Gloria in E flat major

The Gloria, composed in early 1822 at the age of 13, is Mendelssohn’s first creative venture in the field of church music on a larger scale. It is a direct result of his composition studies under the director of the Berlin Singakademie Carl Friedrich Zelter, but was no longer wholly a student work because the young composer hoped that Zelter would provide him with an opportunity to perform this work with the Singakademie. The enthusiasm for Handel and Bach which was sustained by the performances at the Singakademie influenced Mendelssohn’s early creative style. In the Gloria Mendelssohn sought to emulate the model of the large-scale baroque cantata. The concluding fugue, the mysterious “Qui tollis” and lyrical solos ensembles in the place of solo arias give testimony to Mendelssohn’s great talent and willingness to experiment.