Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, the son of a wealthy Jewish family but educated as a Christian, was one of the most important musicians of the Romantic period. He set standards as a composer and conductor, and was also a great pianist and organist. With his St. Paul and Elijah, composed ten years later, Mendelssohn continued the great tradition of late Baroque oratorios. St. Paul, first performed in 1836, tells episodes from the life of the apostle Paul in dramatic form. The two-part work is a magnificent musical picture, with melodious arias and recitatives and, above all, powerful choruses and chorales full of emotion, ranging from turmoil and hatred to humility and faith. The work was an unprecedented success and, with its striking opening motif Wachet auf!. After his death, Mendelssohn Bartholdy became the target of anti-Semitic vilification.