Hear my prayer/O for the wings of a dove - Mendelssohn, Felix

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"From ''The Musical Times, Feb. 1, 1891'' by F. G. Edwards: : "Hear my Prayer" – "a trifle", as he modestly calls it – is one of Mendelssohn's most popular and widely-known choral works. It was written at the request of Mr. William Bartholomew for a series of Concerts given at Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate Street, in the "forties", by Miss Mounsey, who afterwards became Mrs. Bartholomew. The work was first performed at Crosby Hall on January 8, 1845, with Miss Mounsey at the organ, and was published in the same year by Messrs. Ewer and Co…<br> : The title-page of the autograph score, which is in Mendelssohn’s usual neat handwriting, states: "A sacred Solo, for a Soprano and Chorus, with Organ accompaniment, composed for W. Bartholomew, Esq., by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy." In the letter to Mr. Bartholomew which accompanied the MS. (also at Kensington), dated "Berlin, 31 Jan., 1844," and written in English, Mendelssohn says: "I have only to observe that the bass of the organ accompaniment is always meant to be play'd either with the pedals, or with the lower octave in the left hand which I never wrote in it." Thus the work was originally written with organ accompaniment only; but Mendelssohn subsequently scored it at the request of Mr. Joseph Robinson, of Dublin. ;Timeline ;10 Nov 1843 Bartholomew writes to the composer requesting "one or two sacred solos with an organ accompaniment for some concerts we are to give at Crosby Hall, a renovated Gothic Structure which was once the palace of Richard the Third". The texts submitted were Judges 16: 23–31 (the ‘Death Prayer of Samson’) and a version of the opening of Psalm 55. The latter text was accepted by Mendelssohn, and this became ''Hear my prayer''. ;13 Dec 1843 Mendelssohn asks his english editor Buxton to thank Bartholomew and announces completion for beginning of 1844. ;Jan 1844 Work completed. Original score of 25 Jan 1844 seems to be entitled "Hör mein Rufen" instead of "Hör mein Bitten". It is assumed that the German translation was made by Mendelssohn himself (see Foreword of CARUS edition by R. Larry Todd). ;Jan 1845 At the first performance of ‘Hear my prayer’, Ann Mounsey played the organ accompaniment on the new organ by Henry Cephas Lincoln, and the soprano solo was sung by Elizabeth Rainforth, a well-known stage singer; according to a review of the performance published in Musical World, neither the soloist nor the chorus were ‘thoroughly at home’ and the new organ also met with little enthusiasm. (The modern-day popularity of the work stems from the recording made in 1927 by boy soprano [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lough Ernest Lough] which became EMI’s first million-selling classical recording.) ;1845 English version publised in London by Ewer; German version published in Berlin by Bote & Bock. ;1847 Early in 1847, ‘Hear my prayer’ was rescored by Mendelssohn with orchestral accompaniment. Mendelssohn did not live to see in print the latter version."

⌛ Period → Romantic ◈ Genre → Anthems

♯ Key G major

⁄ Time Signature 4/4

♬ Voicing → SATB

◆ Difficulty

Intermediate

↕ Range C2 – A5

¶ Language → English

Measures 234

Texture Homophonic

Parts 7

Instruments Organ

Pages 16

CPDL # 49856

Editor Philip Le Bas

Posted 2018-05-26

License CPDL License

♫Pitch Ranges

Soprano Solo

D4 – A5

Soprano

D4 – A5

Alto

A3 – E5

Tenore

D3 – G4

Basso

G2 – E4

Organo

C2 – E4

¶Lyrics / Text

Hear my prayer, O God, incline Thine ear! Thyself from my petition do not hide! Take heed to me! Hear how in prayer I mourn to Thee! Without Thee all is dark, I have no guide. The enemy shouteth, The godless come fast! Iniquity, hatred upon me they cast! The wicked oppress me, Ah, where shall I fly? Perplexed and bewildered, O God, hear my cry! My heart is sorely pained within my breast, My soul with deathly terror is oppressed, Trembling and fearfulness upon me fall, With horror overwhelmed, Lord, hear me call! O for the wings of a dove! Far away would I rove! In the wilderness build me a nest, And remain there for ever at rest.