Yea ; and the God who by fire shall answer, let Him be God, Elijah. — Call first upon your god : your numbers are many : I, even*! only remain, one prophet of the Lord ! Invoke your forest-gods and mountain-deitier! CHOKUS. Priests of Baal. Baa], we cry to thee ; hear and answer us! Heed the sacrifice we oflfer ! hear us, O hear us, Baal ! Hear, mighty god ! Baal, O answer us ! Let thy flames fall and extirpate the foe ! O hear us, Baal ! RECITATIVE. Elijah. Call him louder : for he is a god ! he talketh ; or he is pursuing ; or he is in a jour- ney ; or peradventure, he sleepeth ; so awaken him : call him louder. CHORUS. Priests op Baal. Hear our cry, Baal ! now arise ! wherefore slumber? REGIT. AND CHORUS. Elijah. Call him louder ! he heareth not. With knives and lancets cut yourselves after your manner : leap upon the altar ye have made: call him, and prophecy! Not a voice-will answer you ; none will listen, none heed you. CHORUS. Priests of Baal. Hear and answer, Baal ! Mark how the scorner derideth us ! Hear and answer ! REGIT. AND AIR. Elijah. Draw near, all ye people : come to me ! Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel ! this day let it be known that Thou art God ; and I am thy servant ! O shew to all this people that I have done these things according to Thy word ! heaf me. Lord, and answer me ; and show these people that Thou art Lord God ; and let their hearts again be turned ! QUARTETTE. Angels. Cast thy burden upon the Lord,"and He shall sustain thee: He never will suffer the righteous to fall : He is at thy right hand. Thy mercy. Lord, is great ; and far above the heavens. Let nope be made ashamed that wait upon Thee. RECITATIVE. Elijah. Thou, who makest Thine angels Spirits ; Thou whose ministers are flaming fires ; let them now descend ! CHORUS. The Peopi.e. The fire descends from heaven ; the flames consume his offering. Before Him upon your faces fall ! The Lord is God : O Israel hear ! Our God ia one Lord ; and we will have no other gods before the Lord ! RECITATIVE. Elijah. , Take all the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them, escape you : bring them down to Kishon's brook ; and there let them be slain. ELIJAH. CHORUS. The People. Take all the prophets of Baal ; and let not one of them escape us ; bring all and slay them ! AIK. EujAH. Is not His word like a fire : and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ? For God is angry with the wicked every day : and if the wicked turn not, the Lord will whet His sword ; and he hath bent His bow, and made it ready. ABIA. — Alto Solo. Lento, m ■ * # s — * — * — ^^ ? ^^=tiZ Woe^ woe an - to tbem who for - sake Uim ! de - atruc - tioa shall fall up $ a^^ ^Fis- ^E5E ^ • *^ ■':^-- "=¥=•■ on them: For ihey have trans - gres - sed, trans - gres - sed a - gainst Him. Though * ^ im ^^ p fe? g they are by Him re - deem - ed, by him re - deem - ed, though they are by Him re ^^^^^^^^^^^^ - deem - ed, Yet they have spo - ken falce - ly a • gainst Him, spo - ken falcely a i ^=^^^S3E^ ^^ '^5^iVis-?=3 gainst Him i ^m Woe, woe uo • to them who for -sake Him! Des - tract-ion shall fall up ^ ^^ 3^3E3^ &3g r !• -*— • on them. Though they are by Him re - deem - ed ; From hem have they fled ; Though i 1=^ -•— i; 5E5 :k-:r5E5E ^^£t5^=S=P^ F =1= £3* they are by him re - deem - ed ; er - en from Him have they fled. W03 i ^ :?v=^= ir^ '^ *=$: s*=^^ an - to them ! Woe. to them! REGIT. AND CHORUS. Obadiah. — O man of God, help thy people ! Among th? idols of the Gentiles, are- there any that can command the rain, or cause the heavens to give their showers? The- Lord our God alone can do these things. Elijah. — O Lord, Thou hast overthrQwn Thine enemies and destroyed them. Iy com t mandments !" Hear ye, ?^£ ^ ?