oratorio

American  

[awr-uh-tawr-ee-oh, -tohr-, or-] / ˌɔr əˈtɔr iˌoʊ, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌɒr- /

noun

• oratorios
  plural

1. 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.

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oratorio British  

/ ˌɒrəˈtɔːrɪəʊ /

noun

1. a dramatic but unstaged musical composition for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, based on a religious theme

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oratorio Cultural  

1. A musical composition for voices and orchestra, telling a religious story.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• oratorios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oratorio

1625–35; < Italian: small chapel < Late Latin ōrātōrium oratory ²; so named from the musical services in the church of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome

Explanation

An oratorio is a musical piece that is usually lengthy and based on some Biblical or religious event. It is a performance for voice and orchestra, but the story is told through the music, and not with scenery, costumes, and action. In Rome, musical services were presented in the church of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. An oratory, from the Latin word oratorium, meant "place of prayer." These sorts of musical services spawned the type of music known as oratorios. Handel's Messiah is a well known oratorio that is often performed at Christmas. You are probably familiar with the part that goes "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oratorio oratorios

“Messiah,” an Easter oratorio beloved for Christmas, suggests Christ’s meaning rather than clearly tracing his life.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

The composer struts in during a rehearsal, uncorks an embarrassingly stagey speech about his life and views, and forbids Guthrie from putting his modern spin on the oratorio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025

Despite dealing with an oratorio, “The Choral” is more of a medley, briefly touching on one theme after another, but never convincingly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025

Phil artist collaborator, began a three-year Handel festival with a dazzlingly sung and played performance of the oratorio “Triumph of Time and Disillusion.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

This contemporary lithograph lampoons the panicked gentry who fled the city - and thus turned Handel’s new oratorio, Theodora, into a box-office flop.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

George Frideric Handel wrote some 42 operas across his career — his unstaged oratorios such as “Messiah” constitute a separate category — but Seattle Opera has presented only three of these to date.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023

But the larger ideas of “unEarth” are more directly delivered than those of any of her other socially conscious but primarily historical oratorios, dating back to “Steel Hammer” more than a decade ago.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2023

Wolfe’s other recent oratorios have been busy, multimedia presentations.

From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2022

But common to both tellings, as well as the dozens of operas, oratorios, plays and films since derived from the myth of Iphigenia, is that she’s not the one who gets to tell the story.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2021

Handel’s first eighteen oratorios in London theatres were packed- house affairs.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• chant
• ditty
• paean
• psalm