An effective soprano solo, ‘Hear ye, Israel,’ opens the second part. This leads into the strong, majestic chorus, ‘Be not afraid,’ one of Mendelssohn’s finest choral efforts, in which the regular musical forces are augmented by the organ. Elijah needs the encouragement of this admonition, for he again confronts Ahab and condemns the worship of Baal. The queen, Jezebel, accuses him of working to destroy Israel and the people in wrath shout, ‘Let the guilty prophet perish.’ Obadiah bids him fly to the wilderness. The next scene reveals the persecuted prophet alone and discouraged. In a pathetic plaint, ‘It is enough,’ he resigns himself to death and, wearied with flight, he falls asleep under the juniper tree ‘and the angels encamp round about him.’ This leads directly to what is undoubtedly the most exquisitely beautiful vocal trio in existence--the pure and serene ‘Lift thine eyes,’ sung _a cappella_ by the watching angels. Without pause there follows the beautiful chorus, ‘He watching over Israel.’ The angel then awakens Elijah, who complains pathetically, ‘O Lord, I have labored in vain.’ ‘O rest in the Lord,’ sung by the angel, offers Elijah consolation. The encouraging chorus, ‘He shall endure to the end,’ brings the scene to a majestic close. The following scene reveals a changed Elijah. He yearns now for the divine presence instead of for death. In a sudden outburst the chorus exclaims, ‘Behold, God the Lord passed by.’ A sudden _pianissimo_ works up into an impressive _crescendo_, and once more appears a _pianissimo_ as the chorus impressively exclaims, ‘The Lord was not in the tempest.’ The earthquake and the tempest and the fire follow. ‘And there came a still, small voice ... and in that still, small voice onward came the Lord.’ Elijah was transformed by the experience and went on his way ‘in the strength of the Lord.’ His strong, confident aria follows, ‘For the mountains shall depart.’ A powerful chorus states that ‘Then did Elijah the prophet break forth like a fire’ and there follows the dramatic choral narrative of the prophet’s ascent into heaven in a fiery chariot. The fine tenor aria, ‘Then, then shall the righteous shine,’ and the melodious quartet, ‘Oh! come, every one that thirsteth,’ lead over into the final choral number--a magnificent fugue (‘Lord, our Creator’), introduced by the majestic phrase, ‘And then shall your light break forth.’ ‘Hymn of Praise.’--This symphony-cantata was composed to commemorate the fourth centennial of the invention of the art of printing, held at Leipzig, in June, 1840. A second performance followed at Birmingham, Mendelssohn conducting, a few months later, Sept. 23rd. Dramatically it has no very great significance, being designed purely as a ‘tribute of praise’ for the manifold gifts of the Lord, among them being the art of printing--which the text, based upon the Scriptures, carefully elucidates.