|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| 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] |
|
|
|
