Section 6. MENDELSSOHN IN BIRMINGHAM.
Reading edition
When[1] Mendelssohn, on[2] the first performance of his[3] ‘Elijah’ in Birmingham, was about[4] to enter[5] the orchestra, he[6] said laughingly to one of his friends and critics[7]: “Stick[8] your claws into me! Don’t tell[9] me what you like, but[10] what you don’t like!”—Athenæum.
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.
Notes in this chapter
Note 1 · See S. 4, N. 2.Note 2 · The preposition ‘on’, signifying ‘on the occasion of’, must be rendered by ‘bei’. ‘Performance’, Aufführung, f.Note 3 · Use the gen. of the def. art.; Elijah, Elias.Note 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; Note 5 · ‘to enter’, betreten, see S. 1, N. 2.Note 6 · Since the subordinate clause precedes the principal clause, the construction of the principal clause must be inverted, see App. § 15.Note 7 · to — critics, say ‘to a friend and critic’, Rezensent, m.Note 8 · ‘Stick — me!’ This metaphor must be rendered freely by: Packen Sie mich nur tüchtig an!Note 9 · tell = say; to like = to please, with the dat. of the person.Note 10 · The co-ordinative conjunction ‘but’ must be rendered by ‘sondern’, when, after a negative statement, the subsequent clause expresses an idea