German composition

Section 6 Mendelssohn in Birmingham

When⁠1 Mendelssohn, on⁠2 the first performance of his⁠3 ‘Elijah’ in Birmingham, was about⁠4 to enter⁠5 the orchestra, he⁠6 said laughingly to one of his friends and critics⁠7: “Stick⁠8 your claws into me! Don’t tell⁠9 me what you like, but⁠10 what you don’t like!”—Athenæum.

Notes

1 See S. 4, N. 2.

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

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

4 ‘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.

5 ‘to enter’, betreten, see S. 1, N. 2.

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

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

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

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

10 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.