oratorio
[ awr-uh-tawr-ee-oh, -tohr-, or- ]
/ ˌɔr əˈtɔr iˌoʊ, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌɒr- /
noun, plural or·a·to·ri·os.
an extended musical composition with a text more or less dramatic in character and usually based upon a religious theme, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, and performed without action, costume, or scenery.
Words nearby oratorio
orate fratres, oration, orator, oratorian, oratorical, oratorio, oratory, oratrix, orb, orb weaver, orbicular
Origin of oratorio
1625–35; < Italian: small chapel < Late Latin ōrātōrium oratory2; so named from the musical services in the church of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome
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British Dictionary definitions for oratorio
oratorio
/ (ˌɒrəˈtɔːrɪəʊ) /
noun plural -rios
a dramatic but unstaged musical composition for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, based on a religious theme
Word Origin for oratorio
C18: from Italian, literally: oratory ², referring to the Church of the Oratory at Rome where musical services were held
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for oratorio
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.