An oratorio is a large-scale work for soloists, choir, and orchestra that unfolds a whole dramatic subject (most often biblical), but, unlike opera, is performed without stage action, costumes, or scenery — by the power of music and word alone.
The genre took shape in Italy, and its unsurpassed master was G.F. Handel, whose oratorio “Messiah” with the majestic “Hallelujah” chorus is one of the most famous works in the history of music. Outstanding oratorios were also created by Haydn (“The Creation,” “The Seasons”), Mendelssohn, and Berlioz. The central place in an oratorio is held by the choir, which often acts as a collective “hero” of the drama. The oratorio combines the depth of sacred content with the grandeur of large vocal-symphonic forms.
