Another ranking work in the choral music of contemporaneous Germany is Georg Schumann’s biblical oratorio _Ruth_, for soprano, alto and baritone solos, chorus of mixed voices and orchestra. It is a far cry to this work from Mendelssohn’s _Elijah_. Schumann, like Bossi and Wolf-Ferrari, handles his sacred text (extended by much poetic material) from a secular point of view, yet with great mastery of means and undeniable effect. There is not much that is inherently sacred in the Old Testament idyl and hence it lends itself, like the ‘Song of Songs,’ to a freer and less narrowly religious musical interpretation. Old Hebrew melodies are gracefully introduced in connection with the composer’s own thematic material and, like César Franck in his _Rébecca_, Schumann employs every rhythmic and harmonic means, not forgetting a brilliant and individual orchestration, to give his work a quasi-oriental atmosphere. As regards polyphonic handling Schumann writes in the manner of Bach and Brahms, but identifies himself with the present-day South German composers with respect to a rich and glowing tonal color. His choral movement is at all times plastic and exceedingly varied. _Ruth_ is undoubtedly Schumann’s most important accomplishment in the choral field; yet he has composed other works which call for mention. His _Totenklage_ (‘Elegiac Lament’), opus 33, and his _Sehnsucht_ (‘Yearning’), opus 40, for chorus, in themselves are of such marked inspiration and artistry that they would serve to establish his reputation had _Ruth_ never been written. His _Drei Geistliche Gesänge_ (‘Three Sacred Songs’), opus 31, for chorus, also testify to a daring inspiration which makes itself felt within the limitations of the _a cappella_ religious song. II