O Rest In the Lord
Mendelssohn had long contemplated the idea of an oratorio dealing with Elijah. A commission from the Birmingham Festival afforded him the opportunity to complete the project. In spite of its quasi-religious content that generally was not applauded, there was thunderous applause and repeated encores at its premiere. The beautiful music of "O Rest in the Lord" is one of the movements in this oratorio. With several sixteenth notes and numerous eighth notes, this 35-measure piece can be quite challenging. It is scored in C Major.