= ^ ;g^ ra - el! hear what the Lord speaketh : "Oh, hadst thou heed - ed tlLIJAH. I m f fefe^^Eg I — ud — , Ud JSt— ^ heed- ed . . 017 .com .'■ maad - ments^ Ob hadat thou J heed. • ed, ^5^ :f5d^ g^HaES SE^3^=s: a±za±d^ :?=?= 1=^ =1^ ^^ heed-ed my com - mandraents, Oj. hadstthou heeded my command - meats X-' "* Who CRE ; - ' j.4J hath be - U«v - ed our re -port! to > whoia- is the arm, the arm • of the ^^^ ^mm^^ i ■JiMZ =(P ii liOid, re - veal - ed ? to ...whom is the arm,.- the .arm of the ...Lord^ r&r hear ye. Is - ra - ..elf '. hear rvhat the .Lord .speak..- eth.;,,- "Oh, .hadst. .thou i ^ ^^^ :^ ^^Efe^ tz -tS ^: heed - ed, ' heed - ed --.':?■■ my com - maad».meats! ... Oh,. . hadst s thou' B' La ^ - w t^*~g =^^=S- heed - cd, Ob, hadat thou heed - ed my com - mand - ments !" Hear ye PIU ATHRIrt m &Sz ^^ ? t=z5: r- Is-ra-cl! hear., .i.... what the Eord . speak <■ eth ! Is ra - el! Tlius saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him oppressed by t;^*ant8 : thus saith the Lord : — I am He that fcomforteth : be not afraid, for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee- Say, who art thou, that thou art afraid of a man that shall die ; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, who hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the earth's foundations ? Be not afraid, for I, thy God, wiU strengthen, tljee. CHORUS, ,. ■ 'Be not afriaid; saith God the Lord. Be not afraid ! thy help is nean God, tfife 'Lord thy God saith unto tWse, " Be not afraid." Though thousiahdis languish and fall beside thee, and tens of thousands ai^Ound thee perish ; yet still it shall not come nigh thee. REGIT. AND CHORUS. Elijah. The Lord hath exalted thee from among the people ; aud over his people, Israel bath 10 ELIJAH. made thee kiiig. But thou, Ahab, hast done evil to provoke him to anger above all that were before thee : as if it had been a light thing for thee to walk in the sins of Jeroboam. Thou hast made a grove and an altar to Baal, and served him and wor- shiped him. Thou hast killed the righteous, and also taken possession. And the Lord shml smite all Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He shall give Israel up, and thou shalt know He is the Lord. The Queen. — Have ye not heard he hath prophesied against all Israel ? Chorus. — ^We heard it with our ears. The Queen. — Hath he not prophesied also against the King of Israel ? Chorus. — ^We heard it with our ears. The QuEEN.^And why hath he spoken in the name of the Lord ? Doth Ahab govern the kingdom of Israel while Elijah's grower is greater than the king's ? The gods do so to me^ and more, if by to-morrow about this time, I make not his life aa tb«t life of one of them whom he hath sacrificed at the brook of Kishon 1 Chorus. — He shall perish ! The Queen. — Hath he not destroyed Baal's prophets ? Chorus. — He shall perish ! The Queen. — ^Yea, by the sword he destroyed them all ! Chorus. — He destroyed them all ! The Queen. — He also closed the heavens. Chorus. — He also closed the heavens. The Queen. — And called down a famine upon the land. Chorus. — ^And called down a famine upon the land. The Queen.^So go ye forth and seize Elijah,for he is worthy to die ; slaughter him ; do unto him as he hath done. CHORUS. Woe to him, he shall perish ; for he closed the heavens. And why hath he spoken in the name of the Lord ? Let the guilty prophet perish. He hath spoken falsely against our land and us, as we have heard with our ears. So go ye forth, seize on him. He shall die ! , RECITATIVE. Obadiah. ^ Man of God, now let my words be precious in thy sight. Thus saith Jezebel ; " Eli- jah is worthy to' die." So the mighty gather against thee, and they have prepared a net for thy steps ; that they may seize thee, that they may slay thee. Arise then, and hasten for thy life : to the wilderness joui-ney. The Lord thy God doth go with thee He will not fail thee ; He will not forsake thee. Now begone, and bless me also. Elijah.