 Mendelssohn also wrote many smaller @-@ scale sacred works for unaccompanied choir and for choir with organ . Most are written in or translated into English , and remain highly popular . Amongst the most famous is Hear My Prayer , whose second half contains " O for the Wings of a Dove , " which became extremely popular as a separate item . The piece is written for full choir , organ , and a treble or soprano soloist who has many challenging and extended solo passages . As such , it is a particular favourite for choirboys in churches and cathedrals and has frequently been recorded as a treble solo . Mendelssohn 's biographer Todd comments " The very popularity of the anthem in England [ ... ] later exposed it to charges of superficiality from those contemptuous of Victorian mores " . 
