Mendelssohn’s contemporaries frequently mentioned his “Hymn of Praise” in the same breath as Beethoven’s Ninth – and often enough viewed it as an imitation. Mendelssohn authority John Michael Cooper, in his extensive Introduction to this new Urtext edition, shows that the comparison is completely unfounded: with this work Mendelssohn created a new genre to which he gave the name “symphony-cantata”. Later he added a secular counterpart with “Die Erste Walpurgisnacht”.

Drawing on all relevant sources, Cooper provides a detailed account of the genesis and structure of this monumental work. Rounding off his scholarly performing edition are notes on the work’s performance, e.g. tempo, articulation and dynamics.