Oratorio

From New World Encyclopedia
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An oratorio is a large musical composition art form for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. It differs from an opera in that it does not use theatrical scenery, costumes, or acting stylizations. The oratorio closely mirrors the opera in musical style and form, except that choruses are more prominent in oratorios than in operas. The peak periods for the composition of oratorios are the 17th and 18th centuries when the Baroque period was experiencing its height in the consummation of the grandeur and splendor in its art forms.

Subject

Since the word, 'oratorio', was derived from the Italian word for a location for prayer, most oratorios from the common practice period to the present day have biblical themes or strong spiritual subjects. Yet, a number of composers, notably George Frideric Handel, wrote secular oratorios based on themes from Greek and Roman mythology. The oratorio usually unfolds under the direction of a speaker or narrator usually with arias, recitatives, duets, trios, quartets, quintets, and choruses. Whether religious or secular, the theme of an oratorio is meant to be weighty, and can include such topics as the creation of the world, the life of Jesus, or the career of a classical hero or biblical prophet.

The plot of an oratorio is often minimal, and some oratorios are not narratives at all. While operas are usually based on a dramatic narrative, in oratorios the aesthetic purpose of the narrative is more often to provide organization and significance to a large musical work. For example, in George Frideric Handel's oratorios, he has "the chorus - the people - the center of the drama. Freed from the rapid pace imposed by stage action, he expanded to vast dimensions each scene and emotion. The chorus now touches off the action, now reflects upon it. As in Greek tragedy it serves both as protagonist and ideal spectator. The characters are drawn larger than life-size. Saul, Joshua, Deborah, Judas Maccabacus, Samson are archetypes of human nature; creatures of destiny, majestic in defeat as in victory". (See Machlis, Joseph, "The Enjoyment of Music", pg. 150, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1977. ISBN 0-393-09125-2)

Early history

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

  • The oratorio volgare (in Italian) - with the following representative examples:
    • Giacomo Carissimi's Daniele;
    • Marco Marazzoli's S Tomaso;
    • similar works written by Francesco Foggia and Luigi de Rossi.

Lasting about 30-60 minutes, oratorio volgares were performed in two sections and separated by a sermon; their music resembles that of contemporary operas and chamber cantatas.

  • The oratorio latino (in Latin) - first developed at the Oratorio del SS. Crocifisso, was related to the church of San Marcello al Corso in Rome.

The most significant composer of oratorio latino is Giacomo Carissimi, whose Jephte is regarded as the first masterpiece of the genre. Like most other Latin oratorios of the period, it is in one section only.

Structure

Oratorios usually contain:

  • An 'overture', for instruments alone
  • Various 'arias', sung by the vocal soloists
  • The 'recitative', usually employed to advance the plot
  • Finally, choruses, often monumental and meant to convey a sense of glory. Frequently the instruments for oratorio choruses include timpani and trumpets.

List of notable oratorios

(ordered chronologically by year of premiere)

  • Johann Sebastian Bach, the Christmas Oratorio (1734)
  • Johann Adolf Hasse, "Serpentes ignei in deserto" - (1735, 1736 or 1739)
  • George Frideric Handel, Israel in Egypt (1739), notable for being the source of the earliest known recording of classical music, made in June 6, 1888 on a wax cylinder.
  • Handel, Messiah (1741). This is by far the most familiar and widely performed of oratorios, at least in English-speaking countries
  • Handel, Samson (1743)
  • Handel, Judas Maccabaeus (1747)
  • Joseph Haydn, The Creation (1798)
  • Joseph Haydn, The Seasons (1801)
  • Felix Mendelssohn, Elijah (1846)
  • Hector Berlioz, L'Enfance du Christ (1854)
  • Igor Stravinsky's opera, "Oedipus rex" (1927)
  • Artur Kapp, Hiiob (Job) (1929)

See also

  • Passion (Christianity)
  • Requiem
  • mass (liturgy)
  • mass (as a musical form)
  • Cantata

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Crowther, Victor, "The oratorio in Modena", Oxford: Clarendon Press; NY: Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-198-16255-3
  • Pahlen, Kurt; Pfister, Weiner; Konig, Rosemarie; Dox, Thurston J., "The world of the oratorio: Oratorio, Mass, Requiem, Te Deum, Stabat Mater, and large cantatas", Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1990. OCLC 20220562
  • Smither, Howard E., "A history of the oratorio", Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1977-2000. ISBN 0-807-81274-9

External links