List of operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Wikipedia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operas comprise 22 musical dramas in a variety of genres. They range from the small-scale, derivative works of his youth to the ...
oratorio
The list includes all the theatrical works generally accepted as composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In this context "theatrical" means performed on a stage, by vocalists singing in character, in accordance with stage directions. Some sources have adopted more specific criteria, leading them to exclude the early "Sacred Singspiel" Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots,[e] which they classify as an <anchor>oratorio</anchor>.[f] However, as Osborne makes clear, the libretto contains stage directions which suggest that the work was acted, not merely sung, and it is formally described as a "geistliches Singspiel" (sacred play with music), not as an oratorio.[15] The Singspiel Der Stein der Weisen was written in collaboration with four other composers, so it is only partially credited to Mozart who only contributed one aria.
Oratorio - Wikipedia
Oratorio - Wikipedia[Jump to content](#bodyContent)

Main menu

Main menu

move to sidebarhide

Navigation


- [Main page](/wiki/Main_Page "Visit the main page [z]")
- [Contents](/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents "Guides to browsing Wikipedia")
- [Current events](/wiki/Portal:Current_events "Articles related to current events")
- [Random article](/wiki/Special:Random "Visit a randomly selected article [x]")
- [About Wikipedia](/wiki/Wikipedia:About "Learn about Wikipedia and how it works")
- [Contact us](//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us "How to contact Wikipedia")
- [Donate](https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en "Support us by donating to the Wikimedia Foundation")

Contribute


- [Help](/wiki/Help:Contents "Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia")
- [Learn to edit](/wiki/Help:Introduction "Learn how to edit Wikipedia")
- [Community portal](/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal "The hub for editors")
- [Recent changes](/wiki/Special:RecentChanges "A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]")
- [Upload file](/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard "Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia")

[![](/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png)![Wikipedia](/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg)![The Free Encyclopedia](/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg)](/wiki/Main_Page)

[Search](/wiki/Special:Search "Search Wikipedia [f]")

Search

Appearance

- [Create account](/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Oratorio "You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory")
- [Log in](/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Oratorio "You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]")

Personal tools

- [Create account](/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Oratorio "You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory")
- [Log in](/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Oratorio "You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]")

Pages for logged out editors [learn more](/wiki/Help:Introduction)

- [Contributions](/wiki/Special:MyContributions "A list of edits made from this IP address [y]")
- [Talk](/wiki/Special:MyTalk "Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]")

## Contents

move to sidebarhide

- (Top)

- [1History](#History)Toggle History subsection  - [1.1Etymology](#Etymology)
  - [1.2Origins](#Origins)
  - [1.31650–1700](#1650–1700)
  - [1.4Late baroque](#Late_baroque)
  - [1.5Georgian Britain](#Georgian_Britain)
  - [1.6Classicism](#Classicism)
  - [1.7Victorian era](#Victorian_era)
  - [1.820th century](#20th_century)
  - [1.921st century](#21st_century)
- [2See also](#See_also)
- [3References](#References)

Toggle the table of contents

# Oratorio

62 languages

- [Afrikaans](https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Afrikaans")
- [Alemannisch](https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Alemannic")
- [العربية](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A3%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%88 "أوراتوريو – Arabic")
- [Беларуская](https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%8F "Араторыя – Belarusian")
- [Български](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F "Оратория – Bulgarian")
- [Bosanski](https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorij "Oratorij – Bosnian")
- [Català](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratori_(m%C3%BAsica) "Oratori (música) – Catalan")
- [Чӑвашла](https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8 "Оратори – Chuvash")
- [Čeština](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Czech")
- [Cymraeg](https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Welsh")
- [Dansk](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Danish")
- [Deutsch](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – German")
- [Eesti](https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratoorium "Oratoorium – Estonian")
- [Ελληνικά](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9F%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BF "Ορατόριο – Greek")
- [Español](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio_(m%C3%BAsica) "Oratorio (música) – Spanish")
- [Esperanto](https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Esperanto")
- [Euskara](https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Basque")
- [فارسی](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%88 "اوراتوریو – Persian")
- [Français](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – French")
- [Galego](https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Galician")
- [한국어](https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%98%A4%EB%9D%BC%ED%86%A0%EB%A6%AC%EC%98%A4 "오라토리오 – Korean")
- [Հայերեն](https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%95%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%A1 "Օրատորիա – Armenian")
- [Hrvatski](https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorij "Oratorij – Croatian")
- [Ido](https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Ido")
- [Bahasa Indonesia](https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Indonesian")
- [Italiano](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio_(musica) "Oratorio (musica) – Italian")
- [עברית](https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%94 "אורטוריה – Hebrew")
- [Қазақша](https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F "Оратория – Kazakh")
- [Кыргызча](https://ky.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F "Оратория – Kyrgyz")
- [Latina](https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium_(musica) "Oratorium (musica) – Latin")
- [Latviešu](https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorija "Oratorija – Latvian")
- [Lëtzebuergesch](https://lb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Luxembourgish")
- [Lietuvių](https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorija "Oratorija – Lithuanian")
- [Limburgs](https://li.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Limburgish")
- [Magyar](https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orat%C3%B3rium "Oratórium – Hungarian")
- [Македонски](https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%83%D0%BC "Ораториум – Macedonian")
- [Bahasa Melayu](https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Malay")
- [Nederlands](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Dutch")
- [日本語](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AA%E3%83%A9%E3%83%88%E3%83%AA%E3%82%AA "オラトリオ – Japanese")
- [Norsk bokmål](https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Norwegian Bokmål")
- [Norsk nynorsk](https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Norwegian Nynorsk")
- [Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча](https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratoriya "Oratoriya – Uzbek")
- [Polski](https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Polish")
- [Português](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orat%C3%B3rio_(m%C3%BAsica) "Oratório (música) – Portuguese")
- [Română](https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratoriu_(gen_muzical) "Oratoriu (gen muzical) – Romanian")
- [Русский](https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F "Оратория – Russian")
- [Shqip](https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Albanian")
- [Simple English](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Simple English")
- [Slovenčina](https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orat%C3%B3rium_(hudba) "Oratórium (hudba) – Slovak")
- [Slovenščina](https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorij_(glasba) "Oratorij (glasba) – Slovenian")
- [کوردی](https://ckb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A6%DB%86%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%DB%86%D8%B1%DB%8C%DB%86 "ئۆراتۆریۆ – Central Kurdish")
- [Српски / srpski](https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%98%D1%83%D0%BC "Ораторијум – Serbian")
- [Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски](https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorij "Oratorij – Serbo-Croatian")
- [Suomi](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio "Oratorio – Finnish")
- [Svenska](https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorium "Oratorium – Swedish")
- [ไทย](https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%AD "ออราทอริโอ – Thai")
- [Тоҷикӣ](https://tg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F "Оратория – Tajik")
- [Türkçe](https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratoryo "Oratoryo – Turkish")
- [Українська](https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%96%D1%8F "Ораторія – Ukrainian")
- [Tiếng Việt](https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanh_x%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bng_k%E1%BB%8Bch "Thanh xướng kịch – Vietnamese")
- [吴语](https://wuu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E5%94%B1%E5%89%A7 "清唱剧 – Wu")
- [中文](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A5%9E%E5%8A%87 "神劇 – Chinese")

