Description and Analysis of Oratorio and Art-Song
Description and Analysis of Oratorio and Art-Song
This article will give a description of what an Oratorio and Art-Song are. It will also inform you on the stylistic characteristics, a summary on the historial background and a brief outline on the composers who helped develop and excelled in these styles of fantastic vocal music.
Oratorio is based upon a substantial story of a religious or spiritual character. It is written for solo voices, chorus and orchestra and is often performed in churches or concert halls. Oratorio resembles an opera but costumes, acting and scenery are absent. However early examples of oratorio, one being by Emilio del’ Cavalier’s ‘Representation of soul and body’ written in 1600, were staged with costume and scenery.
The plot in oratorio is less dramatically described than in opera and there is a strong emphasis on the chorus than on solo voices. The word ‘oratorio’ is historically derived from its original place of performance the oratory or oratorio of the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella in Rome.
Filipo Neri began services of a popular nature, including sacred plays, readings from scriptures and the performance of Laudi or Hymns of praise and devotion. St Filipo Neri founded the order of priests called congregation of the oratory or oratorians.
A significant contributor to the literature of the oratorio was Giacomo Carissimi (1605-74), with his compositions of Jeptha, Judicium, Salomon, Jonas and Balthazar. Others were Alessandro Scarlatti, Alessandro Stradella, Frenchmen Marc Antoine Charqoentier (1636-1704) student of Carissimi, and German Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672).
Handel was the master of the late Baroque period, whose dramatic treatment of the oratorio’s content and subject matter has never surpassed.
Although Handel is German by birth his oratorios may be considered English creations. The list of oratorios by Handel is truly impressive; Esther (1720), Deborah (1733), Saul (1739), Israel in Egypt (1739), Messiah (1742), Samson (1743), Semele (1743), Joseph and his Brethren (1741), Belshazzar (1744), Judas Maccabaeus (1746) Joshua (1747), Solomon (1748), Theodora (1749) and Jephtha (1751) to only mention the best known.
The Romantic era was a period of great change and emancipation. While the Classical era had strict laws of balance and restraint, the Romantic era moved away from that by allowing artistic freedom,...