F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Autograph working manuscript of part of "St. Paul", [1836]

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Autograph working manuscript of part of the oratorio St. Paul, op.36, CONTAINING 13 BARS NOT CONTAINED IN THE FINAL VERSION

the recitative preceding the final chorus of Part One (the Conversion scene), beginning "Schuppen von seinen Augen", notated in brown ink on four three-stave systems, with a revised version of the vocal line in the last 8 bars written on a single hand-drawn stave in the lower margin, with extensive autograph revisions, deletions and corrections, some later entries in pencil

2 pages (the second containing only three notes), folio (32 x 23.5cm), stamped 12-stave paper of Simrock, Bonn, no place or date [1836], browning, splitting slightly along central horizontal fold, tiny tear to inside margin, not affecting text

A WORKING MANUSCRIPT OF PART OF MENDELSSOHN'S GREAT ORATORIO ST. PAUL.

The present draft, originally part of Mendelssohn's vocal score (Biblioteka Jagiellonska, Kraków: Nachlass-Band 55), contains an early passage from the key Conversion scene (no.21), found on pp.185-186 of Simrock's first edition of the full score. This early version contains a bass solo, "Ich danke Gott durch Jesum Christ", not found in the final version, where it is replaced by the beginning of the final chorus "O welch eine Tiefe des Reichtums". The rejected passage found here is heavily revised and reworked by the composer. The spectacular first performance of the work took place on 22 May 1836 at the opening of the 18th Niederrheinisches Musikfest.

LITERATURE

MWV, p.18-19 (A 14)