ORATO'R10 (Ital.), a sacred musical composition, consisting of airs, duets, &c., and chortissa. The text is generally a dramatic poem, as Ifandefs ' Samson,' and Cimarosa's ' S.aerifizio d'Abmmo.' Sometimes it takes the form of a narrative, as ' Israel in Egypt ;' and occasionally it is of a mixed kind, as Haydn's ' Creation.' lhe Messiah' is a col lection of passages from our received translation of the Scriptures.
Concerning the origin of the Oratorio, Dr. Brown, Sir John Hawkins, and others scent to have misunderstood the Pero Menestrier, who, in his work ' Dee Reprdsentations en .Musique,' attributes to the pilgrims, on their return from tbo Holy Land, not the introduction of what we term oratorios, as those writers suppose, but of the sacred dramas called' Mysteries.' And the learned Jesuit is perhaps himself in error on this subject. It is \Varton's opinion that about the 8th century the merchants who frequented the fairs, employing every art to draw numbers together, were accompanied by jugglers, minstrels, and buf foons, who were the source of great amusement to the people. The clergy, thinking that such entertainments tended to irreligion, pro scribed them ; but their censures and fulminations being disregarded, they took into their own hands the management of popular recreations —they turned actors—and, instead of profane mummeries, presented stories taken from legends or from the Bible. (` History of Poetry.') Voltaire conjectures that religious c1rantas came front Constantinople, where, about the 4th century, Gregory of Nazianzus, an archbishop, and one of the fathers of the church, banished plays from the stage of that city, and introduced stories from the Old and New Testament. As the ancient Greek Tragedy was originally a religions representation, a transition was made on the same plan, and the choruses turned into Christian hymns. " This opinion," says Wnrton, " will acquire pro bability, if we consider the early commercial intercourse between Italy and Constantinople." Admitting this, we need perhaps seek no further for the original source of the sacred musical drama.
As regards the more recent introduction of the oratorio, Creseimbeni, in his ' Cotnentarj; tolls us that it is attributable to San Filippo Neri, born In 1515, who, in his chapel,—(' net sue ora torio )--after sermons and other devotions, in order to allure young people to pious offices, and to detain them from earthly pleasure, had hymns and psalms sung by one or more voices. (tint!, in Bwo. Div.) Bourdelot is rather
more circumstantial on this subject. lie says, S. Philippe the Ncry, native of Florence, founder, in 1540, of the congregation of the Priests of the Oratory in Italy, observing the taste and passion of the Romans for musical entertainments, determined to afford the nobles and people the means of enjoying them on Sundays and festivals in his church, and engaged for this purpose the ablest poets and composers, who pro duced dialogues in verse on the principal subjects of Scripture, which Ire caused to be performed by the most beautiful voices in Rome, accompanied by all aorta of instruments. These performances con sisted of airs, duets, trios, and recitatives for four voices : the subjects were, Job and his Friends; the Prodigal Son received by his father; the Angel Gabriel with the Virgin; and the Mystery of the Incarnation.
Nothing was spared to render these attractive, the novelty and per fection whereof drew a crowd of auditors, who were delighted with the performances, and contributed largely, by admission money, to the expenses incurred. I fence are derived what we now call oratorios, or sacred representations. llistoire de Is Musique,' 1743, i. 256.) Some of these poems were printed, under the title of ' Laudi Spirituali,' and among the first authors of them was I'. Agostino Manni. One of the most remarkable was entitled Rappresentationo di Anima a di Corpo, del Signor Emilio del Cavalieri, per recite oantando.' It was the first attempt in the recitative style, and performed in action, on a stage erected in the church of Santa Maria della Vallicella at Rome, with scenes, dances, fie., as appears from the editor's dedication to Cardinal Aldobrandini, and the composer's instructions for the per formance. From the latter Dr. Burney (' Hiat.,' iv. 88) gives some curious extracts, among which are the following : The accompanying instruments—namely, a double lyre, a harpsi chord, a large guitar, and two flutes—to be behind the scenes; but the performers are desired to have instruments in their hands, as the ap pearing to play would help the illusion.