— Though stricken, they have not grieved. Tarry here, my servant ; thi>s Lord be with thee. I journey hence to the wilderness. AIR. Elijah. It is enough, O Lord ; now take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers. I desire to live no longer ; now let me die, for my days are but vanity ! I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts ; for the children of Israel have broken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword : and I, even I only am left : and they seek my life to take it away. RECITATIVE. See now he sleepeth beneath a juniper tree in the wilderness: and there the angels of the Lord encamp round about all them that fear him. ELIJAn. II TlilO. Angkls. Lift thine eyes to the mouritiiins. vvlience cometh help. Thy help cometh from the Lord, the Maker of heuveu and earth. He liath said thy foot shall not be moved ; thy Keeper will never slumber. CHORUS. Angels. , He, watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps. Sliouldst thou, walking in grief, languish ; He will quicken thee. RECITATIVE. An Angel.— Arise, Elijah, for thou hast a long journey before thee. Forty daya and forty nights shalt thou go ; to Horeb, the mount of God. Elijah. — O Lord, I have labored in vain ; yea, I have spent my strength for nought. that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down ; that the mountains would flow down at Thy presence, to make Thy name known to Thine ad- versaries, through the wonders of Thy works ! Lord, why hast Tliou made them err from thy ways, and hardened their hearts that they do not fear Thee ? that I now niiglit die ! AKIA — Alto solo, The Angel. B: ?^ :f^=::^5^ qsizre: U rest in the Lord, wuit pa- t-e.it-ly fni' llim. and He fihall gire thee thy heart's de - P S^SES ^-^ m^i^^^^m ?^f3=3 -■^ZT. ig^fci :g^=?^if^:^ ■M--^^- shea; nst in the Lord, wait pa-tienl-ly for Him, and He shvill give thue thy heart's de - ^^m^^ wmm t= zf-Mz m aires, and He shAllglvtf t'l' e t;ijr h art', d nirfs. IJom-init. thy way uii - to Him, and tmst in pL^p^ 3=5^^^-^=: ^^^^piijlsf^^ •i^.?i|i_5_C|^_,_.^_}i«zr___/_L^|^ Him; commit thy way mi - to Hiai, and ti-ust in Him, anl frut not thy- self oiji;aus6 of e-vil i rkB, PJpfe-gr^^i5=^^_l^g^ do - ers, rest in the Lord, wait p:itiently for Him, »<•', r-'itft-tly for H m, O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, aad He -shall give thee thy heart's de - i-in's, and He shall m^^~ zs\z --$r- zzt. ^5v; pEp^^ give thee thy heart's desires, and He shall give thee thy heart's desires, rest in the 13 ELIJAH. ^ ? -t- Lord, O rest in the Lord, and wait wait pa - tient-ly for Him. CHORUS. He that shall endure to the eiid, shall be saved. KECITATIVE. I Elijah. — ^Night falleth around me, O Lord ! Be thou not far from- me ! hide not Thy face, Lord, from me ; my soul is thirsting for Thee,: as a thirsty land. An Angel. — Arise now ! get thee without, stand on the mount before the Lord : for there His glory will appear and shine on thee! Thy face must be vieiled, for H» ^raweth near. CHORUS. Behold! God the Lord passed by ! And a mighty wind, rent the mouatains roood, brake in pieces the rocks, brake them before the Lord ; but yet the Lord was not io the tempest. Behold ! God the Lord passed by. And the sea was upheaved, and the earth wat shaken ; but yet the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there camea fire : out yet the Lord was not ia the fire. , - And after the firo there came a still small voice: and in that. still small voicey onward came the Lord.. RECITATIVE. ^Above Him stood the Seraphim, and one cried to another: QUARTETTE and CHORUS. Angels. — Holy, holy, holy is God the Lord — the Lord Sabaoth! Now.his gloiy. hath filled all the earth . .,, RECITATIVE. Chobus. Go, return upon thy way ! For the Lord yet hath left Him seven thousand iB.l9<> rael, knees which have not bowed to Baal : go, return upon thy way ; thus the Lord cbminandeth. Elijah. — I go on my way in the strength of the Lord. For thou art my Lord ; and I will suffer for JPhy sake. My heart is therefore glad, my glory rejoiceth, and my flesh shall also rest in hope. Sostenuto Assai. ARIOSO.