oratorio

[ awr-uh-tawr-ee-oh, -tohr-, or- ]

noun

, plural or·a·to·ri·os.

1. an extended musical composition with a text more or less dramatic in character and usually based upon a religious theme, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, and performed without action, costume, or scenery.

oratorio

/ ˌɒrəˈtɔːrɪəʊ /

noun

1. a dramatic but unstaged musical composition for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, based on a religious theme

oratorio

1. A musical composition for voices and orchestra , telling a religious story.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oratorio¹

1625–35; < Italian: small chapel < Late Latin ōrātōrium oratory ²; so named from the musical services in the church of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome

Word History and Origins

Origin of oratorio¹

C18: from Italian, literally: oratory ², referring to the Church of the Oratory at Rome where musical services were held

Example Sentences

“But I had always thought of it as an oratorio,” along the lines of Handel’s “Messiah.”

From Seattle Times

“My soul’s above the sea and whistling a dream,” he sang, a passage from the Nativity oratorio “El Niño” by John Adams, in which Tines makes his Met debut this month.

From New York Times

While the oratorio’s story is fictional, it is based on the true story of 20,000 to 30,000 Jews who reached the Shanghai International Settlement.

From Seattle Times

In Handel’s oratorio “Israel in Egypt,” which the New York Philharmonic performed in October, Jews are living in captivity across the Red Sea from their ancient homeland.

From New York Times

Driven more by imagery than plot, he has been best suited to staging oratorios or concert works like Mozart’s Requiem and Mahler’s Second Symphony.

From New York Times

Related Words

• chant
• ditty
• paean
• psalm