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 Rubens (composer) Paul Rubens (composer) Paul Alfred Rubens (29 April 1875 – 5 February 1917) was an English songwriter and librettist who wrote some of the most popular Edwardian musical comedies of the early twentieth century. He contributed to the success of dozens of musicals. Born in Kensington, London, he attended Winchester College before studying law at University College, Oxford. He began writing songs for shows at the age of 10 and had his first major success with "The Little Chinchilla" for the hit musical "The Shop Girl" when he was 19 years old. This was soon followed by songs for, among