[Edit links](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q85477#sitelinks-wikipedia "Edit interlanguage links")

- [Article](/wiki/Oratorio "View the content page [c]")
- [Talk](/wiki/Talk:Oratorio "Discuss improvements to the content page [t]")

English

- [Read](/wiki/Oratorio)
- [Edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit "Edit this page [e]")
- [View history](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=history "Past revisions of this page [h]")

Tools

Tools

move to sidebarhide

Actions


- [Read](/wiki/Oratorio)
- [Edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit "Edit this page [e]")
- [View history](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=history)

General


- [What links here](/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Oratorio "List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]")
- [Related changes](/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Oratorio "Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]")
- [Upload file](/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard "Upload files [u]")
- [Special pages](/wiki/Special:SpecialPages "A list of all special pages [q]")
- [Permanent link](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&oldid=1240840233 "Permanent link to this revision of this page")
- [Page information](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=info "More information about this page")
- [Cite this page](/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Oratorio&id=1240840233&wpFormIdentifier=titleform "Information on how to cite this page")
- [Get shortened URL](/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FOratorio)
- [Download QR code](/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FOratorio)
- [Wikidata item](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q85477 "Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]")

Print/export


- [Download as PDF](/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Oratorio&action=show-download-screen "Download this page as a PDF file")
- [Printable version](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&printable=yes "Printable version of this page [p]")

In other projects


- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Oratorios)

Appearance

move to sidebarhide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists

For the thoroughbred racehorse, see [Oratorio (horse)](/wiki/Oratorio_(horse) "Oratorio (horse)").

Not to be confused with [Oratory](/wiki/Oratory_(disambiguation) "Oratory (disambiguation)") or [Ontario](/wiki/Ontario "Ontario").

An **oratorio** (Italian pronunciation:[\[oraˈtɔːrjo\]](/wiki/Help:IPA/Italian "Help:IPA/Italian")) is a [musical composition](/wiki/Musical_composition "Musical composition") with [dramatic](/wiki/Drama "Drama") or [narrative](/wiki/Narrative "Narrative") text for [choir](/wiki/Choir "Choir"), [soloists](/wiki/Solo_(music) "Solo (music)") and [orchestra](/wiki/Orchestra "Orchestra") or other [ensemble](/wiki/Musical_ensemble "Musical ensemble").[\[1\]](#cite_note-OED-1)

Like most [operas](/wiki/Opera "Opera"), an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters (e.g. soloists), and [arias](/wiki/Aria "Aria"). However, opera is [musical theatre](/wiki/Musical_theatre "Musical theatre"), and typically involves significant [theatrical spectacle](/wiki/Spectacle "Spectacle"), including [sets](/wiki/Theatrical_scenery "Theatrical scenery"), [props](/wiki/Prop "Prop"), and [costuming](/wiki/Costume "Costume"), as well as staged interactions between characters. In oratorio, there is generally minimal [staging](/wiki/Staging_(theatre,_film,_television) "Staging (theatre, film, television)"), with the chorus often assuming a more central dramatic role, and the work is typically presented as a concert piece – though oratorios are sometimes staged as operas, and operas are not infrequently presented in [concert form](/wiki/Concert_version "Concert version").

