A short instrumental prelude leads to the chorale, ‘Ye Christian people now rejoice,’ for sopranos only. The melody used is an old one, having appeared in the _Geistliche Lieder_ (Wittenberg) in 1535. The chorale is interestingly treated by means of opposing rhythm in the orchestral part. The recitative for contralto, ‘Then cometh Jesus to a city of Samaria,’ opens the oratorio proper. After a chorus, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,’ and short recitatives for bass, contralto and soprano, which are again followed by a chorus, there ensues the conversation between the Saviour and the woman, during which Jesus tells her of her past life. She replies in the beautiful contralto solo, ‘O Lord, Thou hast searched me out,’ which is full of tender expression. During the dialogue, the divine nature of Jesus is revealed to the woman and there follows the six-part chorus, ‘Therefore they shall come and sing,’ and this in turn is succeeded by the deeply devotional and well-known quartet, ‘God is a Spirit,’ sung by the solo voices _a cappella_. A soprano solo, ‘I will love Thee, O Lord,’ was introduced into the oratorio after the death of the composer, among whose manuscripts it was found. This was done for two reasons, to indicate the conversion of the woman and also to interrupt the series of choruses. Among the remaining numbers are a lovely chorale, ‘Abide with me, fast falls the eventide,’ and the fine chorus, ‘Now we believe.’ The work is brought to a close with a majestic fugue, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.’ An atmosphere of devotion pervades the work and, while the composer recognizes the worldly character of the woman, he sees also the possibilities of her intuitive religious feeling, which the Master needed only to awaken. Costa’s ‘Eli’ was first produced at the Birmingham Festival, August 29, 1855, under the direction of the composer. The text follows the scriptural narrative in the first book of Samuel and was arranged by William Bartholomew. In a rather disconnected manner, and with the story of young Samuel as a central point, it deals with the service of Eli the priest, the carousals of his dissolute sons, the sorrows of Elkanah and Hannah, and the exploits of the warlike Philistines. Some of the finer numbers of the oratorio are Eli’s sombre invocation, ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord’; Hannah’s joyful song, ‘I will extol Thee, O Lord’; the elaborate fugal chorus, ‘Hosanna in the highest,’ which closes the first part; the familiar orchestral march of the Israelites; Samuel’s devout evening prayer, ‘This night I lift my heart to Thee,’ followed by the beautiful female chorus of angels with harp accompaniment, ‘No evil shall befall thee’; and the vigorous chorus, ‘Woe unto us, we are spoiled,’ sung by the Israelites when their crushing defeat by the Philistines is announced. VI