How did Elijah affect Felix Mendelssohn’s influence on English music?

The popularity of Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah, which premiered in Birmingham in 1846, was a pivotal factor in establishing him as a composer whose influence on English music equaled that of George Frideric Handel.1

While this influence was later sometimes perceived as having a stifling effect—leading subsequent generations of English composers to revolt against his perceived dominance and the sentimentality of his lesser works—it is widely recognized that Mendelssohn succeeded in rousing the native English musical genius from a dormant state, both through his performances and his creative contributions.1