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
Christus. Mysterium in a Prelude and Three Oratorios following the "Christus" premiere, "The composer never intended his work to be performed on the stage. It would be contrary to his intentions...A representation in the church would always be preferable to that in the concertroom." Unlike traditional oratorio, the work contains no narrator, no Evangelist, and no recitative. Instead, a chorus of 150-200 members serves to advance the plot. Christus. Mysterium in a Prelude and Three Oratorios Christus: Ein Mysterium in einem Vorspiele und drei Oratorien is a musical composition by Felix Draeseke consisting of a prelude and three oratorios completed in September 1899. It was Felix Draeseke's most