A particularly important difference between opera and oratorio is in the typical subject matter of the text. An opera [libretto](/wiki/Libretto "Libretto") may deal with any conceivable dramatic subject (e.g. [history](/wiki/History "History"), [mythology](/wiki/Mythology "Mythology"), [Richard Nixon](/wiki/Nixon_in_China "Nixon in China"), [Anna Nicole Smith](/wiki/Anna_Nicole "Anna Nicole") and the Bible); the text of an oratorio often deals with [sacred](/wiki/Sacred "Sacred") subjects, making it appropriate for performance in the [church](/wiki/Church_(building) "Church (building)"), which remains an important performance context for the genre. [Catholic](/wiki/Catholic "Catholic") composers looked to the lives of [saints](/wiki/Saint "Saint") and stories from the [Bible](/wiki/Bible "Bible"). [Protestant](/wiki/Protestant "Protestant") composers often looked to Biblical topics, but sometimes looked to the lives of notable religious figures, such as [Carl Loewe's](/wiki/Carl_Loewe "Carl Loewe") ["Jan Hus"](/wiki/Jan_Hus_(oratorio) "Jan Hus (oratorio)"), an oratorio about the early reformer, [Jan Hus](/wiki/Jan_Hus "Jan Hus"). Oratorios became extremely popular in early 17th-century Italy partly because of the success of opera and the Catholic Church's prohibition of [spectacles](/wiki/Spectacle "Spectacle") during [Lent](/wiki/Lent "Lent"). Oratorios became the main choice of music during that annual period for opera audiences.\[ _[citation needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")_\]

Conventionally, oratorio implies the sincere religious treatment of sacred subjects, such that non-sacred oratorio is generally qualified as ' [secular](/wiki/Secular "Secular") oratorio': a piece of terminology that would, in some historical contexts, have been regarded as [oxymoronic](/wiki/Oxymoron "Oxymoron"), or at least paradoxical,[\[2\]](#cite_note-SmitherVol2-2) and viewed with a degree of [scare-quoted](/wiki/Scare_quotes "Scare quotes") skepticism.[\[3\]](#cite_note-MusicalTimes1878-3) Despite this enduring and implicit context, oratorio on secular subjects has been written from the genre's [origins](#Origins).

## History

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: History")\]

### Etymology

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Etymology")\]

The word _oratorio_ comes from the [Latin](/wiki/Latin "Latin") verb _ōrō_ (present infinitive _ōrāre_), meaning to orate or [speak publicly](/wiki/Public_speaking "Public speaking"), to pray, or to beg or plead, related to the [Attic Greek](/wiki/Attic_Greek "Attic Greek") noun ἀρά ( _ará_, “prayer”).[\[1\]](#cite_note-OED-1)[\[4\]](#cite_note-4) (Hence the [disambiguation entry for 'oratory'](/wiki/Oratory_(disambiguation) "Oratory (disambiguation)"), including [oratory (worship)](/wiki/Oratory_(worship) "Oratory (worship)").) The musical composition was "named from the kind of musical services held in the church of the [Oratory of St. Philip Neri](/wiki/Oratory_of_St._Philip_Neri "Oratory of St. Philip Neri") in [Rome](/wiki/Rome "Rome") ( _Congregazione dell'Oratorio_) in the latter half of the 16th cent." The word is only attested in English from 1727, with the equivalent 'oratory' in prior use, from 1640.[\[1\]](#cite_note-OED-1)

### Origins

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: Origins")\]

Although medieval plays such as the [Ludus Danielis](/wiki/Ludus_Danielis "Ludus Danielis") and [Renaissance](/wiki/Renaissance "Renaissance") dialogue motets such as those of the [Oltremontani](/wiki/Oltremontani "Oltremontani") had characteristics of an oratorio, the first oratorio is usually seen as [Emilio de Cavalieri](/wiki/Emilio_de_Cavalieri "Emilio de Cavalieri")'s _[Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo](/wiki/Rappresentatione_di_Anima,_et_di_Corpo "Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo")_ (1600). [Monteverdi](/wiki/Claudio_Monteverdi "Claudio Monteverdi") composed _[Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda](/wiki/Il_Combattimento_di_Tancredi_e_Clorinda "Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda")_ (1624) which can be considered as the first [secular](/wiki/Secular "Secular") oratorio.

The origins of the oratorio can be found in sacred dialogues in Italy. These were settings of Biblical, Latin texts and musically were quite similar to [motets](/wiki/Motets "Motets"). There was a strong narrative, dramatic emphasis and there were conversational exchanges between characters in the work. [Giovanni Francesco Anerio](/wiki/Giovanni_Francesco_Anerio "Giovanni Francesco Anerio")'s _Teatro harmonico spirituale_ (1619) is a set of 14 dialogues, the longest of which is 20 minutes long and covers the [conversion of St. Paul](/wiki/Conversion_of_Paul_the_Apostle "Conversion of Paul the Apostle") and is for four soloists: Historicus (narrator), [tenor](/wiki/Tenor "Tenor"); [St. Paul](/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle "Paul the Apostle"), tenor; Voice from Heaven, [bass](/wiki/Bass_(voice_type) "Bass (voice type)"); and [Ananias](/wiki/Ananias_of_Damascus "Ananias of Damascus"), tenor. There is also a four-part chorus to represent any crowds in the drama. The music is often contrapuntal and [madrigal-like](/wiki/Madrigal_(music) "Madrigal (music)").
[Philip Neri](/wiki/Philip_Neri "Philip Neri")'s [Congregazione dell'Oratorio](/wiki/Oratory_of_Saint_Philip_Neri "Oratory of Saint Philip Neri") featured the singing of spiritual [laude](/wiki/Laude "Laude"). These became more and more popular and were eventually performed in specially built [oratories](/wiki/Oratory_(worship) "Oratory (worship)") (prayer halls) by professional musicians. Again, these were chiefly based on dramatic and narrative elements.
Sacred opera provided another impetus for dialogues, and they greatly expanded in length (although never really beyond 60 minutes long). Cavalieri's _Rappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo_ is an example of one of these works, but technically it is not an oratorio because it features acting and dancing. It does, however contain music in the [monodic](/wiki/Monodic "Monodic") style.
The first oratorio to be called by that name is [Pietro della Valle](/wiki/Pietro_della_Valle "Pietro della Valle")'s _Oratorio della Purificazione_, but due to its brevity (only 12 minutes long) and the fact that its other name was "dialogue", we can see that there was much ambiguity in these names.

