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Oratorio

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For the thoroughbred racehorse, seeOratorio (horse).
Not to be confused withOratoryorOntario.

Anoratorio(Italian pronunciation:[oraˈtɔːrjo]) is amusical compositionwithdramaticornarrativetext forchoir,soloistsandorchestraor otherensemble.[1]

Like mostoperas,an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters (e.g. soloists), andarias.However, opera ismusical theatre,and typically involves significanttheatrical spectacle,includingsets,props,andcostuming,as well as staged interactions between characters. In oratorio, there is generally minimalstaging,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 inconcert form.

A particularly important difference between opera and oratorio is in the typical subject matter of the text. An operalibrettomay deal with any conceivable dramatic subject (e.g.history,mythology,Richard Nixon,Anna Nicole Smith); the text of an oratorio often deals withsacredsubjects, making it appropriate for performance in thechurch,which remains an important performance context for the genre.Catholiccomposers looked to the lives ofsaintsand stories from theBible.Protestantcomposers often looked to Biblical topics, but sometimes looked to the lives of notable religious figures, such asCarl Loewe's"Jan Hus",an oratorio about the early reformer,Jan Hus.Oratorios became extremely popular in early 17th-century Italy partly because of the success of opera and the Catholic Church's prohibition ofspectaclesduringLent.Oratorios became the main choice of music during that annual period for opera audiences.[citation needed]

Conventionally, oratorio implies the sincere religious treatment of sacred subjects, such that non-sacred oratorio is generally qualified as 'secularoratorio': a piece of terminology that would, in some historical contexts, have been regarded asoxymoronic,or at least paradoxical,[2]and viewed with a degree ofscare-quotedskepticism.[3]Despite this enduring and implicit context, oratorio on secular subjects has been written from the genre'sorigins.

History[edit]

Etymology[edit]

The wordoratoriocomes from theLatinverbōrō(present infinitiveōrāre), meaning to orate orspeak publicly,to pray, or to beg or plead, related to theAttic Greeknoun ἀρά (ará,“prayer” ).[1][4](Hence thedisambiguation entry for 'oratory',includingoratory (worship).) The musical composition was "named from the kind of musical services held in the church of theOratory of St. Philip NeriinRome(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]

Origins[edit]

Although medieval plays such as theLudus DanielisandRenaissancedialogue motets such as those of theOltremontanihad characteristics of an oratorio, the first oratorio is usually seen asEmilio de Cavalieri'sRappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpo(1600).MonteverdicomposedIl Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda(1624) which can be considered as the firstsecularoratorio.

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 tomotets.There was a strong narrative, dramatic emphasis and there were conversational exchanges between characters in the work.Giovanni Francesco Anerio'sTeatro harmonico spirituale(1619) is a set of 14 dialogues, the longest of which is 20 minutes long and covers theconversion of St. Pauland is for four soloists: Historicus (narrator),tenor;St. Paul,tenor; Voice from Heaven,bass;andAnanias,tenor. There is also a four-part chorus to represent any crowds in the drama. The music is often contrapuntal andmadrigal-like. Philip Neri'sCongregazione dell'Oratoriofeatured the singing of spirituallaude.These became more and more popular and were eventually performed in specially builtoratories(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'sRappresentatione di Anima, et di Corpois 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 themonodicstyle. The first oratorio to be called by that name isPietro della Valle'sOratorio 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]

During the second half of the 17th century, there were trends toward the performance of the religious oratorio also outsidechurchhalls in courts and publictheaters.The theme of an oratorio is meant to be weighty. It could include such topics asCreation,the life ofJesus,or the career of a classical hero or Biblicalprophet.Other changes eventually took place as well, possibly because most composers of oratorios were also popular composers of operas. They began to publish thelibrettosof 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 malenarratorwith the use ofrecitatives.

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

The most significant composers oforatorio latinowere in ItalyGiacomo Carissimi,whoseJephteis 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 pupilMarc-Antoine Charpentier(34 works H.391 - H.425).

