Cantata Singers
David Hoose, Music Director
2013-2014 Season
Felix Mendelssohn:
Elijah
Saturday t February 22, 2014 t 8 p.m.
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
Thank you to our generous concert underwriters:
Concert Sponsor:
Free For All Concert Fund
Music Director David Hoose Sponsor:
Melick and Porter, LLP
Concertmistress Danielle Maddon Sponsor:
Margaret Hornady-David and Donald David
Post-Concert Reception Sponsor:
Robert Henry
Cantata Singers is a proud member of the Greater Boston Choral
Consortium, and this evening is delighted to honor former Cantata Singers
Executive Director and GBCC founder, Ann Marie Lindquist.
Cantata Singers, 729 Boylston Street, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 868-5885 t www.cantatasingers.org
Cantata Singers & Ensemble
David Hoose, Music Director
Saturday, February 22, 2014, 8 p.m.
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory
Joshua Jacobson, pre-concert lecturer
Program
Felix Mendelssohn
Elias, op. 70
Ein oratorium nach Worten des
Alten Testaments
First Part
Intermission
Second Part
Elias - Elijah
Obadja - Obadiah
Die Witwe - The Widow
Ein Engel - An Angel
Ein Engel - An Angel
Ein Engel - An Angel
Die Königen - The Queen
Der Knabe - The Youth
Ahab - King Ahab
Mark Andrew Cleveland, bass
William Hite, tenor
Karyl Ryczek, soprano
Janet Brown, soprano
Emily Marvosh, alto
Jennifer Webb, mezzo-soprano
Lynn Torgove, mezzo-soprano
Kynesha Patterson, soprano
Jason Sabol, tenor
Luellen Best, soprano
Bonnie Gleason, soprano
Angelynne Hinson, soprano
Lisa Lynch, soprano
Majie Zeller, soprano
Carola Emrich-Fisher, alto
Amy Lieberman, alto
Eric Perry, tenor
Stephen Williams, tenor
Brian Church, bass
Shelby Condray, bass
Will Prapestis, bass
Following the performance, please join us for a reception in Williams Hall.
Program Notes
by David Hoose
“A prophet such as we could use again today, strong, zealous, angry and gloomy,
in opposition to the leaders, the masses, indeed the whole world...”
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy was born in 1809 and died in 1847. His
last major composition, Elias, was the second of a planned trilogy of oratorios about
the prophets—Saint Paul, Elijah and Christ. Mendelssohn worked on Christus in the
last year of his life, but he completed very little of it before dying at the age of thirtyeight.
Immediately after the grand success of his first oratorio, Paulus, in 1836,
Mendelssohn wrote to his friend, diplomat, poet and sometimes librettist Karl
Klingemann that he was eager compose a second oratorio, this one to focus on
“Elijah, Peter, or for all I care, Og of Bashan.” Mendelssohn quickly narrowed the
subject to the prophet Elijah, but the exact nature of the text, whether it should be
poetic or Biblical, remained unsettled. Klingemann did, without much enthusiasm,
work with the composer on a draft of the libretto, but the project went no further.
Mendelssohn then turned to another friend for advice, the pastor Julius Schubring,
who had advised him on Paulus. Schubring responded with considerably more
enthusiasm and sent a reworking of the Klingemann draft. The Lutheran minister’s
alterations reframed the Old Testament texts and the prophet Elijah; he urged
Mendelssohn to include New Testament verses and to introduce Christ at the end of
the oratorio.
Mendelssohn, by and large, resisted Schubring’s edits. He rejected suggested verse
after suggested verse and pushed back against Schubring’s belief that the work
should be religiously uplifting, rather than dramatic. Mendelssohn wrote, “I would fain
see the dramatic element more prominent as well as more exuberant and defined...
The dramatic element should predominate.” The two were at an impasse, and
Mendelssohn set the project aside for work on other compositions. He revisited it
several times, but it was likely the commission from the Birmingham (England) Choral
Festival in 1845, nearly ten years later, that reignited his desire to return to and
complete this dramatic work. At this point, Mendelssohn himself took over the design
and details of the libretto, working feverishly to finish the work on time.
“It’s not that music is too imprecise for words, but too precise.”
It was this commission that led to our knowing the oratorio as Elijah, rather than as
Elias. Mendelssohn was fluent in English (and several other languages), and he knew
it would be translated immediately into English for the Birmingham performance.
However, Mendelssohn composed this music for a German text, and although the
translation is expert, the English text still feels like what it is—a translation from the
original version of the piece. Mendelssohn even changed his music to accommodate
the English version, but it still did not resolve the friction. In the English version of
Elijah, verbs invariably fall in the wrong place, sentences end with mannered
weakness, vowel sounds frequently fight the musical line and harmony, and syllables
chop into small segments music that otherwise possesses large, sweeping gestures.
All these factors, though on their own small, conspire to limit the music’s expressive
capacity.
When Elijah is sung in German (hence becoming Elias), the music has both teeth and
unfurled sails. The whole becomes a marriage of musical and linguistic rhetoric. After
all, Felix Mendelssohn dreamt in German.
Further, while the German Elias frequently refers to the Lord in the second person,
“du,” the English Elijah often speaks of the Lord in the third person, as “He.” This
change may have been motivated by the awkwardness of constantly setting the first
person “Thou.” But it linguistically intervenes between the people and the Lord, and a
wall greets our connection, as heard in the final chorus of Part I:
“Thanks be to God, He laveth the thirsty land.”
“Dank sei dir Gott, du tränkest das durst’ge Land.”
“And do you agree with me, that the first condition of an artist should be to bear
respect towards what is great, and to bow to it and acknowledge it, and not attempt to
extinguish great flames for the sake of making his own rushlight burn more brightly?”
The reputation of Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elias—Elijah, as it is commonly
known—has fallen, risen, fallen and risen again since August 26, 1846, when 3,000
people gathered in Town Hall in Birmingham, England to hear the latest creation by
the famous and beloved composer. On that Wednesday morning, “...the last note of
Elijah was drowned in a long-continued unanimous volley of plaudits, vociferous and
deafening...Never was there a more complete triumph—never a more thorough and
speedy recognition of a great work of art.”
A year later in London, a second performance of Elijah, the music now heavily revised
by the composer, was greeted even more effusively: “It is impossible for me to write of
this oratorio, after hearing it a second time, without insisting even more strongly than
on the former occasion on the admirable elevation and spirituality of tone preserved
throughout, free from the slightest admiration of secular levity or sanctimonious
foppery, of stage tinsel or that musty science which is all that many who are reputed
as grave and discreet thinkers have to display in place of idea. Elijah is not only the
sacred work of our time, we dare fearlessly to assert, but it is a work ‘for our children
and for our children’s children.’”
And so it has proven. Today, Elijah, along with the requiems by Mozart, Brahms and
Fauré, is considered one of the great choral-orchestra works, and it is music beloved
by performers and listeners alike. Its future is quite secure.
Along the way of its 168-year history, however, Elijah has come under harsh criticism,
and it probably yet will. Some of the criticism may have merit, but the most clamorous
of it does not, having been born of jealousy or plain hatred of the other. After all, in the
last decade of his life, Mendelssohn was the most famous and revered musician in all
Europe and, as such an important musical figure, was an easy target of baser human
instincts.
Franz Liszt wrote about Mendelssohn’s music as “outmoded, antiquated,” and Hector
Berlioz said that he was “too fond of the dead.” But Mendelssohn’s undying devotion
to and understanding of J.S. Bach’s music, both its extraordinary craft and its deep
spiritual reach, were bound to annoy Liszt and Berlioz, two composers who
erroneously believed radicalism in art to be measure of its value. And the
controversial playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw lambasted Mendelssohn’s
“kid glove gentility, his conventional sentimentality” and the music’s “Sunday-school
sentimentalities.”
Most offensive of all, though, was Richard Wagner who, after initially praising
Mendelssohn’s skill, turned against him with classist, educational and professional
resentment, an outsized ego, and festering anti-semitism. In his 1850 essay “Das
Judenthum in der Musik,” published with cowardice under a pseudonym, Wagner
wrote about his rival, “He has shown us that a Jew may possess the greatest
abundance of specific talents, the finest and most diverse education, the most
elevated, delicately perceptive sense of honor—and yet in spite of all these
advantages, never once be able to summon the profound rending of heart and soul
that we expect from music.” Mendelssohn had died just three years earlier.
The growing hatred of Jews was already an underlying sentiment in 19th century
Germany. With rise of the rise of the Nazi Party in the 20th century came a ban on
Mendelssohn’s music. Though he had been beloved in Germany during and after his
life, his music was now forbidden, and the Nazis sought a “good German”—finding
theirs in Carl Orff—to compose music that would replace Mendelssohn’s magical
music for Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Even thirty years after World War II, musicologist Carl Dahlhaus penned a volume
entitled Das Problem Mendelssohn that questioned why, and even whether, there
existed a Mendelssohn revival. Despite the river of condescension that has
surrounded Mendelssohn’s music, it has never ceased to resonate profoundly with
audiences and musicians alike. It excites the musician who is enthralled by
Mendelssohn’s ability to create music that both honors tried musical processes and
breathes into them fresh invention. And it touches the listener who is able to absorb
music directly, on its own merits.
continued...
“I dislike many-sidedness, which, moreover, I rather think I do not much believe in.
Anything that aspires to be distinguished, or beautiful, or really great, must be one-sided.”
Felix Mendelssohn was a man of contradictions. Although born into a highly
distinguished Jewish family—his grandfather, Moses Mendelssohn, was a
philosopher considered by many to be the “father” of Reform Judaism—Felix, along
with his siblings, was baptized into reform Christianity when he was seven. His
parents dropped the family name “Mendelssohn” and adopted the name “Bartholdy.”
Felix, along with his sister, Fanny, never embraced it, and Felix would use it in
correspondence with his parents primarily to appease his father’s distress. There is
no evidence that Felix had ever been taken to temple, and he grew up and lived his life
as a believing, devout Christian. However, he was a private man, and we know little
about his specific beliefs.
None of this would be of particular importance except for the heated arguments
about Mendelssohn, his faith, and his music that have arisen over the past several
decades. Some musicologists and theologians have identified Mendelssohn as
Jewish, and consequently, Elias as a reflection of his allegiance to his familial roots.
Others believe that he felt few connections to his past and that, regardless of the
reason for his conversion—spiritual or practical—he was fully Christian. These
writers, too, point to Elias as proof of their stand.
To many Jews, Elias is their piece, and the fact that Elijah’s aria “Es ist genug” bears
more than a close resemblance to Bach’s “Es ist vollbracht,” in the Saint John
Passion, or that the final movements may look toward a new salvation raises no
barrier. Likewise, Christians who see in Elias the same spirit that inspired Handel’s
Messiah may overlook the myriad and nearly unavoidable—as opposed to
intentional—parallels between the Old and New Testaments. Each side argues
vociferously and possessively, not allowing for the possibility, even likelihood, that
Mendelssohn lived—and Elias lives today—in both worlds.
It may be exactly this mystery that makes the oratorio engage and move us. How did
he live and thrive in a time of enormous cultural duality? How did he identify with the
Jewish faith of his ancestors, and with the Christian faith his family practiced during
his lifetime? Is Elias an Old Testament work? Or New Testament? Is Elias a work that
belongs in English or in German? Is it a work that subscribes to old, outmoded
compositional techniques, or is a work that, in its intricate and compelling structure,
pushes the oratorio into new territory?
Perhaps yes to all.
In these ambiguities lives the possibility of a continuing resonance that can sail over
the decades of shifting tastes. In the richness of Elias may lie the potential for broad
self-identification and resonance; here we may see ourselves.
“The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety.”
If Elias were not a marvelous musical creation, none of these arguments would
matter. In fact, none of them would even occur. But the work’s powerful delineation of
character, exquisite musical detail, and compellingly intricate, even brilliant, large
structure unite with in a grand expression of Lieder that easily places Elias in the
company of the oratorios of Haydn and Schumann.
Elias falls into four large scenes. The first two, comprising Part I, roll with action, strife
and even ferocity. The latter two, which make up Part II, unfold as internal, spiritual
dramas, and the music expands accordingly.
In the opening measures, the prophet Elijah pronounces God’s curse of three years’
drought, meted out as punishment for the people of Israel’s wickedness. The
overture, depicting the long drought to come, follows. The people pray; Obadiah—a
fellow believer—implores them to repent. Elijah is sent into the wilderness, where he
meets a widow whose son he restores to life. After three years, Elijah returns, and he
is met by King Ahab. While Elijah was in the wilderness, the people of Israel had
abandoned God’s commandments and instead followed the prophecies of the false
god Baal. However, the people have repented, and the Lord prevails; He grants
Elijah’s prayer for relief from the drought, and the people sing their thanksgiving.
Elijah is called upon to denounce Ahab, but Queen Jezebel incites the people against
Elijah. Obadiah warns him, and Elijah goes to the wilderness for safety. Angels
comfort him; renewed, he has a vision of God. Newly strengthened, he returns from
the wilderness, and in a whirlwind he is raised up to Heaven.
“Life and art are not two different things...”
The first performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah included 270 singers and a huge
orchestra. Few organizations today can afford—or desire—such Victorian
grandiosity, but the work is still most often performed by ensembles larger than
Cantata Singers. This organization’s decision to explore Elijah arises from several
wishes: to form, along with Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, an historical frame for the
composer whose music lies deepest in the heart of Cantata Singers, J.S. Bach; to
explore a work usually in the province of much larger choruses (if not orchestras) in
the spirit of our performances of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, Brahms’ German
Requiem, and Verdi’s Requiem; and—most importantly—to share with our listeners
music of utmost beauty, brilliance and bold heart. For in this music lies a powerful
affirmation of life.
Quotations by Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn: Elias op. 70
Oratorio on texts from the Old Testament
PART I
Introduction
ELIJAH
So wahr der Herr, der Gott Israels lebet, vor
dem ich stehe: Es soll diese Jahre weder Tau
noch Regen kommen, ich sage es denn.
As God the Lord of Israel liveth, before
whom I stand: There shall not be dew nor
rain these years, but according to my word.
Overture
1. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Hilf, Herr! Hilf, Herr! Willst du uns den gar
vertilgen? Die Ernte ist vergangen, der
Sommer ist dahin, und uns ist keine Hilfe
gekommen! Will denn der Herr nicht mehr
Gott sein in Zion?
Recitative
Die Tiefe ist versieget! Und die Ströme sind
vertrocknet! Dem Säugling klebt die Zunge
am Gaumen vor Durst! Die jungen Kinder
heischen Brot! Und da ist niemand, der es
ihnen breche!
2. Duet with Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Herr, höre unser Gebet!
TWO WOMEN Bonnie Gleason and
Majie Zeller
Zion streckt ihre Hände aus,
und da ist niemand, der sie tröste.
3. Recitative
OBADIAH
Zerreißet eure Herzen und nicht eure
Kleider! Um unsrer Sünden willen hat Elias
den Himmel verschlossen durch das Wort
des Herrn. So bekehret euch zu dem Herrn
eurem Gott, denn er ist gnädig, barmherzig,
geduldig und von großer Güte und reut ihn
bald der Strafe.
Help, Lord! Wilt Thou quite destroy us! The
harvest now is over, the summer days are
gone, and yet no power cometh to help us!
Will then the Lord be no more God in Zion?
The deeps afford 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!
Lord, bow Thine ear to our prayer!
Zion spreadeth her hands for aid,
and there is neither help nor comfort.
Ye people, rend your hearts and not your
garments for your transgressions: the
prophet 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.
Please turn pages quietly during the performance.
4. Aria
OBADIAH
So ihr mich von ganzem Herzen suchet,
so will ich mich finden lassen,
spricht unser Gott.
Ach, daß ich wüßte, wie ich ihn finden
und zu seinem Stuhl kommen möchte!
If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me,
ye shall ever surely find Me.
Thus saith our God.
Oh! that I knew where I might find Him,
that I might even come before His presence!
5. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Aber der Herr sieht es nicht. Er spottet
unser! Der Fluch ist über uns gekommen. Er
wird uns verfolgen, bis er uns tötet! “Denn
ich der Herr, dein Gott, ich bin ein eifriger
Gott, der da heimsucht der Väter Missetat
an den Kindern bis ins dritte und vierte Glied
derer, die mich hassen. Und tue
Barmherzigkeit an vielen Tausenden, die
mich liebhaben und meine Gebote halten.”
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 I, the Lord your God, I am a jealous
God, who visiteth all the fathers’ sins on the
children to the third and the fourth
generation of them that hate me. My mercies
on thousands fall, on all them that love me
and keep my commandments.”
6. Recitative
AN ANGEL Emily Marvosh
Elias, gehe weg von hinnen und wende dich
gen Morgen und verbirg dich am Bache
Crith! Du sollst vom Bache trinken, und die
Raben werden dir Brot bringen des Morgens
und des Abends, nach dem Wort deines
Gottes.
Elijah! Get thee hence, Elijah! Depart and
turn thee eastward: thither hide thee by
Cherith’s brook. There shalt thou drink its
waters; and the Lord thy God hath
commanded the ravens to feed thee there:
so do according unto His word.
7. Double Quartet
Luellen Best, Lisa Lynch, Amy Lieberman,
Carola Emrich-Fisher, Eric Perry,
Stephen Williams, Will Prapestis,
Shelby Condray
Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen über dir,
daß sie dich behüten auf allen deinen
Wegen, daß sie dich auf den Händen tragen
und du deinen Fuß nicht an einen Stein
stoßest.
Recitative
AN ANGEL Emily Marvosh
Nun auch der Bach vertrocknet ist, Elias,
mache dich auf, gehe gen Zarpath und
bleibe daselbst! Denn der Herr hat daselbst
einer Witwe geboten, daß sie dich versorge.
Das Mehl im Cad soll nicht verzehret
werden, und dem Ölkruge soll nichts
mangeln, bis auf den Tag, da der Herr
regnen lassen wird auf Erden.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee:
that they shall protect thee in all the ways
thou goest, that their hands shall uphold and
guide thee, lest thou dash thy foot against a
stone.
Now Cherith’s brook is dried up, Elijah, arise
and depart, and get thee to Zarepath; thither
abide: for the Lord even there hath
commanded a widow woman to sustain
thee. And the barrel of meal shall not waste,
neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day
that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
8. Recitative, Aria, and Duet
THE WIDOW
Was hast du an mir getan, du Mann Gottes!
Du bist zu mir hereingekommen, daß meiner
Missetat gedacht und mein Sohn getötet
werde! Hilf mir, du Mann Gottes! Mein Sohn
ist krank, und seine Krankheit ist so hart,
daß kein Odem mehr in ihm blieb. Ich netze
mit meinen Tränen mein Lager die ganze
Nacht. Du schaust das Elend, sei du der
Armen Helfer! Hilf meinem Sohn! Es ist kein
Odem mehr in ihm!
ELIJAH
Gib mir her deinen Sohn! Herr, mein Gott,
vernimm mein Flehn! Wende dich, Herr, und
sei ihr gnädig, und hilf dem Sohne deiner
Magd! Denn du bist gnädig, barmherzig,
geduldig und von großer Güte und Treue!
Herr, mein Gott, lasse die Seele dieses
Kindes wieder zu ihm kommen!
THE WIDOW
Wirst du denn unter den Toten Wunder tun?
Es ist kein Odem mehr in ihm!
ELIJAH
Herr, mein Gott, lasse sie Seele dieses
Kindes wieder zu ihm kommen!
THE WIDOW
Werden die Gestorb’nen aufstehn und dir
danken?
ELIJAH
Herr, mein Gott, lasse sie Seele dieses
Kindes wieder zu ihm kommen!
THE WIDOW
Der Herr erhört deine Stimme, die Seele des
Kindes kommt wieder! Es wird lebendig!
ELIJAH
Siehe da, dein Sohn lebet!
THE WIDOW
Nun erkenne ich, daß du ein Mann Gottes
bist, und des Herrn Wort in deinem Munde
ist Wahrheit! Wie soll ich dem Herrn
vergelten alle seine Wohltat, die er an mir tut?
ELIJAH
Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, liebhaben
von ganzem Herzen . . .
ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW
. . . von ganzer Seele, von allem Vermögen.
Wohl dem, der den Herrn fürchtet.
What have I to do with thee, O man of God?
Art thou come to me to call my sin unto
remembrance? To slay my son art thou come
hither? Help me, man of God, my son is sick!
And his sickness is so sore that there is no
breath left in him! I go mourning all the day
long; I lie down and weep at night. See mine
affliction. Be thou the orphan’s helper! Help
my son! There is no breath left in him!
Give me thy son! Turn unto her, O Lord my
God, oh, turn in mercy; 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!
Wilt thou show wonders to the dead?
There is no breath in him!
Lord, my God, let the spirit of this child return
again into him.
Shall the dead arise and praise thee?
Lord, my God, let the spirit of this child return
again into him.
The Lord hath heard thy prayer, the soul of
my son reviveth; my son reviveth!
Now behold, thy son liveth.
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?
Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, love Him
with all thine heart . . .
. . . and with all thy soul and with all thy might.
Oh blessed are they who fear the Lord!
9. Chorus
Wohl dem, der den Herrn fürchtet und auf
seinen Wegen geht! Wohl dem, der auf
Gottes Wegen geht! Denn Frommen geht
das Licht auf in der Finsternis. Den Frommen
geht das Licht auf von dem Gnädigen,
Barmherzigen und Gerechten.
Blessed are they who fear the Lord, and ever
walk in His ways. Blessed are they who walk
in the way of the Lord! Through darkness
riseth light before the gracious, merciful,
and righteous God.
10. Recitative with Chorus
ELIJAH
So wahr der Herr Zebaoth lebet, vor dem
ich stehe: Heute, im dritten Jahre, will ich
mich dem Könige zeigen, und der Herr wird
wieder regnen lassen auf Erden.
KING AHAB
Bist du’s, Elias, bist du’s, der Israel verwirrt?
As God the Lord of Sabaoth liveth, before
whom I stand, three years this day fulfilled, I
will show myself unto Ahab; and the Lord will
then send rain again upon the earth.
THE PEOPLE
Du bist’s, Elias, du bist’s, der Israel verwirrt!
ELIJAH
Ich verwirrte Israel nicht, sondern du, König,
und deines Vaters Haus, damit, daß ihr des
Herrn Gebot verlaßt und wandelt Baalim
nach. Wohlan! So sende nun hin und
versammle zu mir das ganze Israel auf den
Berg Carmel, und alle Propheten Baals, und
alle Propheten des Hains, die vom Tische
der Königin essen: Da wollen wir sehn, ob
Gott der Herr ist.
THE PEOPLE
Da wollen wir sehn, ob Gott der Herr ist.
ELIJAH
Auf denn, ihr Propheten Baals, erwählet
einen Farren, und legt kein Feuer daran, und
rufet ihr an den Namen eures Gottes, und
ich will den Namen des Herrn anrufen;
welcher Gott nun mit Feuer antworten wird,
der sei Gott.
THE PEOPLE
Ja, welcher Gott nun mit Feuer antworten
wird, der sei Gott.
ELIJAH
Ruft euren Gott zuerst, denn eurer sind viele!
Ich aber bin allein übergeblieben, ein
Prophet des Herrn. Ruft eure Feldgötter und
eure Berggötter!
Art thou Elijah? Art thou he that troubleth
Israel?
Thou art Elijah, he that troubleth Israel!
I never troubled Israel’s peace: it is thou,
Ahab, and all thy father’s house. Ye have
forsaken God’s commands, and thou hast
followed Baalim. Now send and gather to me
the whole of Israel unto Mount Carmel; there
summon the prophets of Baal, and also the
prophets of the groves, who are feasted at
the queen’s table. Then we shall see whose
God is the Lord.
Then we shall see whose god is God the
Lord.
Rise then, ye priests of Baal; select a
bullock, and put no fire under it; uplift your
voices and call the god ye worship; and I
then will call on the name of the Lord; and
the god who by fire shall answer, let him be
God.
Yea, and the God who by fire shall answer,
let him be God.
Call first upon your god; your numbers are
many. I, even I only, remain one prophet of
the Lord. Invoke your forest gods, and
mountain deities.
11. Chorus
PROPHETS OF BAAL
Baal, erhöre uns! Wende dich zu unserm
Opfer, Baal, erhöre uns!
Höre uns, mächtiger Gott!
Send’ uns dein Feuer und vertilge den Feind!
12. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
Rufet lauter! Denn er ist ja Gott: Er dichtet,
oder er hat zu schaffen, oder ist über Feld,
oder schläft er vielleicht, daß er aufwache!
Rufet lauter, rufet lauter!
PROPHETS OF BAAL
Baal, erhöre uns, wache auf!
Warum schläfst du?
13. Recitative and Chorus
ELIJAH
Rufet lauter! Er hört euch nicht! Ritzt euch
mit Messern und mit Pfriemen nach eurer
Weise. Hinkt um den Altar, den ihr gemacht,
rufet und weissagt! Da wird keine Stimme
sein, keine Antwort, kein Aufmerken.
PROPHETS OF BAAL
Baal! Gib uns Antwort, Baal! Siehe, die
Feinde verspotten uns!
ELIJAH
Kommt her, alles Volk, kommt her zu mir.
Baal, hear and answer us! Heed the sacrifice
we offer! Baal, hear us!
Hear us, mighty god!
Let thy flames fall and extirpate the foe!
Call him louder, for he is a god! He talketh,
or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey; or,
peradventure, he sleepeth; so awaken him!
Call him louder!
Hear our cry, o Baal, now arise!
Wherefore slumber?
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 prophesy! Not a voice will
answer you: none will listen, none heed you.
Baal! Hear and answer, Baal! Mark how the
scorner derideth us!
Draw near, all ye people, come to me.
14. Aria
ELIJAH
Herr, Gott Abrahams, Isaaks und Israels,
laßt heut kund werden, daß du Gott bist,
und ich dein Knecht.
Herr, Gott Abrahams!
Und daß ich solches alles nach deinem
Worte getan!
Erhöre mich, Herr, erhöre mich!
Herr, Gott Abrahams, Isaaks und Israels,
erhöre mich, Herr, erhöre mich!
Daß dies Volk wisse, daß du der
Herr Gott bist,
daß du ihr Herz danach bekehrest!
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, this
day let it be known that Thou art God, and
that I am Thy servant!
Lord God of Abraham!
And that I have done these things according
to Thy word.
Oh hear me, Lord, hear me!
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
Oh hear me, Lord, hear me!
And show this people that Thou
art Lord God.
And turn Thou their hearts again!
15. Quartet
Lisa Lynch, Carola Emrich-Fisher,
Jason Sabol, Brian Church
Wirf dein Anliegen auf den Herrn, der wird
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He
dich versorgen, und wird den Gerechten
nicht ewiglich in Unruhe lassen. Denn seine
Gnade reicht so weit der Himmel ist, und
keiner wird zu Schanden, der seiner harret.
16. Recitative with Chorus
ELIJAH
Der du deine Diener machst zu Geistern,
und deine Engel zu Feuerflammen, sende sie
herab!
THE PEOPLE
Das Feuer fiel herab! Die Flamme fraß das
Brandopfer! Fallt nieder auf euer Angesicht!
Der Herr ist Gott, der Herr ist Gott! Der
Herr, unser Gott, ist ein einiger Herr, und
es sind keine andern Götter neben ihm.
ELIJAH
Greift die Propheten Baals, daß ihrer keiner
entrinne, führt sie hinab an den Bach und
schlachtet sie daselbst!
THE PEOPLE
Greift die Propheten Baals, daß ihrer keiner
entrinne!
17. Aria
ELIJAH
Ist nicht des Herrn Wort wie ein Feuer
und wie ein Hammer, der Felsen zerschlägt?
shall sustain thee. He never will suffer the
righteous to fall: for his mercy reacheth,
far above the heavens, and none shall be
ashamed, that wait upon Thee!
O Thou, who makest Thy servants spirits,
and Thy angels flaming fires, let them now
descend!
The fire descends from heaven! The flames
consume his offering! Fall before Him upon
your faces! The Lord is God, the Lord is
God! The Lord our God is the only God, and
we will have no other gods besides him.
Seize all the prophets of Baal, and let not
one of them escape. Bring them down to
Kishon’s brook, and there let them be slain.
Seize the prophets of Baal, and let not one of
them escape!
Gott ist ein rechter Richter, und ein Gott,
der täglich droht:
will man sich nicht bekehren,
so hat er sein Schwert gewetzt,
und seinen Bogen gespannt und zielet!
Is not the Lord’s word like a fire,
and like a hammer that breaketh the rock into
pieces!
His word is like a fire,
and like a fire that breaketh the rock into
pieces!
For God is a righteous judge, and a God
who threatens daily;
and if the wicked turn not,
He hath whet His sword,
and bent His bow, and made it ready.
18. Arioso Lynn Torgove
Weh ihnen, daß sie von mir weichen!
Sie müssen verstöret werden,
denn sie sind abtrünnig von mir geworden.
Ich wollte sie wohl erlösen,
wenn sie nicht Lügen wider mich lehrten.
Ich wollte sie wohl erlösen,
aber sie hören es nicht.
Weh ihnen! Weh ihnen!
Woe, woe unto them who forsake Him!
Destruction shall fall upon them,
for they have deserted Him.
He would have redeemed them,
yet they have spoken falsely against Him.
He would have redeemed them,
but they hearken not.
Woe unto them! Woe unto them!
Sein Wort ist wie ein Feuer
und wie ein Hammer, der Felsen zerschlägt.
19. Recitative with Chorus
OBADIAH
Hilf deinem Volk, du Mann Gottes! Wes ist
doch ja unter der Heiden Götzen keiner, der
Regen könnte geben: So kann der Himmel
auch nicht regnen; denn Gott allein kann
solches alles tun.
ELIJAH
O Herr! Du hast nun deine Feinde verworfen
und zerschlagen! So schaue nun vom
Himmel herab und wende die Not deines
Volkes. Öffne den Himmel und fahre herab.
Hilf deinem Knecht, o du mein Gott.
THE PEOPLE
Öffne den Himmel und fahre herab. Hilf
deinem Knecht, o du mein Gott!
ELIJAH
Gehe hinauf, Knabe, und schaue zum Meere
zu, ob der Herr mein Gebet erhört.
THE YOUTH
Ich sehe nichts; der Himmel ist ehern über
meinem Haupte.
ELIJAH
Wenn der Himmel verschlossen wird, weil
sie an dir gesündiget haben, und sie werden
beten und deinen Namen bekennen und sich
von ihren Sünden bekehren, so wollest du
ihnen gnädig sein.
Hilf deinem Knecht, o du, mein Gott!
THE PEOPLE
So wollest du uns gnädig sein, hilf deinem
Knecht, o du, mein Gott
ELIJAH
Gehe wieder hin und schaue zum Meere zu.
THE YOUTH
Ich sehe nichts; die Erde ist eisern unter mir!
ELIJAH
Rauscht es nicht, als wollte es regnen?
Siehest du noch nichts vom Meere her?
THE YOUTH
Ich sehe nichts!
ELIJAH
Wende dich zum Gebet deines Knechts, zu
seinem Flehn, Herr! Herr, du mein Gott!
Wenn ich rufe zu dir, Herr, mein Gott, so
schweige mir nicht! Gedenke, Herr, an deine
Barmherzigkeit.
O man of God, help thy people! Among the
idols of the Gentiles, there is none that can
command the rain, therefore the heavens
cannot give their rain, for God alone can do
these things.
O Lord, now Thou hast overthrown and
destroyed Thine enemies! Look down from
heaven, and relieve the distress of Thy
people. Open the heavens and come down.
Help Thy servant, o my God!
Open the heavens and come down. Help
Thy servant, o my God!
Go up now, child, and look toward the sea,
and behold whether the Lord hath heard my
prayer.
I see nothing. The heavens are as brass
above my head.
When the heavens are closed up, because
they have sinned against Thee; yet if they
pray and confess Thy name, and turn from
their sin, then vouchsafe them Thy mercy.
Help Thy servant, o my God!
Then vouchsafe them Thy mercy. Help Thy
servant, o my God!
Go up again, and still look towards the sea.
I see nothing. The earth is as iron under me.
Hearest thou no sign of rain?
Seest thou nothing arise from the deep?
I see nothing!
Have respect to the prayer of Thy servant, to
his supplication, Lord! Lord, Thou my God!
When I cry unto Thee, Lord, my God, be not
silent to me! And be mindful, Lord, of Thy
great mercy.
THE YOUTH
Es gehet eine kleine Wolke auf aus dem
Meere, wie eines Mannes Hand; der
Himmel wird Schwarz von Wolken und
Wind; es rauschet stärker und stärker!
THE PEOPLE
Danket dem Herrn, denn er ist freundlich.
ELIJAH
Danket dem Herrn, denn er ist freundlich,
und seine Güte währet ewiglich!
20. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Dank sei dir Gott, du tränkest das durst’ge
Land! Die Wasserströme erheben sich, sie
erheben ihr Brausen. Die Wasserwogen
sind groß und brausen gewaltig.
Doch der Herr ist noch größer in der Höhe.
Behold, a little cloud ariseth now upon the
waters. It is like a man’s hand! The heavens
are black with clouds and with wind; the
storm rusheth louder and louder!
Thanks be to God, for He is gracious.
Thanks be to God! For He is gracious;
and His mercy endureth for ever!
Thanks be to God! He laveth the thirsty land.
The waters gather, they are lifting their
voices! The stormy billows are high, their fury
is mighty.
But the Lord is above them and almighty!
INTERMISSION
PART II
21. Aria Janet Brown
Höre, Israel, höre des Herren Stimme!
Ach, daß du merkest auf sein Gebot!
Aber wer glaubt unsrer Predigt,
Und wem wird der Arm des Herr
geoffenbart?
Recitative
So spricht der Herr, der Erlöser Israels,
sein Heiliger, zum Knecht, der unter den
Tyrannen ist, so spricht der Herr:
Aria
Ich bin euer Tröster.
Weiche nicht, denn ich bin dein Gott!
Ich stärke dich!
Wer bist du denn, daß du dich
vor Menschen fürchtest, die doch sterben?
Und vergissest des Herrn, der dich
gemacht hat, der den Himmel ausbreitet
und die Erde gegründet.
Wer bist du denn?
Hear ye, Israel, the voice of the Lord!
Oh, hadst thou heeded His commandments!
But who hath believed our report,
and to whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed?
Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel,
and His Holy One to the servant oppressed
by tyrants, thus saith the Lord:
I am He that comforteth.
Be not afraid, for I am thy God!
I will strengthen thee!
Say, who art thou, that thou
art afraid of men that shall die!
And forgettest the Lord thy Maker,
who hath stretched forth the heavens,
and laid the earth’s foundations?
Say, who art thou?
22. Chorus
Fürchte dich nicht, spricht unser Gott,
fürchte dich nicht, ich bin mit dir, ich helfe
dir! Denn ich bin der Herr dein Gott, der zu
dir spricht: Fürchte dich nicht!
Ob tausend fallen zu deiner Seite und
zehentausend zu deiner Rechten, so wird es
doch dich nicht treffen.
23. Recitative with Chorus
ELIJAH
Der Herr hat dich erhoben aus dem Volk und
dich zum König über Israel gesetzt. Aber du,
Ahab, hast übel getan über alle, die vor dir
gewesen sind. Es war dir ein Geringes, daß
du wandeltest in der Sünde Jerobeams, und
machtest dem Baal einen Hain, den Herrn,
den Gott Israels zu erzürnen; du hast
totgeschlagen und fremdes Gut genommen!
Und der Herr wird Israel schlagen, wie ein
Rohr im Wasser bewegt wird, und wird
Israel übergeben um eurer Sünde willen.
THE QUEEN
Habt ihr’s gehört, wie er geweissagt hat
wider dieses Volk?
THE PEOPLE
Wir haben es gehört!
THE QUEEN
Wie er geweissagt hat wider den König in
Israel?
THE PEOPLE
Wir haben es gehört!
THE QUEEN
Warum darf er weissagen im Namen des
Herrn? Was wäre für ein Königreich in
Israel, wen Elias Macht hätte über des
Königs Macht? Die Götter tun mir dies
und das, wenn ich nicht morgen um diese
Zeit seiner Seele tue, wie dieser Seelen
einer, die er geopfert hat am Bache Kison.
THE PEOPLE
Er muß sterben!
THE QUEEN
Er hat die Propheten Baals getötet.
THE PEOPLE
Er muß sterben!
THE QUEEN
Er hat sie mit dem Schwert erwürgt.
Be not afraid, saith God the Lord, be not
afraid, thy help is near! For I am the Lord,
thy God, that sayeth unto thee:
Be not afraid!
Though thousands languish and fall beside
thee, and tens of thousands perish upon thy
right hand, yet still it shall not come nigh thee.
The Lord hath exalted thee from among the
people: and o’er His people Israel hath made
thee king. But thou, Ahab, hast done evil to
all that were before thee. It had been a light
thing for thee to walk in the sins of Jeroboam,
and hast made a grove to Baal, to anger the
Lord, the God of Israel; thou hast killed, and
also taken possession of unlawful property.
And the Lord shall smite all Israel, as a reed
is shaken in the water, and give Israel up
because of your iniquities.
Have ye heard that he hath prophesied
against these people?
We heard it!
How he hath prophesied against the king of
Israel?
We heard it!
And why hath he prophesied in the name of
the Lord? What kingdom would be in Israel,
if Elijah’s power were greater than the
king’s? The gods do so to me, and more, if,
by tomorrow about this time, I make not his
soul as the soul of one of them whom he hath
sacrificed at the brook of Kishon.
He shall perish!
He hath destroyed Baal’s prophets.
He shall perish!
Yea, by the sword he slew them all!
THE PEOPLE
Er hat sie erwürgt.
THE QUEEN
Er hat den Himmel verschlossen.
THE PEOPLE
Er hat den Himmel verschlossen.
THE QUEEN
Er hat die teure Zeit über uns gebracht.
THE PEOPLE
Er hat die teure Zeit über uns gebracht.
THE QUEEN
So ziehet hin und greift Elias, er ist des
Todes schuldig. Tötet ihn, laßt uns ihm tun,
wie er getan hat.
24. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Wehe ihm, er muß sterben! Warum darf er
den Himmel verschließen? Warum darf er
weissagen im Namen des Herrn? Dieser ist
des Todes schuldig! Wehe ihm, er muß
sterben, denn er hat geweissagt wider diese
Stadt, wie wir mit unsern Ohren gehört.
So ziehet hin, greifet ihn, tötet ihn!
25. Recitative
OBADIAH
Du Mann Gottes, laß meine Rede etwas vor
dir gelten. So spricht die Königin: Elias ist
des Todes schuldig; und sie sammeln sich
wider dich, sie stellen deinem Gange Netze,
und ziehen aus, daß sie dich greifen, daß sie
dich töten! So mache dich auf und wende
dich von ihnen, gehe hin in die Wüste. Der
Herr, dein Gott wird selber mit dir wandeln,
er wird die Hand nicht abtun, noch dich
verlassen. Ziehe hin und segne uns auch!
ELIJAH
Sie wollen sich nicht bekehren! Bleibe hier,
du Knabe; der Herr sei mit euch.
Ich gehe hin in die Wüste!
He slew them all!
He hath closed the heavens!
He hath closed the heavens!
And called down a famine upon the land.
And called down a famine upon the land.
So go ye forth, and seize Elijah, for he is
worthy to die. Slaughter him, do unto him as
he hath done!
Woe to him! He shall perish! Why hath he
closed the heavens? And why hath he
prophesied in the name of the Lord? This
man deserveth death! Woe unto him, he
must die, for he hath prophesied against this
city, as we have heard with our ears.
So go ye forth: seize him, slay him!
Man of God, now let my words be precious
in thy sight. Thus saith the queen: “Elijah is
worthy to die.” So they gather against thee,
and they have prepared a net for thy steps;
and they go forth that they may seize thee,
and slay thee. Arise then, and turn thy back
upon them, go forth into the wilderness.
The Lord thy God shall go with thee: He
will not fail thee, He will not forsake thee.
Now begone and bless us also!
They will not be converted! Tarry here, thou
boy: the Lord be with thee.
I go hence to the wilderness.
26. Aria
ELIJAH
Es ist genug!
So nimm nun, Herr, meine Seele!
Ich bin nicht besser denn meine Väter.
Ich begehre nicht mehr zu leben,
denn meine Tage sind vergeblich gewesen.
Ich habe geeifert um den Herrn,
um den Gott Zebaoth,
denn die Kinder Israels
haben deinen Bund verlassen,
und deine Altäre haben sie zerbrochen,
und deine Propheten
mit dem Schwert erwürgt.
Und ich bin allein übrig geblieben;
und sie stehen danach, daß sie mir
mein Leben nehmen!
Es ist genug!
So nimm nun, Herr, meine Seele!
Ich bin nicht besser denn meine Väter.
Nimm nun, o Herr, meine Seele!
27. Recitative William Hite
Sieh, er schläft unter dem Wacholder in der
Wüste, aber die Engel des Herrn lagern sich
um die her, so ihn fürchten.
It is enough!
O Lord, now take away my soul,
for I am not better than my fathers!
I desire to live no longer:
for my days have been but vanity.
I have been very jealous for the Lord,
for the Lord God of Hosts;
for the children of Israel
have broken Thy covenant,
and thrown down Thine altars.
And Thy prophets
they have slain with the sword.
And I, even I only am left:
and they seek my life
to take it away!
It is enough!
O Lord, now take away my soul,
for I am not better than my fathers!
Now take, o Lord, my soul!
See, how he sleepeth beneath a juniper tree
in the wilderness; but there the angels of the
Lord encamp ’round about all them that fear
Him.
28. Trio
THREE ANGELS
Janet Brown, Jennifer Webb, Emily Marvosh
Hebe deine Augen auf zu den Bergen,
von welchen dir Hilfe kommt.
Deine Hilfe kommt vom Herrn,
der Himmel und Erde gemacht hat.
Er wird deinen Fuß nicht gleiten lassen,
und der dich behütet, schläft nicht.
Lift thine eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh thy help.
Thy help cometh from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved,
and he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
29. Chorus
THE PEOPLE
Siehe, der Hüter Israels schläft noch
schlummert nicht. Wenn du mitten in Angst
wandelst, so erquickt er dich.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither
slumber nor sleep. Though thou walkest in
the midst of trouble, He will quicken thee.
30. Recitative
THE ANGEL Emily Marvosh
Stehe auf, Elias, denn du hast einen großen
Weg vor dir!
Vierzig Tage und vierzig Nächte sollst du geh’n
Arise, Elijah, for thou hast a long journey
before thee.
Forty days and forty nights shalt thou go,
bis an den Berg Gottes Horeb.
ELIJAH
O Herr, ich arbeite vergeblich und bringe
meine Kraft umsonst und unnütz zu.
Ach, daß du den Himmel zerrissest und
führest herab! Daß die Berge vor dir
zerflössen! Daß deine Feinde vor dir zittern
müßten durch die Wunder, die du tust!
Warum lässest du sie irren von deinen
Wegen und ihr Herz verstocken, daß sie
dich nicht fürchten? O daß meine Seele
stürbe!
31. Aria
THE ANGEL Emily Marvosh
Sei stille dem Herrn und warte auf ihn;
der wird dir geben, was dein herz
wünscht.
Befiehl ihm deine Wege und hoffe auf ihn.
Steh ab vom Zorn und laß den Grimm.
32. Chorus
Wer bis an das Ende beharrt, der wird selig.
33. Recitative
ELIJAH
Herr, es wird Nacht um mich, sei du nicht
ferne! Verbirg dein Antlitz nicht vor mir!
Meine Seele dürstet nach dir,
wie ein dürres Land.
THE ANGEL Janet Brown
Wohlan den, gehe hinaus, und tritt auf den
Berg vor den Herrn, denn seine Herrlichkeit
erscheinet über dir. Verhülle dein Antlitz,
denn es naht der Herr.
34. Chorus
Der Herr ging vorüber, und ein starker Wind,
der die Berge zerriß und die Felsen
zerbrach, ging vor dem Herrn her, aber der
Herr war nicht im Sturmwind. Der Herr ging
vorüber, und die Erde erbebte, und das Meer
erbrauste, aber der Herr war nicht im
Erdbeben. Und nach dem Erdbeben kam ein
Feuer, aber der Herr war nicht im Feuer. Und
nach dem Feuer kam ein stilles, sanftes
Sausen. Und in dem Säuseln nahte sich der
Herr.
even unto Horeb, the mount of God.
O Lord, I have labored in vain! Yea, I have
spent my strength for naught, and in vain!
Oh that Thou wouldst rend the heavens,
and wouldst come down! That the mountains
would flow down at Thy presence! That
Thine adversaries may tremble before Thee,
through the wonders of Thy works! O Lord,
why hast Thou made them to err from Thy
ways, and hardened their hearts, that they
do not fear Thee? Oh that my soul might die!
Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him,
and He shall give thee the desires of thy
heart.
Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him,
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.
He that shall endure to the end, shall be
saved.
Night falleth round me, o Lord! Be Thou not
far from me! Hide not Thy face from me;
my soul is thirsting for Thee,
as a thirsty land.
Arise now, get thee without, stand on the
mount before the Lord: for there His glory
will shine on thee! Cover thy face, for the
Lord draweth near.
The Lord passed by! And a mighty wind rent
the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks
before the Lord. But yet the Lord was not in
the wind. The Lord passed by. And the earth
was shaken, and the sea was upheaved, but
yet the Lord was not in the earthquake. And
after the earthquake there came a fire. But
yet the Lord was not in the fire. And after the
fire there came a still small voice. And in that
still voice onward came the Lord.
35. Recitative Emily Marvosh
Seraphim standen über ihm,
und einer rief zum andern:
Quartet with Chorus
Angelynne Hinson, Lisa Lynch,
Jennifer Webb, Carola Emrich-Fisher
Heilig, heilig, heilig ist Gott, der Herr
Zebaoth. Alle Lande sind seiner Ehre voll.
36. Chorus and Recitative
Geh wiederum hinab! Noch sind
übriggeblieben siebentausend in Israel, die
sich nicht gebeugt vor Baal. Gehe wiederum
hinab! Tue nach des Herrn Wort!
ELIJAH
Ich gehe hinab in der Kraft des Herrn! Du
bist ja der Herr! Ich muß um deinetwillen
leiden; darum freuet sich mein Herz, und ich
bin fröhlich: Auch mein Fleisch wird sicher
liegen.
37. Arioso
ELIJAH
Ja, es sollen wohl Berge weichen
und Hügel hinfallen,
aber deine Gnade wird nicht von mir
weichen,
und der Bund deines Friedens soll nicht
fallen.
38. Chorus
Und der Prophet Elias brach hervor wie ein
Feuer, und sein Wort brannte wie eine
Fackel. Er hat stolze Könige gestürzt. Er hat
auf dem Berge Sinai gehört die zukünftige
Strafe, und in Horeb die Rache. Und da der
Herr ihn wollte gen Himmel holen, siehe, da
kam ein feuriger Wagen, mit feurige Rossen,
und er fuhr im Wetter gen Himmel.
39. Aria William Hite
Dann werden die Gerechten leuchten wie
die Sonne in ihres Vaters Reich. Wonne und
Freude werden sie ergreifen. Aber Trauern
und Seufzen wird vor ihnen fliehen.
Above Him stood the Seraphim,
and one cried to another:
Holy, holy, holy is God the Lord, the Lord of
hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory.
Go, return upon thy way! For there shall
remain seven thousand in Israel whose
knees which have not bowed to Baal. Go,
return! Thus the Lord commandeth.
I go on my way in the strength of the Lord.
For Thou art my Lord; and I will suffer for Thy
sake. My heart is therefore glad, my glory
rejoiceth; and my flesh shall also rest in
hope.
Yea, the mountains shall depart,
and the hills be removed;
but Thy kindness shall not depart
from me,
neither shall the covenant of Thy peace be
removed.
Then did Elijah the prophet break forth like
a fire; and his words appeared like burning
torches. Mighty kings by him were
overthrown. He stood on the mount of Sinai
and heard the judgments of the future, and in
Horeb its vengeance. And when the Lord
would take him away to heaven, lo!
there came a fiery chariot with fiery horses,
and he went by a whirlwind to heaven.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the
sun in their Father’s realm. Joy on their head
shall be for everlasting, and all sorrow and
mourning shall flee away before them.
40. Recitative Janet Brown
Darum ward gesendet der Prophet Elias, eh’
denn da komme der große und schreckliche
Tag des Herrn: Er soll das Herz der Väter
bekehren zu den Kindern, und das Herz der
Kinder zu ihren Vätern; daß der Herr nicht
komme und das Erdreich mit dem Bann
schlage.
41. Chorus
Aber einer erwacht von Mitternacht, und er
kommt vom Aufgang der Sonne. Der wird
des Herren Namen predigen und wird über
die Gewaltigen gehen; das ist sein Knecht,
sein Auserwählter, an welchem seine Seele
Wohlgefallen hat. Auf ihm wird ruhen der
Geist des Herrn: Der Geist der Weisheit und
des Verstandes, der Geist des Rats und der
Stärke, der Geist der Erkenntnis und der
Furcht des Herrn. Aber einer wacht von
Mitternacht, und er kommt vom Aufgang
der Sonne.
Quartet
Janet Brown, Emily Marvosh, William Hite,
Brian Church
Wohlan alle, die ihr durstig seid,
Kommt her zum Wasser, kommt her zu ihm!
Und neigt euer Ohr, und kommt zu ihm,
so wird eure Seele leben.
42. Final Chorus
Alsdann wird euer Licht hervorbrechen wie
die Morgenröte, und eure Besserung wird
schnell wachsen; und die Herrlichkeit des
Herrn wird euch zu sich nehmen.
Herr, unser Herrscher! Wie herrlich ist dein
Name in allen Landen, da man dir danket im
Himmel.
Amen.
Therefore was sent Elijah the prophet,
before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart
of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers: lest the Lord
shall come and smite the earth with a curse.
But the Lord from the north hath raised one,
and from the rising of the sun he cometh.
He will preach the Name of the Lord, and he
will come upon 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
counsel and of might, the spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the Lord. But the Lord from
the north hath raised one, who cometh from
the rising of the sun.
Oh come everyone that thirsteth,
oh come to the waters, oh come unto Him!
Oh hear, come unto Him,
and your souls shall live for ever.
And then shall your light break forth as the
light of the morning breaketh: 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! And Thou art thanked in
heaven.
Amen.