### 1650–1700

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: 1650–1700")\]

During the second half of the 17th century, there were trends toward the performance of the religious oratorio also outside [church](/wiki/Church_(building) "Church (building)") halls in courts and public [theaters](/wiki/Theater "Theater"). The theme of an oratorio is meant to be weighty. It could include such topics as [Creation](/wiki/Genesis_creation_myth "Genesis creation myth"), the life of [Jesus](/wiki/Jesus "Jesus"), or the career of a classical hero or Biblical [prophet](/wiki/Prophets_of_Christianity "Prophets of Christianity"). 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](/wiki/Libretto "Libretto") 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 became regularly employed, and replaced the male [narrator](/wiki/Narrator "Narrator") with the use of [recitatives](/wiki/Recitative "Recitative").

By the mid-17th century, two types had developed:

- _oratorio latino_ (in [Latin](/wiki/Latin "Latin")) – first developed at the [Oratorio del Santissimo Crocifisso](/wiki/Oratorio_del_Santissimo_Crocifisso "Oratorio del Santissimo Crocifisso"), related to the church of [San Marcello al Corso](/wiki/San_Marcello_al_Corso "San Marcello al Corso") in [Rome](/wiki/Rome "Rome").

The most significant composers of _oratorio latino_ were in Italy [Giacomo Carissimi](/wiki/Giacomo_Carissimi "Giacomo Carissimi"), whose _[Jephte](/wiki/Jephte_(Carissimi) "Jephte (Carissimi)")_ is regarded as the first masterpiece of the genre (like most other Latin oratorios of the period, it is in one section only), and in France Carissimi's pupil [Marc-Antoine Charpentier](/wiki/Marc-Antoine_Charpentier "Marc-Antoine Charpentier") (34 works H.391 - H.425).

- _oratorio volgare_ (in [Italian](/wiki/Italian_language "Italian language")) – representative examples include:

  - Giacomo Carissimi's _Daniele_
  - [Marco Marazzoli](/wiki/Marco_Marazzoli "Marco Marazzoli")'s _S Tomaso_
  - similar works written by [Francesco Foggia](/wiki/Francesco_Foggia "Francesco Foggia"), [Luigi Rossi](/wiki/Luigi_Rossi "Luigi Rossi"), [Alessandro Stradella](/wiki/Alessandro_Stradella "Alessandro Stradella")

Lasting about 30–60 minutes, _oratori volgari_ were performed in two sections, separated by a [sermon](/wiki/Sermon "Sermon"); their music resembles that of contemporary operas and chamber [cantatas](/wiki/Cantata "Cantata").

### Late baroque

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: Late baroque")\]

In the late [baroque period](/wiki/Baroque "Baroque") oratorios increasingly became "sacred opera". In Rome and Naples [Alessandro Scarlatti](/wiki/Alessandro_Scarlatti "Alessandro Scarlatti") was the most noted composer. In Vienna the court poet [Metastasio](/wiki/Metastasio "Metastasio") produced annually a series of oratorios for the court which were set by [Caldara](/wiki/Antonio_Caldara "Antonio Caldara"), [Hasse](/wiki/Johann_Adolph_Hasse "Johann Adolph Hasse") and others. Metastasio's best known oratorio libretto _[La passione di Gesù Cristo](/wiki/La_passione_di_Ges%C3%B9_Cristo "La passione di Gesù Cristo")_ was set by at least 35 composers from 1730 to 1790. In Germany the middle baroque oratorios moved from the early-baroque _Historia_ style Christmas and Resurrection settings of [Heinrich Schütz](/wiki/Heinrich_Sch%C3%BCtz "Heinrich Schütz"), to the Passions of [J. S. Bach](/wiki/J._S._Bach "J. S. Bach"), oratorio-passions such as _[Der Tod Jesu](/wiki/Der_Tod_Jesu "Der Tod Jesu")_ set by [Telemann](/wiki/Telemann "Telemann") and [Carl Heinrich Graun](/wiki/Carl_Heinrich_Graun "Carl Heinrich Graun"). After Telemann came the galante oratorio style of [C. P. E. Bach](/wiki/C._P._E._Bach "C. P. E. Bach").

### Georgian Britain

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: Georgian Britain")\]

![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg/50px-Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg.png)

["Hallelujah" chorus from Handel's _Messiah_](/wiki/File:Handel_Messiah_Hallelujah_by_Oratorio_Chorus.ogg "File:Handel Messiah Hallelujah by Oratorio Chorus.ogg")

Recorded in 1916.

* * *

_Problems playing this file? See [media help](/wiki/Help:Media "Help:Media")._

The [Georgian era](/wiki/Georgian_era "Georgian era") saw a German-born monarch and German-born composer define the English oratorio. [George Frideric Handel](/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel "George Frideric Handel"), most famous today for his _[Messiah](/wiki/Messiah_(Handel) "Messiah (Handel)")_ (1741), also wrote other oratorios based on themes from [Greek](/wiki/Greek_mythology "Greek mythology") and [Roman mythology](/wiki/Roman_mythology "Roman mythology") and Biblical topics. He is also credited with writing the first English language oratorio, _[Esther](/wiki/Esther_(Handel) "Esther (Handel)")_. Handel's imitators included the Italian [Lidarti](/wiki/Lidarti "Lidarti") who was employed by the Amsterdam Jewish community to compose a Hebrew version of _Esther_.