Lasting about 30–60 minutes,oratori volgariwere performed in two sections, separated by asermon;their music resembles that of contemporary operas and chambercantatas.

Late baroque[edit]

In the latebaroque periodoratorios increasingly became "sacred opera". In Rome and NaplesAlessandro Scarlattiwas the most noted composer. In Vienna the court poetMetastasioproduced annually a series of oratorios for the court which were set byCaldara,Hasseand others. Metastasio's best known oratorio librettoLa passione di Gesù Cristowas set by at least 35 composers from 1730 to 1790. In Germany the middle baroque oratorios moved from the early-baroqueHistoriastyle Christmas and Resurrection settings ofHeinrich Schütz,to the Passions ofJ. S. Bach,oratorio-passions such asDer Tod Jesuset byTelemannandCarl Heinrich Graun.After Telemann came the galante oratorio style ofC. P. E. Bach.

Georgian Britain[edit]

"Hallelujah" chorus from Handel'sMessiah
Recorded in 1916.
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help.

TheGeorgian erasaw a German-born monarch and German-born composer define the English oratorio.George Frideric Handel,most famous today for hisMessiah(1741), also wrote other oratorios based on themes fromGreekandRoman mythologyand Biblical topics. He is also credited with writing the first English language oratorio,Esther.Handel's imitators included the ItalianLidartiwho was employed by the Amsterdam Jewish community to compose a Hebrew version ofEsther.

Classicism[edit]

Joseph Haydn'sThe Creation(1798) andThe Seasons(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]

Britain continued to look to Germany for its composers of oratorio. TheBirmingham Festivalcommissioned various oratorios includingFelix Mendelssohn'sElijahin 1846, later performed in German asElias.German composerGeorg Vierlingis noted for modernizing the secular oratorio form.[5]

John Stainer'sThe Crucifixion(1887) became the stereotypical battlehorse of massed amateur choral societies.Edward Elgartried to revive the genre around the turn of century with the composition ofThe Light of Life (Lux Christi),The Dream of Gerontius,The ApostlesandThe Kingdom.[clarification needed]

20th century[edit]

Oratorio returned haltingly to public attention withIgor Stravinsky'sOedipus Rexin Paris (1927),William Walton'sBelshazzar's Feastin Leeds (1931),Paul Hindemith'sDas Unaufhörlichein Berlin (1931),Arthur Honegger'sLe Roi DavidandJeanne d'Arc au bûcherin Basel (1938), andFranz Schmidt'sThe Book with Seven Seals(Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln) in Vienna (1938).Michael Tippett's oratorioA Child of Our Time(first performance, 1944) engages with events surrounding theSecond World War.Postwar oratorios includeDmitri Shostakovich'sSong of the Forests(1949),Sergei Prokofiev'sOn Guard for Peace(1950),Vadim Salmanov'sTwelve(1957),Alfred Schnittke'sNagasaki(1958),Bohuslav Martinů'sThe Epic of Gilgamesh(1958),Krzysztof Penderecki'sSt. Luke Passion(1966),[clarification needed]Hans Werner Henze'sDas Floß der Medusa(1968),René Clemencic'sKabbala(1992), andOsvaldo Golijov'sLa Pasión según San Marcos(2000).[clarification needed]Mauricio KagelcomposedSankt-Bach-Passion,an oratorio about Bach's life, for the tercentenary of his birth in 1985.

Oratorios by popular musicians includeLéo Ferré'sLa Chanson du mal-aimé(1954 and 1972), based onGuillaume Apollinaire's poem of the same name,Paul McCartney'sLiverpool Oratorio(1991), andMikis Theodorakis'sCanto GeneralandAxion Esti,based on poems ofPablo NerudaandOdusseas Elytis.

