ORATORIO

In Church music, a musical drama, of which the subject is always sacred, and intended to be performed in a church. The origin of this kind of spiritual and musical drama, which has now run into great exce es, is found in the plan of Filippo Neri, in the early part of the sixteenth century, to arrest the attention of those to whom he preached, by procuring the execution of pieces of sacred music of more than common interest before and after his sermon. This custom, which commenced in the congregation of the Oratory, (whence the name Oratorio,) was imitated by all the societies of the same foundation, and soon became so popular, that the best masters, both in composition and in execution, were found to take a part in it. The performance in the time of Filippo Neri himself was scarcely more than a cantata, but it soon after a umed a more perfectly dramatic form, being distributed between several persons, and accompanied with action and scenic representation, so as to present much of the character of a musical mystery. (See Moralities .) In this way many sacred subjects were performed, such as Job and his friends, the Good Samaritan, and the Prodigal Son. Oratorio derived its name from the Oratorio, or chapel in the church of St. Girolamo dell a Carita at Rome, where Filippo Neri’s confraternity a embles. (See Priests of the Oratory .) In England, oratorios have been much used in our cathedrals. Among the most celebrated oratorios are the Me iah of Handel, and the Creation of Haydn.