Oratorio

An oratorio is a large-scale work for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra that tells a story — usually drawn from scripture, hagiography or epic poetry — without scenery, costumes or stage action. The narrative is carried by recitatives (semi-spoken solo declamation) and arias (lyrical solos), while the chorus comments on the action in the manner of a Greek chorus and occasionally takes a role within it. The form sits between opera and church music: dramatic in structure but conceived for concert presentation, often in churches or concert halls rather than theaters. Handel's English oratorios, especially 'Messiah' (1742), defined the model that endures today.

The genre originated in early-17th-century Rome at the prayer halls (oratorii) of Filippo Neri's Congregation of the Oratory, where staged sacred dialogues were performed during Lent when the city's theaters were closed. Giacomo Carissimi developed the Latin oratorio at mid-century; the form spread to Germany through Heinrich Schutz and to England through Handel, whose pivot from Italian opera to English oratorio in the 1730s rescued his London career. Haydn's 'The Creation' (1798) and 'The Seasons' (1801) and Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' (1846) extended the tradition into the 19th century; 20th-century examples include Tippett's 'A Child of Our Time' (1944) and Bernstein's 'Mass' (1971).

In 'Messiah''s Hallelujah Chorus, follow how the four vocal parts alternate between unison (all parts singing the same word at once), fugal entries (each part entering in turn with the same phrase) and full homophonic chord. The dramatic effects rely on these textural shifts rather than on volume alone. In Haydn's 'Creation' the famous orchestral depiction of light at 'Es werde Licht' moves from pianissimo to fortissimo in a single bar — first audiences reportedly found it overwhelming.

Begin with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's 'Messiah' (1742) — about four minutes long, and the conventional starting point. Then move to Part I of 'Messiah' in a complete recording such as John Eliot Gardiner's with the English Baroque Soloists.

The tradition of audiences standing during the Hallelujah Chorus reportedly began at the work's 1743 London premiere when King George II rose from his seat — though no contemporary record actually confirms the story, generations of audiences have stood anyway. Haydn was so moved at the Vienna premiere of 'The Creation' in 1808 that he reportedly raised his hands toward the heavens and said the music came from above.