What Is an Oratorio?

The oratorio emerged in Rome in the second half of the sixteenth century. Connected with church and theatre, it includes lyrical, epic and dramatic elements. Written for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra to an extended text, it is performed without stage scenery or costumes. Its subject is usually scriptural or religious, though secular texts can also be used.

As well as accompanying the voices, the orchestra can play an overture or interludes. Singers, a narrator and instrumentalists are the performers described in this article. It attributes the absence of a chorus in some early works to a shortage of performers, and highlights the growing importance of the chorus in the compositions of G. Carissimi.

How do opera and oratorio differ?

Opera generally uses costumes and staging, whereas an oratorio is usually performed without them. This is one of the clearest ways to distinguish the two.

Some of the best-known oratorios in Türkiye include:

• Nevit Kodallı's Atatürk Oratorio

• Ahmet Adnan Saygun's Yunus Emre Oratorio

• Fazıl Say's Nâzım Hikmet Oratorio

Gülden Şair
Rekor Sanat – Piano Teacher