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orangeroot
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oratorio

or·a·to·ri·o [ àwrə táwree  ] (plural or·a·to·ri·os)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. piece of religious classical music: a musical composition for voices and instruments that has a religious theme, often telling a sacred story but not using costumes, scenery, or dramatic staging. Handel's Messiah is an example of this genre.

2. oratorios in general: oratorios as a musical genre

[Mid-17th century. < Italian, after the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome]
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