### Classicism

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: Classicism")\]

[Joseph Haydn](/wiki/Joseph_Haydn "Joseph Haydn")'s _[The Creation](/wiki/The_Creation_(Haydn) "The Creation (Haydn)")_ (1798) and _[The Seasons](/wiki/The_Seasons_(Haydn) "The Seasons (Haydn)")_ (1801) have remained the most widely known oratorios from the period of classicism. While the first of these Händel inspired works draws from the religious theme of creation, the second is more secular, containing songs about industry, hunting and wine.

### Victorian era

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=8 "Edit section: Victorian era")\]

Britain continued to look to Germany for its composers of oratorio. The [Birmingham Festival](/wiki/Birmingham_Festival "Birmingham Festival") commissioned various oratorios including [Felix Mendelssohn](/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohn "Felix Mendelssohn")'s _[Elijah](/wiki/Elijah_(oratorio) "Elijah (oratorio)")_ in 1846, later performed in German as _Elias_. German composer [Georg Vierling](/wiki/Georg_Vierling "Georg Vierling") is noted for modernizing the secular oratorio form.[\[5\]](#cite_note-history-5)

[John Stainer](/wiki/John_Stainer "John Stainer")'s _[The Crucifixion](/wiki/The_Crucifixion_(Stainer) "The Crucifixion (Stainer)")_ (1887) became the stereotypical battlehorse of massed amateur choral societies. [Edward Elgar](/wiki/Edward_Elgar "Edward Elgar") tried to revive the genre around the turn of century with the composition of _The Light of Life (Lux Christi)_, _[The Dream of Gerontius](/wiki/The_Dream_of_Gerontius "The Dream of Gerontius")_, _[The Apostles](/wiki/The_Apostles_(Elgar) "The Apostles (Elgar)")_ and _[The Kingdom](/wiki/The_Kingdom_(Elgar) "The Kingdom (Elgar)")_.\[ _[clarification needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify "Wikipedia:Please clarify")_\]

### 20th century

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=9 "Edit section: 20th century")\]

Oratorio returned haltingly to public attention with [Igor Stravinsky](/wiki/Igor_Stravinsky "Igor Stravinsky")'s _[Oedipus Rex](/wiki/Oedipus_rex_(opera) "Oedipus rex (opera)")_ in Paris (1927), [William Walton](/wiki/William_Walton "William Walton")'s _[Belshazzar's Feast](/wiki/Belshazzar%27s_Feast_(Walton) "Belshazzar's Feast (Walton)")_ in Leeds (1931), [Paul Hindemith](/wiki/Paul_Hindemith "Paul Hindemith")'s _Das Unaufhörliche_ in Berlin (1931), [Arthur Honegger](/wiki/Arthur_Honegger "Arthur Honegger")'s _[Le Roi David](/wiki/Le_Roi_David "Le Roi David")_ and _[Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher](/wiki/Jeanne_d%27Arc_au_b%C3%BBcher "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher")_ in Basel (1938), and [Franz Schmidt](/wiki/Franz_Schmidt_(composer) "Franz Schmidt (composer)")'s _[The Book with Seven Seals](/wiki/The_Book_with_Seven_Seals_(oratorio) "The Book with Seven Seals (oratorio)")_ ( _Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln_) in Vienna (1938). [Michael Tippett](/wiki/Michael_Tippett "Michael Tippett")'s oratorio _[A Child of Our Time](/wiki/A_Child_of_Our_Time "A Child of Our Time")_ (first performance, 1944) engages with events surrounding the [Second World War](/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"). Postwar oratorios include [Dmitri Shostakovich](/wiki/Dmitri_Shostakovich "Dmitri Shostakovich")'s _[Song of the Forests](/wiki/Song_of_the_Forests "Song of the Forests")_ (1949), [Sergei Prokofiev](/wiki/Sergei_Prokofiev "Sergei Prokofiev")'s _[On Guard for Peace](/wiki/On_Guard_for_Peace "On Guard for Peace")_ (1950), [Vadim Salmanov](/wiki/Vadim_Salmanov "Vadim Salmanov")'s _Twelve_ (1957), [Alfred Schnittke](/wiki/Alfred_Schnittke "Alfred Schnittke")'s _[Nagasaki](/wiki/Nagasaki_(Schnittke) "Nagasaki (Schnittke)")_ (1958), [Bohuslav Martinů](/wiki/Bohuslav_Martin%C5%AF "Bohuslav Martinů")'s _[The Epic of Gilgamesh](/wiki/The_Epic_of_Gilgamesh_(Martin%C5%AF) "The Epic of Gilgamesh (Martinů)")_ (1958), [Krzysztof Penderecki](/wiki/Krzysztof_Penderecki "Krzysztof Penderecki")'s _[St. Luke Passion](/wiki/St_Luke_Passion_(Penderecki) "St Luke Passion (Penderecki)")_ (1966), \[ _[clarification needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify "Wikipedia:Please clarify")_\] [Hans Werner Henze](/wiki/Hans_Werner_Henze "Hans Werner Henze")'s _[Das Floß der Medusa](/wiki/Das_Flo%C3%9F_der_Medusa "Das Floß der Medusa")_ (1968), [René Clemencic](/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Clemencic "René Clemencic")'s _Kabbala_ (1992), and [Osvaldo Golijov](/wiki/Osvaldo_Golijov "Osvaldo Golijov")'s _[La Pasión según San Marcos](/wiki/La_Pasi%C3%B3n_seg%C3%BAn_San_Marcos_(Golijov) "La Pasión según San Marcos (Golijov)")_ (2000).\[ _[clarification needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify "Wikipedia:Please clarify")_\] [Mauricio Kagel](/wiki/Mauricio_Kagel "Mauricio Kagel") composed _[Sankt-Bach-Passion](/wiki/Sankt-Bach-Passion "Sankt-Bach-Passion")_, an oratorio about Bach's life, for the tercentenary of his birth in 1985.

