Oratorio is a dramatic vocal composition usually based on a religious story. Oratorios resemble operas. Both tell a story and are performed by solo singers, a chorus, and an orchestra. The main difference is that oratorios have no acting, costumes, or scenery. Most oratorios are presented in concert halls or in churches.
Loading the player...Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach
In oratorios, soloists often portray specific characters, and the chorus usually is an important element. Although there is no acting or scenery, such theatrical effects as fires and storms can be suggested by the music. Many oratorios have a narrator who introduces the story and supplies details.
Oratorios developed from musical settings of religious texts during the Middle Ages. However, the form as it is known today emerged in Rome in the mid-1500’s. The most important period of oratorio composition was the 1600’s and 1700’s. The German-born composer George Frideric Handel was the greatest composer of oratorios. His Messiah (1742) is the most famous oratorio ever written. Amateur and professional groups, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, still perform oratorios regularly.
Loading the player...Hallelujah Chorus