— Bass Solo, Elijah. m s- m EE^E !:^- EE S^^EE -^=fi r- t: ± For the moantains shall de - part,. m ^ :^3 and the hills, the hills be re - mo I r- '^ -p-^^r - red ; but Thy kiadaesa Bhall no^. de - part ; bat Thj kiadnesB, thy kiad ELIJAH. IS B£ -fti — #-p. I^-P -fip- .^.J?^_-?-= — — I f '- * . . ?ai S:: ness shall not de - part from me ; neither ghall the co - ve nant of Thy peace, of Thy peace be re raor-cd, nei - ther shall , the e T^— ^^- ^ • g -T-^ P^F© ^=e=« =•— ?L!i-— =1= CO -Tenant of Thy peace. be re - mo7 - ed ; but thy kiadaess ehall not de m r-f-f . ^ It- part, shall not de . part, E ^ but Tby. 'kind ness ehall not de • part, shall 1 -t- -&-^ fc -^2-— P-:& 12^ fl *-^- =i=F not - depart , Xrom^pie ja nei r.ther shall ...he, _m - jnortfid.the.ca.-- jfcnaiit_jQL.Iby-pieace»:, . . „ CHORUS. Then did Elijah the prophet break forth like a fire ; his words appeared like burning torches. Mighty kings by him were overthrown. He stood on the mount of Sinai, and heard the judgmepts of..thef«tnre; and in. Horeb, itsvengeance. v,j *., ' And'whenthe Lord would take him away to heaven, lol thereieame a fi^y efa&riot, ;*ith fiery; horses ; and he went by a whirlwindito heaven. ;< r. ,: .' i > ARIA. — Tenor Solo. Sostenuto. J-fe-f-r ^S5 i b hi— -h- ■*=P=Hi: ••-^-^- ^=t2=ai =i«=i«: rri^=:5^= Then, then shall ■thetighteous-shin«- forth- as the *ttn in their beavenly Father's -realm, i ::w=W=W EE =P=?2= =;2=::;2= -» W- =p=p=ic -tt i ^ thine forth as the sun in their heavenly Fa - ther's realnv £^?^ =i: ^ - V — \^ - 'i^=^ Thea shall .-the righleottS shone . forth in their heavenly Fa - ther'a , realm, a as > the-. % fe*^ fet 3t Si- as the sun . in their heav'n - ly Fath - cr's realm. 14 KLTJAH. ^ :«::p: P—0- » S -AzizMl :«iife J07 on their head Khali be fur er - «r - Ust-ing, Joy oo their head shall be for er ti ■ ^ Is -^rf—K ^=^ V — k*- ^ ^^m i>=te last - ing, and all tor - row and moarain^ shall flee a • way, shall flee a - way for i te ^ ^^ ip=:pr: ^^ 3fcr^ =t= =J«=|c Then, then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in their beav'nly K^ :ttP= 5fe it: Fath - er's realtn ; shine forth, shine in their heaven - ly Fa - ther's i k^ -G- '^- S 1221 =il— P ±a realm ; shine forth as the sun in , i 1^ their hea • ven - ly Fa - ther'i 3 s -♦-=- ^ realm ; then shall the righteous shine in their hea - v'nly Father's realm. RECITATIVE. Behold, God hath sent Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dread- ful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children unto their fathers ; lest the Lord shall come and smite the earth with a curse. CHORUS. But the Lord, from the north hath raised one, who from the rising of the sun shall call upon His name and come on princes. Behold, my servant and mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth ! On him the spirit of God shall rest : the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of might and of counsel, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. QUARTETTE. O ! come, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters : come unto Him ; O hear, and your souls shall live for ever ! CHORUS. And then shall your light break forth as the light of morning breaketh 5 and your health shall speedily spring forth then ; and the glory of