He Watching Over Israel (from Elijah) - Felix Medelssohn (1809-1847)

Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah has many large chorus, and most of them reflect Mendelssohn’s affinity for Bach-style compositions. Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg Germany in 1809 and died in Leipzig, Germany in 1847. Living a relatively short life, Mendelssohn’s works/achievements were nevertheless prolific, conducting J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion at age 20, becoming the first performance since Bach’s death and reintroducing Bach into the common collective. Mendelssohn’s Elijah has become a work that is categorized with the likes of Handel’s Messiah and can be considered a choral staple alongside the greats.

Elijah premiered shortly before his death, and tells the story of the Prophet Elijah, as told in 1 Kings and 2 Kings. The work is originally scored for full orchestra, soloists and a large chorus. The piece occurs in the story after Elijah has confronted the prophets of Baal and denounced their God, and is the transitional piece for Elijah’s eventual ascension into Heaven. The piece should be conducted reflecting the Baroque style with a lightness akin to the genre. However, there are brief glimpses into Romantic harmony that should be considered when choosing how to conduct the piece, particularly in the middle section that begins the theme of “Shouldst thou walking in grief”, which continues through the beginning of the return of the main theme. The piece is available in the public domain, as well as through many popular publishers such as Alfred Music.