Ulrich Schröter: „Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben“. Bibel und Gesangbuch in Mendelssohns Paulus

The text to Mendelssohn’s oratorio St. Paul op. 36, no. 9 is based on the ninth verse (“Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben”) of a hymn by Ludwig Rudolph von Senfft zu Pilsach (1681-1715) entitled “Herr Gott, du kennest meine Tage.” Continuing the studies of Erich Reimer, the author identifies the references in Mendelssohn’s text, which is made up of original biblical verses interspersed with hymnal texts and other biblical fragments. Mendelssohn interprets the fates of Jesus, Stephanus, and the converted Paul in relation to each other and describes the actions of Paul and the early church within the context of a new beginning. The call “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (nos. 1 and 16) as well as the response “Dir, Herr, dir will ich mich ergeben” are thus programmatically intertwined.

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