Editing Elijah (oratorio) (section)

==Reception==
[[File:Birmingham Town Hall from Chamberlain Square.jpg|thumb|[[Birmingham Town Hall]], where ''Elijah'' premiered]]''Elijah'' was popular at its premiere and has been frequently performed, particularly in English-speaking countries, ever since. It is a particular favourite of amateur choral societies. Its melodrama, easy appeal and stirring choruses have provided the basis for countless successful performances. Prince Albert inscribed a libretto for the oratorio ''Elijah'' in 1847: "To the noble artist who, surrounded by the Baal-worship of false art, has been able, like a second Elijah, through genius and study, to remain true to the service of true art."<ref>Peter Mercer-Taylor, ''The Life of Mendelssohn'' (Cambridge University Press, 2000), 200</ref> A number of critics later treated the work harshly, however, emphasizing its conventional outlook and undaring musical style. [[George Bernard Shaw|Bernard Shaw]] wrote in 1892:
:I sat out the performance on Wednesday to the last note, an act of professional devotion which was no part of my plan for the evening ... You have only to think of ''[[Parsifal]]'', of the [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Ninth Symphony]], of ''[[The Magic Flute|Die Zauberflöte]]'', of the inspired moments of Bach and Handel, to see the great gulf that lies between the true religious sentiment and our delight in Mendelssohn's exquisite prettiness.<ref>[[George Bernard Shaw|Bernard Shaw]] in ''[[The World (journal)|The World]]'', 11 May 1892</ref> 

Similarly, after Boston's [[Handel and Haydn Society]] presented the work for the first time in February 1848, its success resulted in eight more performances that spring. In the mid-1920s, however, [[Henry Taylor Parker|H.T. Parker]], the city's principal music critic, described how members of the audience gazed upward at a recent performance: "How many of those eyes were there in rapture, or were counting the four dead lights in the central sunburst of the ceiling?.... ''Elijah'' is hopelessly, awfully, irremediably mid-Victorian.<ref>Teresa M. Neff and Jan Swafford, eds., ''The Handel and Haydn Society: Bringing Music to Life for 200 Years'' (Jaffrey, NH: David R. Godine, 2014), pp. 63, 161</ref>

However, with the widespread re-evaluation of Mendelssohn’s work in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, these critical opinions have largely changed. In his definitive biography of the composer, the musicologist R. Larry Todd wrote that “the oratorio was the crowning achievement of Felix’s career”.<ref>Todd, R. Larry, ''Mendelssohn, A Life in Music'' (Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 548</ref> And in 2005 critic and musicologist Michael Steinberg described ''Elijah'' as “thrilling to sing” and noted that it “includes some of Mendelssohn’s finest music”.<ref>Steinberg, Michael, ''Choral Masterworks, A Listener's Guide'' (Oxford University Press, 2005), p.235</ref>

Mendelssohn wrote the [[soprano]] part in ''Elijah'' for the 'Swedish Nightingale', [[Jenny Lind]], although she was unavailable to sing the Birmingham premiere. In her place, the part was created by [[Maria Caterina Rosalbina Caradori-Allan]]. Lind was devastated by the composer's premature death in 1847.  She did not feel able to sing the part for a year afterwards. She resumed singing the piece at [[Exeter Hall]] in London in late 1848, raising £1,000 to fund a scholarship in his name.  After [[Arthur Sullivan]] became the first recipient of the [[Mendelssohn Scholarship]], she encouraged him in his career.<ref>Rosen, Carole. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16671 "Lind, Jenny (1820–1887)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 7 Dec 2008</ref>

[[Charles Kensington Salaman|Charles Salaman]] adapted "He that Shall Endure to the End" from ''Elijah'' as a setting for [[Psalm 93]] (Adonai Malakh), sung on most Friday nights at the sabbath-eve service of the London [[Spanish and Portuguese Jews|Spanish & Portuguese Jewish]] community.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adonai Malach (Mendelssohn) - Sabbath Evening service |url=https://www.sephardi.org.uk/community/sephardi-music/london-sephardi-congregational-melodies/sabbath-evening-service/ |access-date=11 November 2023 |website=The S+P Sephardi Community}}</ref>