us cast off the works of darkness," which is most effectively worked
out.

In the finale the male voices are massed on the declaration, "The Night
is departing," and the female voices on the response, "The Day is
approaching;" and after alternating repetitions all close in broad,
flowing harmony. This chorus leads directly to the chorale, "Let all Men
praise the Lord," sung first without accompaniment, and then in unison
with orchestra. Another beautiful duet, "My Song shall alway be Thy
Mercy," this time for soprano and tenor, follows, and prepares the way
for the final fugued chorus, "Ye Nations, offer to the Lord," a massive
number, stately in its proportions and impressive in its effect, and
closing with a fortissimo delivery of the splendid choral motive, "All
that has Life and Breath."

Notwithstanding that the choral part is brief as compared with the "St.
Paul" and "Elijah," there are many critics who are inclined to pronounce
the "Hymn of Praise" Mendelssohn's greatest work. In its combination of
the symphony and the voice parts, the one growing out of the other and
both so intimately connected, it stands almost alone. Some critics have
condemned Mendelssohn for imitating Beethoven's Choral Symphony, though
in that colossal work the chorus is not only subordinate to the symphony,
but is even trifling in length as compared with it, and very inferior in
style. While in Mendelssohn's work the symphony is subordinated to the
choral part, and serves only as an introduction to it, they are yet
conventionally connected; but in Beethoven's work the chorus was the
product of necessity, as the idea could not have been developed without
it. The instruments had gone as far as possible; the voices _must_ speak.

Elijah.

"Elijah," the most admired of all Mendelssohn's compositions, was
finished in 1846. The plan of the work was first considered in 1837, and
was discussed with his friend Klingemann in London. During the next year
he had frequent consultations with another friend, Schubring, as to the
preparation of the book, and many of the passages were selected and
scenes sketched out; but it was not until 1840 that he really began to
put it into shape. We learn by a letter that in 1842 he was still at work
upon the book itself. Two years later he received an invitation to
conduct the Birmingham Festival of 1846; and it was evidently at that
time he decided to prepare the work f