"Leipzig, 8th February, 1847.
"My dear Sir,—I send you with these lines the last Chorus of 'Elijah.' Now I have only the song which is to come in at the beginning of No. 8 [the Widow scene], and as soon as that will be finished I will not teaze you any more about alterations and all that, for you have now the whole work in hand. But pray do not forget to postpone the engraving of No. 8 until I send you that song. All the rest may be forthwith engraved.
"While I wrote the alterations in the Chorus No. 40 {41} (in my last letter) I forgot to write that there is also one in the accompaniment of that passage. So please to correct bars 47, 48, and 49 (they are the last but two of the last page but one of that Chorus) thus:—
[[Listen]]
"As for the story of the opera,[61] my friend Klingemann will tell you all about it, as I have written it at length to him, and I am so overloaded with Leipzig music, and with letters, and with all sorts of things, that you must excuse me if I refer you to him, and cannot repeat again what I wrote about that story.
"Always very truly yours,
"Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
"P.S.—I am now almost sure that I shall be able to leave here on the 6th of April, and to conduct in London my 'Elijah' on the 16th, &c. I shall then leave on the 30th (as you suggested) and go to Switzerland; and if Mr. Mitchell must have me and the 'Athalie' in July, I shall come back in July; if not I will stay at Vevay the whole summer, and compose away!"