The Hillsdale College Chapel Choir performs in Christ Chapel.
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The Chapel Choir collaborated with professional musicians to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s 1846 oratorio “Elijah” in Christ Chapel on Sunday.
The oratorio told the story of the prophet Elijah’s battle for the soul of Israel in 1 and 2 Kings of the Old Testament.
The opening notes from the woodwinds were like a call to the Israelites to listen. Then Elijah began to sing 1 Kings 17:1, warning there would be no rain because they had turned away from God.
Recitatives, musical declamations characteristic of opera and oratorio dialogue, moved the plot along and with words sung with the rhythm of normal speech. The choruses and arias that followed conveyed the emotion of the music and characters.
Freshman Jillian Bober, a first soprano, said her favorite movement to sing was “Behold, God the Lord Passed By.”
“I loved the energy of the piece, and getting to add the orchestra this weekend made it really come alive,” Bober said. “The part about God being in the still, small voice is one of my favorite verses to pray about. The parts in the movement where we sang about the wind, the earthquake, and the fire were dramatic and loud, and there was a stark contrast when we sang about the still, small voice. I think this is such a beautiful musical reflection on the humility of God.”
Senior Bridget Whalen, who has been a member of the Chapel Choir since the beginning of the program three years ago, said the text and the music in the oratorio are intertwined.
Specific motifs and intervals in the music reflect the events and characters in the piece, Whalen said.
“When the pagans are calling on their gods and cutting themselves and doing crazy things, the music is very unsatisfying,” Whalen said. “And then when God is there — I’m thinking of one movement in particular when the altos and the sopranos would begin the movement by proclaiming triumphantly ‘Behold, God the Lord passes by’ — it’s like trumpets. Their voices are like trumpets proclaiming the arrival of a great king.”
Freshman Anne Crites, an audience member, said attending “Elijah” was a blessing.
“It felt so amazing to be a small part of such a majestic piece of music,” she said. “Since I was up in the balcony, I got to see the color of the sky as the sun set, which added so much to the already lovely experience.”
Freshman Anna Bromm said she was impressed by the faculty and student solos.
“It was awesome to get to hear people sing that you know and learn from,” Bromm said. “My favorite piece was definitely ‘Lift Thine Eyes’ because I love the melody and the three-part harmony, and it was so cool that they sang it from the balcony. It sounded very angelic.”
The choir practiced for two months twice a week for an hour and a half to prepare for the oratorio, according to Bober, but only practiced twice with the orchestra before the performance.
Crites said she was impressed with the talent and vocal stamina of the choir members, especially Andrew Smith, a guest performer who played Elijah.
“I had no idea how good the chapel choir really is,” Crites said. “Elijah’s skill was incredible, and I was amazed at his ability to create so many moods and feelings with his voice.”
Bober said the choir had to build up vocal endurance for the concert.
“During rehearsals, we had to conserve our voices, and Dr. McDonnell was very good about making sure we were being careful,” Bober said. “Unlike other instruments, your own body is your instrument, and so it has very real limitations,” she said.
The oratorio ended with four verses from the book of Isaiah 58, “And then shall your light break forth as the light of morning breaketh: and your health shall speedily spring forth then: and the glory of the Lord ever shall reward you. Lord, our Creator, how excellent Thy Name is in all the nations. Thou fillest heaven with Thy glory. Amen.”
