The summer of 1846 was very hot, and Mendelssohn often became exhausted over the close application which he gave to his work. "I have lived the life of a marmot," he writes, but he kept his time. The complete Part I. was despatched from Leipzig on May 23. He was then interrupted in the process of composition for three weeks by having to conduct the Lower Rhine Musical Festival at Aix-la-Chapelle (May 31 to June 2);[28] then a Soirée at Düsseldorf; after that the production of his "Lauda Sion," at Liège, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, June 11; and finally a great Choral Festival at Cologne—"an enormous 'Sängerfest,'" he writes, of "nearly 2,000 men, which I have also to direct." For this Mendelssohn had composed a Festgesang on Schiller's "An die Künstler" ("To the Sons of Art"), Op. 68.
On his return to Leipzig, Mendelssohn heard that some members of the Philharmonic band, who had been discourteous to him during his previous visit to London, were not to be engaged for the Birmingham Festival. He at once wrote off to Moscheles in the following emphatic terms:—
[Mendelssohn to Moscheles.]
"Leipzig, June 26, 1846.[29]
"My dear Friend,—The occasion of these lines is a passage in Mr. Moore's letter, in which he says: 'Nearly the whole of the Philharmonic band are engaged [for Birmingham]; a few only are left out who made themselves unpleasant when you were there.'[30]
"Now, I strongly object to this restriction; and as I fancy you can exercise your authority in the matter, I address my protest to you, and beg you to communicate it to Mr. Moore. There is nothing I hate more than the reviving of bygone disputes; it is bad enough that they should have occurred. This one of the Philharmonic is, as far as I am concerned, dead and buried, and must on no account have any influence on the selection made for the Birmingham Festival. If men are to be rejected because they are incompetent, that is not my business and I have nothing to say in the matter; but if it is because 'they made themselves unpleasant when I was there,' I consider that an injustice, against which I protest. Any further disturbance on the part of these gentlemen, I am sure, is not to be feared. That at least is my belief, shared probably by all concerned. So you will sincerely oblige me by having the selection made exactly as if I were not coming to England. The only consideration that can be shown me is not to take me into consideration at all. You will do me a favour by putting this very strongly to Mr. Moore, and requesting him to let the matter drop. If my wishes are to be complied with, the incident must herewith end. Should it be otherwise, I shall write a dozen letters in protest against what I should consider a spirit of vindictiveness. Excuse all this.—Ever yours,
"Felix."
Two months before the performance Mendelssohn reports that "an immense piece of 'Elijah' is not yet copied"; and he writes to Moscheles to the effect that as the touch of the Birmingham organ was so very heavy the last time he played, he would not play one of his Sonatas at the Festival until he had first tried the organ; also that when "St. Paul" was given in 1837, it was followed by a selection from Handel's Oratorios. "I much disapproved of this," he says, "and trust it is not to be the case this time." He further adds that "Elijah" will take two hours in performance; and that if there must be something added to occupy the orthodox three hours, it should be a short complete work: "but, however this may be," he says, "don't let us have a ragout afterwards."
Meanwhile the Birmingham Committee were completing their arrangements. The fee paid to Mendelssohn for his attendance at the Festival was 200 guineas. Madame Caradori-Allan (the soprano) received a similar amount. Other fees were:—Staudigl (the original Elijah), 150 guineas; John Braham (then sixty-eight years old), for one morning performance ("The Messiah"), £50; Dr. Gauntlett, as solo organist and organist in "Elijah," £30. Cooke and Willy, violinists, (leaders), £40 and £20 respectively; Dando, violinist, £11; thirty-eight chorus singers from London, £6 each, instead of £7, as at the previous Festival, the difference being a free railway ticket.
The Committee had some financial difficulty with the "Italian Party," which seemed to be an indispensable and expensive feature of these Festivals. Mario, when treating for himself, doubled his former terms! Mr. Beale, the agent of the "Italian Party," asked for Grisi, 380 guineas; Mario, 320; Lablache, 75; and Benedict, 50; making a total of 825 guineas for the three singers and their accompanist. This amount alarmed the Committee, who resolved: "That these exorbitant terms be rejected, and that, the services of Benedict not being required, an offer of £700 be made for the other three." The fee of £100 paid to Moscheles as Conductor-in-chief of the Festival, and that of £210 to Mendelssohn, cannot be considered exorbitant, when compared with the amounts paid to the solo vocalists.