let us quickly fly them!
Imp and devil
Lead the revel;
See them caper,
Wrapt in clouds of lurid vapor."

As the Christians disappear, scared by the demon _ruse_, the Druids once
more, led by their priest, resume their rites, closing with another
choral hymn of praise similar in style to the first.

[30] His sister.

Antigone.

Mendelssohn wrote incidental music to four great dramas,--the "Antigone"
of Sophocles (1841); the "Oedipus at Colonos" of Sophocles (1843); the
"Athalia" of Racine (1843); and the "Midsummer Night's Dream" of
Shakspeare (1843), the overture to which was written by him in 1826. The
latter is mainly instrumental. Of the other three, the music to
"Antigone" and "Oedipus" is most frequently performed, and for that
reason has been selected for description.

In June, 1841, the King of Saxony invited Mendelssohn to become his
Capellmeister. Frederick William IV. of Prussia had made him a similar
offer about the same time. He accepted the latter and removed to Berlin,
and the first duty imposed upon him by the King was the composition of
music to the "Antigone" of Sophocles. With the assistance of the poet
Tieck, who helped arrange the text, the work was accomplished in the
short space of eleven days, and was given on the Potsdam Court stage
October 28, to a private audience. It was first performed in public at
Leipsic, March 5, 1842. It is written for male chorus and orchestra, and
includes seven numbers; namely, 1. Introduction and maestoso ("Strahl des
Helios schoenstes Licht"); 2. Andante con moto ("Vieles Gewaltige lebt");
3. Moderato ("Ihr Seligen deren"); 4. Adagio ("O Eros, Allsieger im
Kampf"); 5. Recitative and chorus ("Noch toset des Sturmes Gewalt"); 6.
Allegro maestoso ("Vielnamiger! Wonn' und Stolz"); 7. Andante alla marcia
("Hier Kommt er ja selbst").

The following extracts will give a comprehensive view of this powerful
and felicitous music. Lampadius, writing of the first public performance,
says:--

"On the 5th of March the 'Antigone' of Sophocles, translated by Donner
and set to music by Mendelssohn, was brought out at the Leipsic theatre
before a full audience. The composer directed, and was received with
great applause. The music indeed was not antique, if to be so it must
be played on the {syrinx}, the {salpinx}, and the {phorminx}, or if the
composer must confine himself to that Greek type of melody and