Heaven’ (mystic chorus of female voices in two groups) and ‘On Earth’ (four solo voices and male chorus of the apostles). This section is quite long and elaborate and leads to a mighty ‘Alleluia,’ gradually diminishing to a _pianissimo_ close. ‘The Kingdom,’ which Elgar wrote for and produced at the Birmingham Festival, Oct. 3, 1906, is the second portion of the trilogy anticipated in the composer’s preface to ‘The Apostles’--the third portion, though promised, has not yet appeared. In order to set forth the relation of the two works to each other, they were performed at this festival in the order in which they were conceived. Much of the ‘leading motive’ material of ‘The Apostles’ is also used in ‘The Kingdom,’ thereby establishing a close unity between the two works. The oratorio, the religious theme of which is the establishment of the Church at Jerusalem, consists of five divisions: (1) In the Upper Room; (2) At the Beautiful Gate (The Morn of Pentecost); (3) Pentecost (In the Upper Room. In Solomon’s Porch); (4) The Sign of Healing (At the Beautiful Gate. The Arrest); (5) The Upper Room (In Fellowship. The Breaking of Bread. The Prayers). The persons represented are The Virgin Mary, soprano; Mary Magdalene, alto; St. John, tenor; and St. Peter, bass; the chorus represents the disciples, the holy women and the people. After a long orchestral introduction, in which the important themes are stated and developed, comes the opening chorus of disciples and holy women together with the quartet of soloists, ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God,’ as they are all gathered in the Upper Room. After Peter leads in the celebration of the Eucharist by the breaking of bread, they sing a hymn of praise and there follows a discussion, led by Peter, as to the choosing of a successor to fill Judas’ place. The second division opens with a duet of the two Marys at the Beautiful Gate, leading directly into section three, ‘Pentecost,’ which is the longest of the work and is ushered in by a tenor solo, stating that they were ‘all with one accord in one place.’ The chorus of disciples alternates with the mystic chorus of female voices, in a description of the descent of the Holy Ghost, the music, with the added organ in the accompaniment, being very effective. ‘In Solomon’s Porch’ sets forth the ‘speaking in other tongues’ and Peter’s admonition, ‘Repent and be baptized.’ The fourth section deals with the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, after which Peter and John are arrested because they preached the resurrection of Jesus, and here the music becomes very dramatic. It closes with Mary’s lovely meditation, ‘The sun goeth down,’ in which two old Hebrew hymns are used. The fifth section, with the disciples and holy women again gathered in the Upper Room, opens with a joyful, almost triumphant chorus, ‘The voice of joy is in the dwelling of the righteous,’ after which follows ‘The Breaking of Bread’