Oratorios by popular musicians include [Léo Ferré](/wiki/L%C3%A9o_Ferr%C3%A9 "Léo Ferré")'s _[La Chanson du mal-aimé](/wiki/La_Chanson_du_mal-aim%C3%A9 "La Chanson du mal-aimé")_ (1954 and 1972), based on [Guillaume Apollinaire](/wiki/Guillaume_Apollinaire "Guillaume Apollinaire")'s poem of the same name, [Paul McCartney](/wiki/Paul_McCartney "Paul McCartney")'s _[Liverpool Oratorio](/wiki/Paul_McCartney%27s_Liverpool_Oratorio "Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio")_ (1991), and [Mikis Theodorakis](/wiki/Mikis_Theodorakis "Mikis Theodorakis")'s _[Canto General](/wiki/Canto_General_(1975_album) "Canto General (1975 album)")_ and [Axion Esti](/w/index.php?title=Axion_Esti&action=edit&redlink=1 "Axion Esti (page does not exist)"), based on poems of [Pablo Neruda](/wiki/Pablo_Neruda "Pablo Neruda") and [Odusseas Elytis](/wiki/Odysseas_Elytis "Odysseas Elytis").

### 21st century

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=10 "Edit section: 21st century")\]

When [Dudley Buck](/wiki/Dudley_Buck "Dudley Buck") composed his oratorio _[The Light of Asia](/wiki/The_Light_of_Asia_(oratorio) "The Light of Asia (oratorio)")_ in 1886, it became the first in the history of the genre to be based on the life of [Buddha](/wiki/Buddha "Buddha").[\[6\]](#cite_note-6) Several late 20th and early 21st-century oratorios have since been based on Buddha's life or have incorporated Buddhist texts. These include [Somei Satoh](/wiki/Somei_Satoh "Somei Satoh")'s 1987 _Stabat Mater_,[\[7\]](#cite_note-7) [Dinesh Subasinghe](/wiki/Dinesh_Subasinghe "Dinesh Subasinghe")'s 2010 _[Karuna Nadee](/wiki/Karuna_Nadee "Karuna Nadee")_, and [Jonathan Harvey](/wiki/Jonathan_Harvey_(composer) "Jonathan Harvey (composer)")'s 2011 _Weltethos_.[\[8\]](#cite_note-8) The 21st century also saw a continuation of Christianity-based oratorios with [John Adams](/wiki/John_Adams_(composer) "John Adams (composer)")'s _[El Niño](/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o_(oratorio) "El Niño (oratorio)")_ and _[The Gospel According to the Other Mary](/wiki/The_Gospel_According_to_the_Other_Mary "The Gospel According to the Other Mary")_. Other religions represented include [Ilaiyaraaja](/wiki/Ilaiyaraaja "Ilaiyaraaja")'s _[Thiruvasakam](/wiki/Thiruvasakam_in_Symphony "Thiruvasakam in Symphony")_ (based on the texts of [Hindu](/wiki/Hinduism "Hinduism") hymns to [Shiva](/wiki/Shiva "Shiva")). Secular oratorios composed in the 21st century include [Nathan Currier](/wiki/Nathan_Currier "Nathan Currier")'s _[Gaian Variations](/wiki/Gaian_Variations "Gaian Variations")_ (based on the [Gaia hypothesis](/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis "Gaia hypothesis")), [Richard Einhorn](/wiki/Richard_Einhorn "Richard Einhorn")'s _[The Origin](/wiki/The_Origin_(Einhorn) "The Origin (Einhorn)")_ (based on the writings of [Charles Darwin](/wiki/Charles_Darwin "Charles Darwin")), [Jonathan Mills](/wiki/Jonathan_Mills_(composer) "Jonathan Mills (composer)")' _Sandakan Threnody_ (based on the [Sandakan Death Marches](/wiki/Sandakan_Death_Marches "Sandakan Death Marches")), [Neil Hannon](/wiki/Neil_Hannon "Neil Hannon")'s _To Our Fathers in Distress_, and [David Lang](/wiki/David_Lang_(composer) "David Lang (composer)")'s [The Little Match Girl Passion](/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl_Passion "The Little Match Girl Passion") (2008). The oratorio _[Laudato si'](/wiki/Laudato_si%27_(oratorio) "Laudato si' (oratorio)")_, composed in 2016 by [Peter Reulein](/wiki/Peter_Reulein "Peter Reulein") on a [libretto](/wiki/Libretto "Libretto") by [Helmut Schlegel](/wiki/Helmut_Schlegel "Helmut Schlegel"), includes the full Latin text of the [Magnificat](/wiki/Magnificat "Magnificat"), expanded by writings of [Clare of Assisi](/wiki/Clare_of_Assisi "Clare of Assisi"), [Francis of Assisi](/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi "Francis of Assisi") and [Pope Francis](/wiki/Pope_Francis "Pope Francis").[\[9\]](#cite_note-LS-score-9)[\[10\]](#cite_note-Laudato_si-Liebfrauen-10) _[Bruder Martin](/wiki/Bruder_Martin "Bruder Martin")_ was composed by [Thomas Gabriel](/wiki/Thomas_Gabriel_(composer) "Thomas Gabriel (composer)"), setting a text by [Eugen Eckert](/wiki/Eugen_Eckert "Eugen Eckert") about scenes from the life of [Martin Luther](/wiki/Martin_Luther "Martin Luther"), for the 500th anniversary of the [Reformation](/wiki/Reformation "Reformation") in 2017.[\[11\]](#cite_note-Strube-11) In 2017, [Jörg Widmann](/wiki/J%C3%B6rg_Widmann "Jörg Widmann")'s oratorio [ARCHE](/wiki/Arche_(oratorio) "Arche (oratorio)") premiered. A transfer of sacrality to secular contexts takes place.[\[12\]](#cite_note-Groote-12)

