Mendelssohn, in his oratorio Elijah, gave this moving aria to a tenor singing the role of Obadiah. Immediately following a recitative imporing the people to turn from idolatry, he gives first a promise that God may be found by anyone who truly seeks Him, then a plea to be in God's presence, then again the assurance God will be found if truly sought.

In this setting the tenor aria has been transposed for flugelhorn, the most mellow of the soprano horns, accompanied by a brass quintet of two trumpets, two trombones, and a tuba. The arrangement is close to Mendelssohn's orchestral score, and makes an effective, smooth, flowing number that shows off the sonority of a full clutch of horns.

Bass trombone can be easily substituted for tuba. This piece could also be used as a trumpet solo with two flugelhorns, two baritone horns, and a tuba, to great effect.

+++

"If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me, ye shall ever truly find Me," thus saith our God.

O, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might even come before his presence.

"If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me, ye shall ever truly find Me," thus saith our God.

+++

MP3 sound sample: Entire Piece (synthesizer/midi).



IF WITH ALL YOUR HEARTS, by Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Tom Kirkland as a flugelhorn solo accompanied by two trumpets, two trombones, and a tuba, comes in a pdf file of 607K, with an four-page score, six two-page parts, and a license page, seventeen pages in all. Performance time should be slightly more than two minutes.