The Apostles - A Study Guide
ascension
Rosary Basilica, Lourdes, 19th C.
Elgar makes the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension all of one piece by connecting them without pause. The final Ascension scene has two parts: the farewell address of Jesus to the Apostles and the closing chorus suggesting the glorious ascension itself.
First, a few notes about textual choices made by the composer:
Elgar has the Apostles pose the question that led to Judas’ downfall (“Lord wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”) and gives Jesus the opportunity to give a full answer (“It is not for you to know the times or the seasons….”)
He has the “Mystic Chorus” of heaven remind the disciples of the events of Christ’s Passion, several of which were not portrayed earlier in the oratorio (“What are these wounds in thine hands?”)
The final chorus is one of the grandest finales in music literature. It involves the full orchestra, chorus, and four of the soloists (excluding Judas and Jesus). The chorus is further divided into a double women's “Mystic Chorus in Heaven” and tenors and basses representing the Apostles on earth, along with the solo quartet.
Before listening to the final scene, you might want to refresh your memory of some of the important themes from earlier in the oratorio that are now featured prominently in this concluding movement:
Choral Fugue (He hath chosen the weak):
The Spirit of the Lord motif:
Christ's Mission and Gospel motif:
The Prayer of Christ motif:
Wayside Comfort motif:
Christ the Man of Sorrows motif:
The repeated refrain of the final chorus, with its emphasis the ultimate triumph of the peaceful “Kingdom of the Lord,” is a line from the prophet Jeremiah: “Give us one heart, and one way.” The final words of the oratorio come from the same chapters in Isaiah where Elgar found his opening text (“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”). Again evoking the them of Christ's mission of mercy for the poor: “In His love and in His pity He redeemed them.”
Listen to the scene while following the text below:
(start at 1:50:45)
JESUS’ FAREWELL
The Apostles
We trusted that it had been He that should have redeemed Israel. (Luke 24:21)
Jesus
Peace be unto you.
Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you;
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem,
until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:36,49)
The Apostles
Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6)
Jesus
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in His own power.
But ye shall receive power,
when the Holy Ghost is come upon you. (Acts 1:7,8)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost;
and, lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world. (Matt. 28:19,20)
Narrator 2
And when He had spoken these things - while He blessed them - He was taken up;
and a cloud received Him out of their sight;
and they looked steadfastly toward heaven. (Acts 1:9,10)
CLOSING CHORUS
The Apostles
Give us one heart, and one way: (Jer. 32:39)
in Thy light shall we see light;
Thou wilt shew us the path of life. (Ps 16:11)
Mystic Chorus (in Heaven)
Alleluia!
Mary, Mary Magdalene, John and Peter
Give us one heart, and one way.
Mary
My soul doth magnify the Lord:
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:46-47)
Mary Magdalene
Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon Thee:
Thou saidst, Fear not. (Lam. 3:57)
Peter
For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
The Apostles and the Holy Women
…neither hath He hid His face from him:
but when he cried unto Him, He heard. (Ps 22:24)
Mystic Chorus
Alleluia!
‘Holy Father, keep through Thine own name
those whom Thou hast given Me,
that they may be one as We are.’ (John 17:11)
The Apostles, the Holy Women and Chorus
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord:
All the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee.
for the kingdom is the Lord's:
and He is the governor among the nations. (Ps. 2:27-28)
Mystic Chorus
‘I have done Thy commandment. (Ps 119:166)
I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do; (John 17:4)
I lay down My life for the sheep.’ (John 10:15)
The Apostles
‘In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33)
Mystic Chorus
'What are these wounds in Thine hands?'
‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.' (Zech. 13:6)
They platted a crown of thorns,
and put it about His head, (Matt. 27:29)
they mocked Him,
they spat upon Him, (Mark 15:19)
they smote Him with a reed,
they crucified Him.
Alleluia!
The Apostles and the Holy Women
They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness
unto a people that shall be born,
that He hath done this. (Ps. 22:31)
Mystic Chorus
'Now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee.' (John 17:11)
Chorus (Men)
The kingdom is the Lord's:
and He is the Governor among the nations. (Ps. 22:28)
Mystic Chorus
From henceforth shall the Son of Man be seated
at the right hand of the power of God. (Luke 22:69)
The Apostles and the Holy Women
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them. (Isaiah 63:9)
All
Alleluia!
Different artistic depictions of the Ascension
Questions to ponder:
While there are many musical settings of Christ’s Passion, this is the most prominent setting of Christ’s Ascension. Does Elgar succeed in writing a exalted finale that avoids shallowness by taking into account the doubt and struggle endured by Mary Magdalene and Judas as well as the suffering of Christ? Does the collective triumph of the finale complement or overwhelm the uncertainty of the struggles of Mary, Peter, and Judas? (Note: this is a subjective question, with no “correct” answer, like many other questions in this series!)
At the end of his life, when Elgar’s music was less in fashion, his doctor recounted that Elgar “told me that he had no faith whatever in an afterlife: ‘I believe there is nothing but complete oblivion.’” In The Apostles, we can hear both despair and hope from Elgar’s highly distinctive musical language. He specifically called attention to his hope that his portrayal of Judas despair and self-destruction would prevent others from following that path, as he himself had been tempted to do.
A number of other composers of some of our most profound sacred masterpieces, such as Brahms, Verdi, Vaughan Williams, and Herbert Howells have also been recorded as saying, outside of their music, that they were non-believers, or at best agnostics (i.e., among those who “do not know”).
In your experience of getting to know the music of The Apostles and learning some of what we know about Elgar’s public life, what place do you think musical expression has in the realm of religious practice? Does it have a role distinct from scripture, liturgy, church doctrine, and prayer? Is it able to express dimensions of religious faith that are difficult to articulate otherwise?
Has Elgar’s The Apostles deepened or broadened your understanding of your own faith and the Christian tradition?