ORATORIO

(Ital., from Lat. oratorium, a small chapel; which again is derived from orare, to pray.) A sacred musical composition, consisting of airs, recitatives, duets, trios, choruses, ice, the subject of which is generally taken from scripture. The text is usually in a dramatic form, as in Handel's Samson; but it sometimes takes the form of a narrative, as in Israel in Egypt; occasionally it is of a mixed character, as in Haydn s Creation; and sometimes it consists merely of detached pa ages from scripture, as in the Me iah. The origin of oratorios has been variously a crihed; but the most prevalent opinion regards them as originally founded upon the spiritual songs and dialogues which were sung or recited by the priests of the oratory. (See Oratory.) The more recent introduction of this species of musical drama is on all sides attributed to St. Philippo Neri, about the middle of the 16th century; but oratorios, properly so called, were not produced till about a century afterwards. At first the persons introduced were sometimes ideal, sometimes parabolical, and sometimes, as in the lntt«r oratorios, taken from sacred history; but this species of drama soon a umed a more regular form, and oratorios became great favourites in Italy, where they were constantly performed during the Carnival; and they have since given birth to some of the noblest and most elaborate compositions of the great masters both of that and other countries. Oratorios were first introduced into England by the great Handel in 1720, though they were not publicly performed Mil 1732; and such was their succe that in 1737 they began to be performed twice a week during the season of Lent; a custom which, under the aide management of [s. 869]