ELIJAH (Elias in German)—'an oratorio on words from the Old Testament' (op. 70)—was Mendelssohn's 2nd oratorio. The idea appears to have occurred to him when reading the passage 'and the Lord passed by' (1 Kings xix. 11). 'Would not that be splendid for an oratorio?' said he to Hiller. This, if the case, must have been before Nov. 2, 1838, when, from his letter to Schubring, he had evidently gone far into the subject. The score has no dates. On Aug. 5, 1846, the orchestral parts were rehearsed by Mendelssohn at Leipzig; Aug. 10 he had a vocal rehearsal at Moscheles' house, London; then two full ones [App. p.626 "band rehearsals"] at Hanover Square; Aug. 24 a full rehearsal at Birmingham; and on Wednesday the 26th it was first performed. Various alterations and additions were made afterwards, including the trio 'Lift thine eyes' and the last chorus. He was helped by Schubring in the selection of the words. The English words by Mr. Bartholomew were sent to him as he worked, and were the subject of a long correspondence.
The first performance in Germany was at Hamburg in October 1847, conducted by Krebs.
ELISA, OU LE VOYAGE AU MONT BERNARD. Opera in two acts; words by Saint-Cyr, music by Cherubini; produced at the Theatre Feydeau, Dec. 13, 1794.
ELISI, Filippo, a tenor singer in Italian opera in London, 1765. Among other parts, he sang that of Eumene in the pasticcio of the same name at the King's Theatre that season.
ELISIR D'AMORE, L', opera buffa in 2 acts; libretto by Romani, music by Donizetti. Produced at Milan in 1829(?); at Lyceum, London, Dec. 10, 1836. Also, as The Love Spell, at Drury Lane, June 24, 1839.
ELLA, John, violinist, son of Richard Ella of Thirsk, was born Dec. 19, 1802. At the age of 19 he quitted the profession of the law for music. In 1822 he became a member of the orchestra of the King's Theatre, and subsequently of the orchestras of the Concerts of Antient Music, Philharmonic, etc., retiring finally in 1848. In 1819 he received lessons in violin-playing from M. Fémy, in 1826 he was a pupil of Attwood in harmony, and finally completed his education in counterpoint, instrumentation, and composition, under Fétis at Paris, 1845 [App. p.626 "1827"]. In 1845 he established, under the name of 'The Musical Union,' a series of morning concerts of instrumental chamber music at which the best classical works have been rendered by the best artists native and foreign. He has directed the Musical Union uninterruptedly for thirty-three years [App. p.626 "He directed the Musical Union uninterruptedly for thirty-five years. The concerts came to an end in 1880"]. In 1850 he established a similar series of concerts under the name of 'Musical Winter Evenings,' which were given annually, under his direction, until 1859, after which they were discontinued. At both these concerts he introduced, and has continued, the 'analytical programmes' (wholly written by himself), which have since been frequently adopted elsewhere. He has contributed many notices of music and musicians to the Morning Post, Musical World, and Athenaeum. In 1855 he was appointed lecturer on music at the London Institution, where he has delivered several lectures, some of which have been published. He also published a Personal Memoir of Meyerbeer, with an analysis of Les Huguenots, and under the title of 'Musical Sketches abroad and at home,' a volume of interesting musical chit-chat, &c. [Musical Union.] [App. p.626 "See Analysis in Appendix, vol. iv. p.521 b."] [App. p.819 "date of death, Oct. 2, 1888."]
ELLERTON, John Lodge, an amateur composer, born in Cheshire, Jan. 11, 1807, was a descendant from an ancient Irish family. In his childhood he showed a remarkable fondness for music, and notwithstanding his father's strong discouragement, soon attained by his own efforts to as much knowledge as enabled him to play the piano. Being sent to Oxford (where he graduated as M.A. in 1828), he lost no opportunity of pursuing music; devoting his attention chiefly to composition. While at Oxford he composed an English operetta and an Italian opera. On quitting the university he went to Rome, studied counterpoint for two years under a chapelmaster named Terriani, and composed several operas. Ellerton essayed nearly every species of composition. His works comprise 6 anthems; 6 masses; 17 motets; 'Paradise Lost,' oratorio; 'Issipile,' 'Berenice in Armenia,' 'Annibale in Capua,' 'Il Sacrifizio di Epito,' 'Andromacca,' 'Il Carnovale di Venezia,' and 'Il Marito a Vista,' Italian operas; Carlo Rosa, German opera; 'Lucinda,' 'Dominica,' and 'The Bridal of Triermain,' English operas; 61 glees; 83 vocal duets; 5 symphonies; 4 concert overtures; 3 quintets, 44 quartets and 3 trios for stringed instruments; and 8 trios and 13 sonatas for various combinations of instruments. In 1835 and 1838 the Catch Club awarded him prizes for glees. He died Jan. 3, 1873.
ELLIOT, Thomas, organ-builder, one of the early members of the firm of Hill & Son.
ELSNER, Joseph, composer, born June 1, 1769, at Grodgrau, in Silesia, son of a carpenter who made harpsichords, harps, and other musical instruments. Being intended for the profession of medicine, he had no regular instruction in music beyond a few lessons in harmony from Förster, director of the theatre at Breslau, but early began to compose. A visit to Vienna enabled him greatly to improve himself by studying classical scores, and by intercourse with the best musicians of his time. In 1791 he was appointed first violin in the theatre at Brünn, and in the following year Capellmeister at Lemberg, where he wrote 5 operas, 4 symphonies, quartets, sonatas, etc. In 1799 he was appointed conductor of the theatre at Warsaw, and here he established himself for life, composing 22 operas in the Polish language within the space of 20 years. During a visit to Paris some of his compositions were performed at the Tuileries. With the assistance of Countess Zamoïska he started in 1815 a society at Warsaw for the encouragement of music, which resulted in the
