Wer bis an das Ende beharrt

Wer bis an das Ende beharrt (He that shall endure to the end),^[1] is a motet for a four-part choir by Felix Mendelssohn. He wrote it as part of his oratorio Elijah, published in 1847.

Wer bis an das Ende beharrt
Motet by Felix Mendelssohn
The composer in 1846, portrait by Eduard Magnus
English	He that shall endure to the end
Key	F major
Text	Matthew 10:22
Language	German / English
Published	1847 (1847)
Scoring	SATB four-part choir orchestra

History

Mendelssohn composed the motet with orchestral accompaniment as part of his oratorio Elijah, as movement 32,^[2] published in 1847.^[3] It was published in a critical edition by Carus-Verlag.^[3]

Text and music

In the oratorio, the motet is placed like a chorale as a point of rest and reflection. Elijah is in the desert and has given up, reviewing his mission as a failure, but an angel requests him to arise.^[2][3] The text of the motet occurs twice in the Gospel of Matthew, in Matthew 10:22 and Matthew 24:13. Mendelssohn used the translation by Martin Luther. The English translation is from the King James Version of the Bible.

German	English
Wer bis an das Ende beharrt, der wird selig.	He that shall endure to the end, shall be saved.

The music is in one movement in F major and common time, marked Andante sostenuto. The instruments play colla parte with the voices.^{[3]: 153–155} It has been described as "delicate".^[4]