At the same time that Handel perfected the oratorio in England this art-form rapidly de teriorated in Germany. The baneful influence of the decadent opera affected all forms of sacred music. The oratorio, like the opera, soon con sisted of a number of arias or duets, loosely strung together, and served no other purpose than the exhibition of bravura singing. There MIS practically no difference between the music of an oratorio and an opera. The works of this period have, therefore, very aptly been called 'concert oratorios.' What has just been said re garding the oratorio in Germany applies with equal force to that form in 'Italy. The oratorio had entirely lost its distinctive traits and as similated those of the opera. It is not at all sur prising, then, that when the reforms of Gluck brought about a change in operatic music•, some change at once became noticeable in the ora torios. But even the best works of that time have not attracted more than passing attention. The first master since Handel who has written oratorios of sterling merit is Haydn (1732 I 809 ) ( The Creation, The Seasons). Bnt aydn's style is radically different from Handel's; while the latter's might be characterized as epic, the former's is rather lyric and descriptive. Even the instrumental introductions show the dif ference between the two masters. Those of Handel are fugal and belong entirely to the poly phonic-contrapuntal style. those of llaydn are descriptive and belong, to the homnphomiir-h;u• monie style. in Ihtydn's works the orehestra is a far more important factor than in Handel's. Strictly speaking, only the Creation is an ora torio; the Seasons is entirely secular in char acter and really a. charming idyl in oratorio form. `pole• (1784-1859) chooses loftier sub jects and treats them in an individual manner, although he does not dep;u•t from established forms, while the sixteen oratorios of his content !ion] ry, Schneider ( 17S6-1853), who enjoyed great popularity during his life-time. were S0011 fm-gotten. The next great master in the history of the oratorio is Afendelssolin (1809-47). His two oratorios, Saint foul and Elijah, are un doubtedly the greatest works in this form since the days of Handel. On the whole, Metdelssohu follOWS the principles that guided Bach, for. like the great Leipzig cantor, he insists upon the chorale. The overlore to Saint Paul begin,: with an instrumental setting of one of the most fa mons chorales; then follows sonic fugal writing in which motives from the chorale are skillfully interwoven. The fugal writing in many choruses is more in the manner of Handel. I hit although Nendelssohn adopted general art principles from his great predecessors, his music preserves throughout it, own individuality, so that nothing could be further from the truth than to regard 1\lentlelssohn as an imitator of either Bach or Handel. Liszt (1811-86) also tried his talents in the oratorio (C'in•istus. Saint Stanislas, Saint Llistibuth), but these works do not mark any dis tinct phase in the development of the art-fo•m. Rubinstein (1829-94), when lie found that he was unable to compete with his formidable rival Wagner in the field of dramatic composition, turned Ids attention to the oratorio. His deter mined efforts to he original led him to make sev eral attempts to revive scenic representations of the oratorio under the name of sacred opera. (Geist lichc Oper). His works in this form, Para dise Lost, The Tower of Babel, Moses, met only with a succes d'estime. Not even the idea of sacred opera is original with Rubinstein, for, as we have seen. up to the time of Carissimi
oratorios were practically sacred operas. But even much later biblical subjects had been intro duced upon the operatic stage, as Joseph, by Mani. and .hose' in Egitto, by Rossini.
In France the form of the oratorio never found much favor. Not only have French composers not added to the repertoire of oratorios, but the performances of such works by Handel and other composers are very rare. The first biblical oratorios written in France are those of Lesueur (1763-18:37). All of these are very short and were never performed outside of France. The first French oratorio that was heard outside of its native land was L'enfaiter die Christ, by Berlioz (1851). It only enjoyed a short popularity when after 1870 the Berlioz cult was at its height. Go nod's Redemption (1882) and .hors et Vita (1885) arc probably the most important of the French oratorios, and they have both been given outside of France. The sacred works for the stage written by Saint-Sai:ns (1835—), Samsou et Delilah and Deluge. are constantly performed. both as operas and, without scenic accessories, as oratorios. The elaborate choruses are certainly in true oratorio style. :Massenet's Fre (1S75) and La ricrac (1S80) and the four net sacred drama Al arir-M adeleinc (1873) con tinue the tradition of the French school of ora torio.
Among modern oratorios the Franeiscus (ISSS) of Thiel and the Saint Ludmilla (1886) of Dvoi•5k have attracted considerable attention, while The Dream of Oerontins (1900), by Elgar. young English composer. has been accepted by many writers as the finest specimen of English oratorio since the days of Handel. Quite recently (1897) a young lialian composer. PerOsi (1872—), has come forward with a most ambitious work. an oratorio-trilogy. the three parts of which bear time titles: Passion 'arcording to Saint Marc, The Transfiguration of Christ, The Resurrection of Lazarus. The composer evi dently attempted nothing less than a combination of the art-styles of Palestrina. Bach, and Wagner. But if we except the oratorios of Mendelssohn it would seem that the nineteenth century has prodneed no oratorios that are likely to live long. This inability of composers to write successful biblical oratorios led to the establishment of a form that has been called oratorio. It is true Handel (FTeraeles. Srmele) and Haydn (Seasons) wrote such works, but these appear to be rather isolated instances, and besides at tempt to preserve some connection with the real oratorio by occasional religious choruses. Schu mann may be regarded as the founder of the `secular oratorio.' Ills Das Parodies zurtd die Pen (1843) was the first work in which the form of the oratorio was employed for a purely secular work. To this class belong also Schu mann's Faust (1853) and Der Rose Pilgerfahrt (1851). Next to Schumann the greatest master of the secular oratorio is Brush, whose Odysseus (1873) and Acid/teas (1885) are frequently per formed by the larger choral societies of Germany and England. Of oilier composers of this form the following are deserving of mention: Gade (Die lircuzfahrcr), Vierhing (Der Boni) der Sabi nerin nen, A la rich ) , Lorenz (Otto der Grosse•), Goldschmidt (Die sicbcn Todsibuicn),. and Benoit (Die Schelde). See MIRACLE ['LAY; MORALITY: MYSTERY; OPERA; and consult: Pat terson, The Story of Oratorio (New York, 1902) ; Kretzschmar, Fiihrer durch den Concertsaal ( Leipzig, 1S05-99); Upton, The Standard Ora torios (Chicago, 1890).