Sleepers, Wake! A voice is calling (St. Paul)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed his oratorio, "Paulus" (St. Paul) in 1836. It consists of an overture and 44 movements in 2 parts.

One of these is his fanfare-setting of the chorale, "Sleepers, Wake! A voice is calling".

The score states that "The melody of this chorale, 'Wachet auf' was composed in 1598 by Philip Nicolai of Frankfort on Maine". (I'm not sure if "Maine" is correct, but that's what it says!)

This beloved and well-known hymn is a favorite of the Advent season, and this is a particularly appealing setting of the chorale.

In this version, the transcription is done by the famous virtuoso, William T. Best (1826-1897), and is very effective, especially using the fabulous Trompette on the Great organ.

It is also a good "study," as it calls upon the player to cleanly articulate the repeated "fanfare notes," something that seems easier in thought than it does in actual playing!

The score is attached below, as well as a painting of Felix Mendelssohn, and a photograph of W. T. Best.

MORE Advent music coming each day this week, and Christmas music starting next week! :-)