21st century[edit]

WhenDudley Buckcomposed his oratorioThe Light of Asiain 1886, it became the first in the history of the genre to be based on the life ofBuddha.[6]Several late 20th and early 21st-century oratorios have since been based on Buddha's life or have incorporated Buddhist texts. These includeSomei Satoh's 1987Stabat Mater,[7]Dinesh Subasinghe's 2010Karuna Nadee,andJonathan Harvey's 2011Weltethos.[8]The 21st century also saw a continuation of Christianity-based oratorios withJohn Adams'sEl NiñoandThe Gospel According to the Other Mary.Other religions represented includeIlaiyaraaja'sThiruvasakam(based on the texts ofHinduhymns toShiva). Secular oratorios composed in the 21st century includeNathan Currier'sGaian Variations(based on theGaia hypothesis),Richard Einhorn'sThe Origin(based on the writings ofCharles Darwin),Jonathan Mills'Sandakan Threnody(based on theSandakan Death Marches),Neil Hannon'sTo Our Fathers in Distress,andDavid Lang'sThe Little Match Girl Passion(2008). The oratorioLaudato si',composed in 2016 byPeter Reuleinon alibrettobyHelmut Schlegel,includes the full Latin text of theMagnificat,expanded by writings ofClare of Assisi,Francis of AssisiandPope Francis.[9][10]Bruder Martinwas composed byThomas Gabriel,setting a text byEugen Eckertabout scenes from the life ofMartin Luther,for the 500th anniversary of theReformationin 2017.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"oratorio, (n.)".Oxford English Dictionary.Oxford University Press.2023.doi:10.1093/OED/8713946143.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.
  2. ^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.
  3. ^"Rev. ofSemele.An Oratorio. Edited... by Ebenezer Prout ".The Musical Times.19(424): 338. 1 June 1878.doi:10.2307/3357342.JSTOR3357342.For want of a better term this work may be called a 'Secular Oratorio;' but... Arnold, not wishing to style it anOpera,mentions it as a 'dramatic performance' and certainly the nature of thelibrettoprecludes the possibility of our surrounding it with any religious associations.Victor Schœlcher,in hisLife of Handel... dwells on the absurdity of the feeling which, in the composer's time, prompted persons to forbidEstherorJudas Maccabaeusto be played in action, whilst they could listen with equanimity toSemeleeven inLent,because it was 'after the manner of an Oratorio.'
  4. ^Lewis, Charles T. (1890)."ōrō".An Elementary Latin Dictionary.New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago: American Book Company – viaPerseus Digital Library,Tufts University.
  5. ^"The History of Music".Retrieved9 February2012.
  6. ^Smither, Howard E. (2000).A History of the Oratorio: The Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries,pp. 453 and 463. University of North Carolina Press.ISBN0807825115
  7. ^The New York Times(3 April 1987)."Oratorio Merges Christ and Buddha".Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  8. ^Clements, Andrew (22 June 2012)."Weltethos– review ".The Guardian.Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  9. ^Reulein, Peter;Schlegel, Helmut(2016).Laudato si' / Ein franziskanisches Magnificat.Limburg an der Lahn:Dehm Verlag.p. 230.ISBN978-3-943302-34-9.ISMN979-0-50226-047-7.
  10. ^"Festkonzert zum Jubiläum des Referates Kirchenmusik / Laudato si' – Oratorium von Peter Reulein (Uraufführung)"(in German).Liebfrauen, Frankfurt.2016.Retrieved19 October2016.
  11. ^"Bruder Martin – Luther-Musical-Oratorium in sieben Bildern und einem Prolog"(PDF)(in German). Strube Verlag. 2017.Retrieved10 October2020.
  • 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: 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." In19th-Century Music,vol. XXIII, no. 3 (Spring, 2000), pp. 236–272.
  • Upton, George P.The Standard Oratorios,Chicago, 1893
  • Gilman, Todd S. "Handel'sHerculesand Its Semiosis. "The Musical Quarterly,Oxford University Press,Vol. 81, No. 3 (Autumn 1997): pp. 449-481.JSTOR

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