Morning Prayer Choral single edition SATB

Mendelssohns's five choral collections Lieder im Freien zu singen (Songs to be sung out of doors), arose out of the enthusiasm for nature of the rising bourgeoisie. Just how very much religious elements were interwoven with nature, and how great a role the sacred also played in everyday life is demonstrated by the Morgengebet (Morning Prayer) which is also included in these collections. In his poem, Joseph von Eichendorff describes the world as a bridge leading to the Lord, onto which the pilgrim steps to cross over the river of time. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy set the text of the poem as a heartfelt, powerfully expressive and varied strophic song. The Morgengebet (Morning Prayer) numbers among his most popular compositions, and in both concerts and religious celebrations moves all who hear it. The English lyrics, one of the earliest English renderings of Eichendorff's poems, are taken from a print of a setting by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who in 1839 married the British Queen Victoria.