Section 6. Mendelssohn in Birmingham

When⁠ Mendelssohn, on⁠ the first performance of his⁠ ‘Elijah’ in Birmingham, was about⁠ to enter⁠ the orchestra, he⁠ said laughingly to one of his friends and critics⁠: “Stick⁠ your claws into me! Don’t tell⁠ me what you like, but⁠ what you don’t like!”—Athenæum.

See S. 4, N. 2.

The preposition ‘on’, signifying ‘on the occasion of’, must be rendered by ‘bei’. ‘Performance’, Aufführung, f.

Use the gen. of the def. art.; Elijah, Elias.

‘to be about’, im Begriff sein. ‘To be about’ may also be rendered by the auxiliary verb of mood wollen and the infinitive of another verb; as—

I was just about to leave, when the letter arrived. Ich war gerade im Begriff abzureisen (or Ich wollte gerade abreisen), als der Brief ankam.

‘to enter’, betreten, see S. 1, N. 2.

Since the subordinate clause precedes the principal clause, the construction of the principal clause must be inverted, see App. § 15.

to — critics, say ‘to a friend and critic’, Rezensent, m.

‘Stick — me!’ This metaphor must be rendered freely by: Packen Sie mich nur tüchtig an!

tell = say; to like = to please, with the dat. of the person.

The co-ordinative conjunction ‘but’ must be rendered by ‘sondern’, when, after a negative statement, the subsequent clause expresses an idea altogether contrary to that of its antecedent.