the Lord ever shall reward you. Lord, our Creator, how excellent thy Name is in all the nations ! Thou iillest heaven with thy glory. Ambw. TESTIMONIAL FROM THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS STIiilll I SiiS. New Yokk, December, 1864. The Pianofortes, grand, square and upright, manufactured by iVfessrs. "Stein- WAT & Sons" have established for themselves so world-wide a reputation, that it is hardly possible for us to add anything to their just fame. Having thoroughly tested and tried these instruments personally for years, both in public and private, it becomes our pleasant duty to express our candid opinion regarding their unquestioned superiority over any other Piano, known to us. Among the chief points of their uniform excellence are : Greatest possible depth, richness and volume of tone, combined with a rare hrilUancy, clearness and perfect evenness through'jut the entire scale, and, above all, a surprising ^duration of sound, the pure and .sumpathetic quality of which never changes under the most delicate or powerful touch. This peculiarity is found exclusivery in the " Stbinway " Piano, and together with the matchless precision, elasticity and promptness of action always character- izing these instruments, as well as their unequaled durability under the severest trials, is truly surprising and claims at once the admiration of every artist. We therefore consider the " Steinvstay " PiAisros in all respects the Best Instruments made in this country or in Europe, use thbji solely and BXCLUsrvEtY ourselves IN PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, and recom,mend them invariably to our friends and the Public. We have at different times expressed our opinion i-egarding the Pianos of various makers, but freely and unhesitatingly pronounce Messrs. STJEINWIA 7 <& iiONS^ Pianos superior to them all. S. B. MILLS, EOBERT GOLDBECE, CARL WOLFSOHN, WM. BERGE, A. DAVIS, THEO. THOMAS, MAX MARETZEK, (Director of the Italian Opera.) CARL AXSCHUTZ, (Director of tlie German Opera.) WILLIE B. PAPE, ROBERT HELLER, HENRY C. TIMM, FRED. BRANDEIS, F. L. RITTER, J. MOSENTHAL, CARL BERGMANN, (Conduct, at the Academy of Music and Philharmonic Society.) CHARLES KUNKEL, WILLIAM MASON, ALFRED A. PEASE, F. von BREUNING, THEO SCHREINER. THEO. MOELLING, E. MUZIO, THEO. EISFELD, (Cond. of N.Y. &Brookl. Phil. Con.) GEO. W. MORGAN, (Organist of Grace Church.) STEINWAY & SONS' WAREROOMS: NOS. 71 & 73 EAST FOURTEENTH STREET, Between Union Square and Ibtins Place, NEW i'ORK. :=-J STEINWAY & SONS' GRAND AND _% UPRIGHT are now acknowledged the best instruments in America, as well as in Europe, having taken ,jg^^ Thirty-two First Premiums, Gold and Silver Medals, at the Principal Fairs, held in this country within the last nine" years, and in ad- dition thereto, they were awarded a 'FTiEtsrr zpi^-iz^B is^EX).A.nii AT THE #uat ftttnuational dxhibitian IN LONDON, 1862, POK '.■•• S' Powerful, clear, brilliant and symjiathetic tone, WITH EXCELLENCE OP WORKMANSHIP AS SHOWN IN GRAND AND SQUARE f I^'ISTOS. There were 269 Pianos, from all parts of the world, entered fot- competition, and the special Correspondent of the Times says : "Messrs. Steinway's indorsement by the Jurors is emphatic, and stronger, and more to the point than that of any European makgr. " This greatest triumph of American Pianofortes in England has caused a sensa- tion in musical circles throughout the continent, and as a result the Messrs. Stein- way are in constant receipt of orders from Europe, thus inaugurating a new phase in the' history of American Pianoibrtes, by creating in them an article of export." Every Pianoforte warranted for Five Years. WAREROOMS, Nos. 71 & 73 EAST. 14tli STREET, Between the Academy of Music and Union Square, 'New York.