Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah caused a sensation at its world première performance, sung in English, in Birmingham UK in August 1846. The huge forces marshalled for the occasion delighted the audience, who demanded no fewer than eight encores and loudly acclaimed the composer despite an injunction to observe the solemnity of the occasion by refraining from applause. Elijah has been an essential repertoire work for choral societies ever since. Published on the 175th anniversary of that famous premiere, Edition Peters is proud to present this English-language Urtext edition of the vocal score containing the original libretto by William Bartholomew. Edited and with a preface by the highly respected musicologist Klaus Burmeister, the edition also includes a foreword ‘Mendelssohn and Birmingham’ by Simon Halsey, one of the world’s foremost choral directors. The edition complements and is designed to be used in conjunction with the existing German/English full score (EP11345) and orchestral parts. An associated German language vocal score is also available (EP11347).