## See also

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=11 "Edit section: See also")\]

- [List of oratorios](/wiki/List_of_oratorios "List of oratorios")
- [Passion](/wiki/Passion_music "Passion music")
- [Music for the Requiem Mass](/wiki/Music_for_the_Requiem_Mass "Music for the Requiem Mass")
- [Mass (liturgy)](/wiki/Mass_(liturgy) "Mass (liturgy)")
- [Mass (music)](/wiki/Mass_(music) "Mass (music)")
- [Oratorio Society (disambiguation)](/wiki/Oratorio_Society_(disambiguation) "Oratorio Society (disambiguation)")

## References

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&action=edit&section=12 "Edit section: References")\]

01. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-OED_1-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-OED_1-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-OED_1-2)"oratorio, (n.)". _[Oxford English Dictionary](/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary "Oxford English Dictionary")_. [Oxford University Press](/wiki/Oxford_University_Press "Oxford University Press"). 2023\. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1093/OED/8713946143](https://doi.org/10.1093%2FOED%2F8713946143). A large-scale, usually narrative musical work for orchestra and voices, typically on a sacred theme and performed with little or no costume, scenery, or action.
02. **[^](#cite_ref-SmitherVol2_2-0)**Smither, Howard E. _A History of the Oratorio_. Vol. 2: The Oratorio in the Baroque Era - Protestant Germany and England. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 350. Seven works by Handel are sometimes classified as "secular oratorios": Acts and Galatea, Alexander's Feast, Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, L'Allegro, Semele, Hercules, and The Choice of Hercules.63 Nevertheless, none of these compositions was originally called an oratorio by its composer. **In Handel's England the term secular oratorio was not used and would have seemed self-contradictory.** Thus in a genre classification of Handel's works based on the terminology charac- teristic in England of his time, these seven compositions would be excluded from the oratorio category.
03. **[^](#cite_ref-MusicalTimes1878_3-0)**"Rev. of _[Semele](/wiki/Semele_(Handel) "Semele (Handel)")_. An Oratorio. Edited... by Ebenezer Prout". _[The Musical Times](/wiki/The_Musical_Times "The Musical Times")_. **19** (424): 338. 1 June 1878. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.2307/3357342](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3357342). [JSTOR](/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier) "JSTOR (identifier)") [3357342](https://www.jstor.org/stable/3357342). For want of a better term this work may be called a 'Secular Oratorio;' but... Arnold, not wishing to style it an [Opera](/wiki/Opera "Opera"), mentions it as a 'dramatic performance' and certainly the nature of the _libretto_ precludes the possibility of our surrounding it with any religious associations. [Victor Schœlcher](/wiki/Victor_Sch%C5%93lcher "Victor Schœlcher"), in his _Life of Handel_... dwells on the absurdity of the feeling which, in the composer's time, prompted persons to forbid _[Esther](/wiki/Esther_(Handel) "Esther (Handel)")_ or _[Judas Maccabaeus](/wiki/Judas_Maccabaeus_(Handel) "Judas Maccabaeus (Handel)")_ to be played in action, whilst they could listen with equanimity to _Semele_ even in [Lent](/wiki/Lent "Lent"), because it was 'after the manner of an Oratorio.'
04. **[^](#cite_ref-4)**Lewis, Charles T. (1890). ["ōrō"](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0060:entry=oro). _An Elementary Latin Dictionary_. New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago: American Book Company – via [Perseus Digital Library](/wiki/Perseus_Digital_Library "Perseus Digital Library"), [Tufts University](/wiki/Tufts_University "Tufts University").
05. **[^](#cite_ref-history_5-0)**["The History of Music"](https://archive.org/stream/historyofmusic05naumuoft/historyofmusic05naumuoft_djvu.txt). Retrieved 9 February 2012.
06. **[^](#cite_ref-6)**Smither, Howard E. (2000). [_A History of the Oratorio: The Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries_](https://books.google.com/books?id=Khz3kZNd0Z8C&dq=Buddhist+oratorio&pg=PA463), pp. 453 and 463. University of North Carolina Press. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0807825115](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0807825115 "Special:BookSources/0807825115")
07. **[^](#cite_ref-7)**_[The New York Times](/wiki/The_New_York_Times "The New York Times")_ (3 April 1987). ["Oratorio Merges Christ and Buddha"](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/03/arts/oratorio-merges-christ-and-buddha.html). Retrieved 3 May 2013.
08. **[^](#cite_ref-8)**Clements, Andrew (22 June 2012). [" _Weltethos_ – review"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jun/22/weltethos-review). _[The Guardian](/wiki/The_Guardian "The Guardian")_. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
09. **[^](#cite_ref-LS-score_9-0)**[Reulein, Peter](/wiki/Peter_Reulein "Peter Reulein"); [Schlegel, Helmut](/wiki/Helmut_Schlegel "Helmut Schlegel") (2016). _Laudato si' / Ein franziskanisches Magnificat_. [Limburg an der Lahn](/wiki/Limburg_an_der_Lahn "Limburg an der Lahn"): [Dehm Verlag](/wiki/Patrick_Dehm "Patrick Dehm"). p. 230. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-3-943302-34-9](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-943302-34-9 "Special:BookSources/978-3-943302-34-9"). [ISMN](/wiki/ISMN_(identifier) "ISMN (identifier)") 979-0-50226-047-7.
10. **[^](#cite_ref-Laudato_si-Liebfrauen_10-0)**["Festkonzert zum Jubiläum des Referates Kirchenmusik / Laudato si' – Oratorium von Peter Reulein (Uraufführung)"](http://www.liebfrauen.net/meldung_volltext.php?si=5807238ed0bee&id=57f955bfc9ddd&view=&lang=&akt=musikkunstkultur_musikmeldungen&k1=main&k2=musikkunstkultur&k3=musikmeldungen&k4=) (in German). [Liebfrauen, Frankfurt](/wiki/Liebfrauen,_Frankfurt "Liebfrauen, Frankfurt"). 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
11. **[^](#cite_ref-Strube_11-0)**["Bruder Martin – Luther-Musical-Oratorium in sieben Bildern und einem Prolog"](https://www.strube.de/uploads/tx_eshop/I6946.pdf)(PDF) (in German). Strube Verlag. 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
12. **[^](#cite_ref-Groote_12-0)**Groote, Inga Mai (9 October 2023). ["The Sound of the Sacred. Transfers of Sacrality in Contemporary Choral Music"](https://www.vr-elibrary.de/doi/pdf/10.13109/9783666302459.103). _Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Europäische Geschichte Mainz Beihefte_. Vol. 140. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 103–116. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.13109/9783666302459.103](https://doi.org/10.13109%2F9783666302459.103). [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-3-525-30245-3](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-525-30245-3 "Special:BookSources/978-3-525-30245-3").

