Look up: oratorio

1. Oratorio
   Or`a·to'ri·o noun [ Italian , from Latin oratorius belonging to praying. See Orator , and confer Oratory .] 1. (Mus.) A more or less dramatic text or poem, founded on some Scripture nerrative, or great divine event, ...
   Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/O/28
   
   
2. Oratorio
   • (n.) A more or less dramatic text or poem, founded on some Scripture nerrative, or great divine event, elaborately set to music, in recitative, arias, grand choruses, etc., to be sung with an orchestral accompaniment, but without action, scenery, or costume, although the oratorio grew out of ...
   Found on http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning
   
   
3. oratorio
   a large-scale musical composition on a sacred or semisacred subject, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra. An oratorio`s text is usually based on ... [10 related articles]
   Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/o/26
   
   
4. Oratorio
   An oratorio is a sacred musical composition of an extended nature, the words generally taken from Scripture. The term 'oratorio' comes from the Oratory in which Saint Philip Neri assembled his
   Found on http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/brow
   
   
5. Oratorio
   A musical composition for chorus, orchestra and soloists whose text is usually religious, serious or philosophical. Generally not staged, oratorio was Handel
   Found on http://www.greensboroopera.org/oft-educa
   
   
6. oratorio
   oratorio (ôrutôr'ēō) , musical composition employing chorus, orchestra, and soloists and usually, but not necessarily, a setting of a sacred libretto without stage action or scenery. The immediate forerunner of oratorio, Emilio del Cavaliere's sacred opera La rappresentaz...
   Found on http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A08367
   
   
7. oratorio
   Dramatic, musical setting of religious texts, scored for orchestra, chorus, and solo voices. Originally it was acted out with scenery and costumes, but gradually it became more commonly performed as a concert. Its origins lie in the Laude spirituali performed by St Philip Neri's Oratory in Rome in the 16th century, followed b...
   Found on http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/ency
   
   
8. Oratorio
   An `oratorio` is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is musical theatre, while oratorio is strictly a concert pieceâ€...
   Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratorio