The Story of Elijah

Anyone who has experienced a drought should be able to appreciate the biblical story that inspires Mendelssohn's Elijah.

The text Felix Mendelssohn chose as his libretto was based on the Kings chapters of the Old Testament. Attesting to Mendelssohn's Jewish heritage, as well as his aspirations to compose an opera, Elijah is a dramatic and riveting tale of a drought and floods brought on by a man who seeks to show his nation that there is one God, who must be obeyed. The piece overflows with images of fire, sacrifice, storm, water rushing, earthquake, whirlwinds, and a miraculous ascent into heaven.

Elijah A Fitting Piece for Hot Summer

Elijah is the story of a man who made miracles, a Hebrew prophet, and the name of an oratorio as popular as Handel's Messiah in Victorian England.

Elijah, also know as Elias

Later in the New Testament, Elijah is thought to have appeared at the Transfiguration. He is viewed as the herald of the Messiah.

Elias lived in approximately 875 B.C., during the reign of King Ahab. His mission was to destroy the worship of foreign gods and to restore exclusive loyalty to his monotheistic God.

His curse upon Israel in the first movement brought about a 42-month drought and famine. He also affected a temporary banishment of idolatry.

He is known for raising a widow's son from the dead, miraculously feeding those who he stayed with, his contest of faith with the priests of Baal (otherwise known as "Beelzebub"), his being fed by ravens, the miracle when his prayer brings relief from the drought, and his departure from earth in "a fiery, fiery chariot." These events in his life are dramatized in Mendelssohn's work.

Felix Mendelssohn said that he'd never known such a triumph as his first performance of Elijah, in English, on August 26, 1846 at the Birmingham (England) Music Festival. Applause was frowned on at oratorios, but at the premiere the audience was so insistent that eight numbers had to be repeated.

Mendelssohn was one of the most noted of Romantic classical composers. He was devoted to reviving interest in Bach's works, and conducted the Bach St. Matthew Passion at the age of 29. His friends described him as "constantly composing," and devotees of classical music will recognize his homages to Handel, Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart in this two-hour work.