An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the opera. Their similarities include the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is musical theatre, while oratorio is strictly a concert piece, though they are sometimes staged as operas. There is little or no interaction between the characters, no props or elaborate costumes. The most important difference is their subject matter. Opera tends to deal with history and mythology, including age-old devices of romance, deception, and murder. There are many exceptions, including Saint Saens' opera, Samson et Dalila, Schoenberg's Moses and Aaron and others. Additionally, there are operas that deal with religious movements such as Meyerbeers Les Huguenots. The plot of an oratorio is often minimal and deals strictly with sacred subjects, making this form of entertainment acceptable and appropriate for performance in the church. Protestant composers took their stories from the Bible, while Catholic composers looked to the lives of saints. Oratorios became extremely popular in early 17th century Italy partly because of the success of the opera and the Church's prohibition of spectacles during Lent. Oratorios became the main option of musica during that period for opera buffs.

During the second half of the 17th century, there were trends toward the secularization of the religious oratorio. Evidence of this lies in its regular performance outside church halls in courts and public theaters. Whether religious or secular, the theme of an oratorio is meant to be weighty. It could include such topics as a creation myth, the life of Jesus, or the career of a classical hero or biblical prophet. Other changes eventually took place as well, possibly because most composers of oratorios were also popular composers of operas. They began to publish the librettos of their oratorios as they did for their operas. Strong emphasis was soon placed on arias while the use of the choir diminished. Female singers become regularly employed, and replaced the male narrator with the use of recitatives. Eventually, Monteverdi composed Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda which is considered to be the first secular oratorio.

George Frideric Handel, most famous today for his Messiah, also wrote secular oratorios based on themes from Greek and Roman mythology. He is also credited with writing the first English language oratorio.

• George Frederic Handel, Messiah (1741).
• George Frideric Handel, Samson (1743)
• George Frideric Handel, Judas Maccabaeus (1747)
• George Frideric Handel, Joshua (1748)
• George Frideric Handel, Jephtha (1752)
• Joseph Haydn, The Creation (1798)

Belshazzar's )

• Vangelis Papathanasiou, Mythodea (2001)
• Piotr Rubik - "Tu Es Petrus" (2005)
• Hristo Tsanoff - "Stabat Mater dolorosa" (2007)http://www.tsanoff-classic.com/ReligionMusic/Oratorios/Stabat.Mater.dolorosa/
• Eric Idle and John Du Prez - He's Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) (2007) (an unusual oratorio in that it is a comedic piece based on Monty Python's Life of Brian)

See also

• Passion
• Requiem
• Mass (liturgy)
• Mass (music)
• Cantata
• oratorio society

References

• Bukofzer, Manfred F. Music in the Baroque Era. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc, 1947.
• Smither, Howard. The History of the Oratorio. vol. 1-4, Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of N.C. Press, 1977-2000.
• Deedy, John. The Catholic Fact Book. Chicago, IL: Thomas Moore Press, 1986.
• Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy, grovemusic.com (subscription access).
• Hardon, John A. Modern Catholic Dictionary. Garden City, NY: Double Day and Co. Inc., 1980.
• New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
• Randel, Don. "Oratorio". The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press, 1986.

External links

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