Hear My Prayer (German: Hör' mein Bitten) is a Christian anthem for soprano solo, chorus and organ or orchestra (SATB) composed by Felix Mendelssohn in Germany in 1844. The first performance took place in Crosby Hall, London, on 8 January 1845. The accompanist on that occasion was organist, composer and teacher Ann Mounsey (1811–1891). She later married the librettist of the work, William Bartholomew (1793–1867) who also collaborated with Mendelssohn over his oratorio Elijah (German: Elias). The passage "O for the Wings of a Dove" ("O könnt' ich fliegen") is particularly well known through the recording made in 1927 by boy soprano Ernest Lough.
The text (derived from Psalm 55):
Hear my prayer, O God, incline Thine ear! |
Hör mein Bitten, Herr, neige dich zu mir, |