Felix Mendelssohn was an ardent admirer of the Baroque period’s two greatest masters: Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Frideric Handel. In fact, it was Mendelssohn’s admiration for the old Leipzig master that led him to being an instrumental figure in bringing Bach’s music to the attention of the general public and spurring greater academic interest in his music, an event which later became known as the Bach Revival. Furthermore, Mendelssohn edited the first critical edition of Handel’s oratorios published in London. It is to no surprise, then, that when Mendelssohn set out to compose his oratorio Elijah, he followed wholeheartedly in the footsteps of his great predecessors, fusing what he had learned from their choral works with his ardent Romantic spirit.
Elijah was composed in 1846. Its narrative is taken from events in the life of the prophet Elijah found in the First and Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament. Originally, Mendelssohn composed the oratorio to a German libretto provided by his friend Karl Klingemann. However, after receiving a commission from the Birmingham Festival for an oratorio, he had the libretto translated into English. It received its premiere at the Festival in its English version and has remained a popular concert piece ever since.
The number “Lift Thine Eyes,” for a trio of two sopranos and an alto, comes from Part II. Elijah has just fled for his life from Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. In the wilderness outside Beersheba, he sits down beneath a juniper tree and entreats God to take away his life. While the prophet sleeps, a trio of angels, represented by the three female voices, appears around him. The words of “Lift Thine Eyes” are taken from portions of Psalm 121 and are altered to fit the context of their utterance. Cast in a brilliant D major and a small tripartite form, the outer homophonic section frame a slightly more contrapuntal middle section. All three voices rise through the tonic triad on the opening line, immediately evoking an ethereal and heavenly sound—an example of Mendelssohn’s superb gift for choral and orchestral coloring. During the middle portion, where the angels comfort Elijah by asserting that God is looking after him, the voices become more independent and engage in imitative polyphony. A return of the opening lines and music concludes the number. Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Orchestral Music
Felix Mendelssohn
Lift Thine Eyes Play
Recorded on 09/10/2003, uploaded on 09/10/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
“Lift Thine Eyes” from Elijah Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn was an ardent admirer of the Baroque period’s two greatest masters: Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Frideric Handel. In fact, it was Mendelssohn’s admiration for the old Leipzig master that led him to being an instrumental figure in bringing Bach’s music to the attention of the general public and spurring greater academic interest in his music, an event which later became known as the Bach Revival. Furthermore, Mendelssohn edited the first critical edition of Handel’s oratorios published in London. It is to no surprise, then, that when Mendelssohn set out to compose his oratorio Elijah, he followed wholeheartedly in the footsteps of his great predecessors, fusing what he had learned from their choral works with his ardent Romantic spirit.
Elijah was composed in 1846. Its narrative is taken from events in the life of the prophet Elijah found in the First and Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament. Originally, Mendelssohn composed the oratorio to a German libretto provided by his friend Karl Klingemann. However, after receiving a commission from the Birmingham Festival for an oratorio, he had the libretto translated into English. It received its premiere at the Festival in its English version and has remained a popular concert piece ever since.
The number “Lift Thine Eyes,” for a trio of two sopranos and an alto, comes from Part II. Elijah has just fled for his life from Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. In the wilderness outside Beersheba, he sits down beneath a juniper tree and entreats God to take away his life. While the prophet sleeps, a trio of angels, represented by the three female voices, appears around him. The words of “Lift Thine Eyes” are taken from portions of Psalm 121 and are altered to fit the context of their utterance. Cast in a brilliant D major and a small tripartite form, the outer homophonic section frame a slightly more contrapuntal middle section. All three voices rise through the tonic triad on the opening line, immediately evoking an ethereal and heavenly sound—an example of Mendelssohn’s superb gift for choral and orchestral coloring. During the middle portion, where the angels comfort Elijah by asserting that God is looking after him, the voices become more independent and engage in imitative polyphony. A return of the opening lines and music concludes the number. Joseph DuBose
More music by Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Trio No. 2 in c minor, Op. 66
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Fantasy in f-sharp minor, Op. 28 (Scottish Sonata)
Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
Hear my Prayer
Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
The Sighing Wind
Barcarolle Op 30 N° 6
Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49
Violin Sonata In F Major (without Op. No.)
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