- 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](/wiki/Grove_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians "Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians")_, ed. L. Macy, [grovemusic.com](https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-5000004099) (subscription access).
- Hardon, John A. _Modern Catholic Dictionary._ Garden City, NY: Doubleday 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.
- McGuire, Charles Edward. _Elgar's Oratorios: The Creation of an Epic Narrative_. Aldershot: Ashgate Press, 2002.
- McGuire, Charles Edward. "Elgar, Judas, and the Theology of Betrayal." In _19th-Century Music_, vol. XXIII, no. 3 (Spring, 2000), pp. 236–272.
- [Upton, George P](/wiki/George_Putnam_Upton "George Putnam Upton"). _[The Standard Oratorios](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22793/22793-h/22793-h.htm)_, Chicago, 1893
- Gilman, Todd S. "Handel's _[Hercules](/wiki/Hercules_(Handel) "Hercules (Handel)")_ and Its Semiosis." [The Musical Quarterly](/wiki/The_Musical_Quarterly "The Musical Quarterly"), [Oxford University Press](/wiki/Oxford_University_Press "Oxford University Press"), Vol. 81, No. 3 (Autumn 1997): pp. 449-481. [JSTOR](https://www.jstor.org/stable/742326)

[Authority control databases](/wiki/Help:Authority_control "Help:Authority control"): National [![Edit this at Wikidata](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85477#identifiers "Edit this at Wikidata")

- [Germany](https://d-nb.info/gnd/4129085-9)
- [United States](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/sh85095291)
- [Japan](https://id.ndl.go.jp/auth/ndlna/00568918)
- [Czech Republic](https://aleph.nkp.cz/F/?func=find-c&local_base=aut&ccl_term=ica=ph123779&CON_LNG=ENG)
- [Israel](http://olduli.nli.org.il/F/?func=find-b&local_base=NLX10&find_code=UID&request=987007550834705171)

Retrieved from " [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&oldid=1240840233](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&oldid=1240840233)"

[Categories](/wiki/Help:Category "Help:Category"):

- [Oratorios](/wiki/Category:Oratorios "Category:Oratorios")
- [Classical music styles](/wiki/Category:Classical_music_styles "Category:Classical music styles")

Hidden categories:

- [CS1: long volume value](/wiki/Category:CS1:_long_volume_value "Category:CS1: long volume value")
- [CS1 German-language sources (de)](/wiki/Category:CS1_German-language_sources_(de) "Category:CS1 German-language sources (de)")
- [Articles with short description](/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description "Category:Articles with short description")
- [Short description matches Wikidata](/wiki/Category:Short_description_matches_Wikidata "Category:Short description matches Wikidata")
- [Pages with Italian IPA](/wiki/Category:Pages_with_Italian_IPA "Category:Pages with Italian IPA")
- [All articles with unsourced statements](/wiki/Category:All_articles_with_unsourced_statements "Category:All articles with unsourced statements")
- [Articles with unsourced statements from March 2024](/wiki/Category:Articles_with_unsourced_statements_from_March_2024 "Category:Articles with unsourced statements from March 2024")
- [Articles with hAudio microformats](/wiki/Category:Articles_with_hAudio_microformats "Category:Articles with hAudio microformats")
- [Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2016](/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_needing_clarification_from_August_2016 "Category:Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2016")
- [Use dmy dates from March 2017](/wiki/Category:Use_dmy_dates_from_March_2017 "Category:Use dmy dates from March 2017")

- This page was last edited on 17 August 2024, at 19:17 (UTC).
- Text is available under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0](//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License);
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the [Terms of Use](//foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms_of_Use) and [Privacy Policy](//foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the [Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.](//wikimediafoundation.org/), a non-profit organization.

- [Privacy policy](https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy)
- [About Wikipedia](/wiki/Wikipedia:About)
- [Disclaimers](/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer)
- [Contact Wikipedia](//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us)
- [Code of Conduct](https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct)
- [Developers](https://developer.wikimedia.org)
- [Statistics](https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/en.wikipedia.org)
- [Cookie statement](https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Cookie_statement)
- [Mobile view](//en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oratorio&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile)

- [![Wikimedia Foundation](/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg)](https://wikimediafoundation.org/)
- [![Powered by MediaWiki](/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki.svg)](https://www.mediawiki.org/)