St. Paul (oratorio) a translation by Mendelssohn's friend, Karl Klingermann. Contralto Mary Shaw was one of the soloists at the English premiere. The first performance in the United States was in Boston on March 14, 1837. Mendelssohn himself conducted the first performance in Leipzig in the Paulinerkirche on 16 March 1837. Numerous performances followed in Europe and in the United States. During Mendelssohn's lifetime, "St. Paul" was a popular and frequently performed work. However, compared with such oratorios as Handel's "Messiah", Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" and "St Matthew Passion" or even Mendelssohn's own "Elijah", it has failed to maintain its place in the choral
Paul Benoit (composer) Paul Benoit (composer) Dom Paul Benoit, OSB (9 December 1893 – 10 April 1979) was a Benedictine monk, organist, and composer. Paul Benoit was born December 9, 1893 in Nancy, France. During World War I, Benoit first began to feel called to the vocation of a Benedictine monk. After the Armistice of 1918, he entered a retreat at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Maurice and St. Maur, at Clervaux in Luxembourg, and he joined the abbey in 1919. After taking his vows (1921) and being ordained into priesthood (1926), he was called "Dom Paul Benoit." "Dom" is the traditional title