Baroque Oratorio

Oratorio, which literally means “hall for prayer”, strictly refers to the musical setting usually pertaining to religion having a storyline. Usually, the text or story is based on religious books such as bibles. It is like an opera minus the scenery, costumes and actions, but has a lot of recitative. In addition to this, at some time, the forms and styles that is present in the oratorio is almost fairly accurate than that of the opera and focuses greatly on chorus (Boynick, 1996, February 1).

Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from his oratorio “The Messiah” features elements such as basso continuo, homophony, combined instrumental-vocal forms, and a pleasant harmony. Basso continuo refers to the sustaining of either the bass or and the keyboard instrument. This would result to the development of a continuous accompaniment. Furthermore, this is notated with a new music notation system. Homophony refers to the use of one melodic voice while being accompanied by instruments. Handel used a musical technique called the text-painting.

It is a technique wherein the melody mimics its lyrics. Melodic rhythm can be observed in “Hallelujah Chorus”. The rhythm kept changing wherein the word “hallelujah” was sung in so many different ways. The rhythm of the piece in macro- and microbeats is “Bah-Bum Bum Bah; Bah-Bah Bum Bah” (Runfola and Taggart, 2005). Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” is still popular nowadays because it is often heard in churches. In addition to this, Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” continues to change or adapt with the generation.
There are variations of this piece that becomes familiar to everybody, especially those who are really religious. The piece is also intriguing that it states a story from the bible in a way that excites the audience. References Boynick, M. (February 1, 1996, October 10, 2000). Musical Forms: Oratorio. The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://w3. rz-berlin. mpg. de/cmp/g_oratorio. html Runfola, M. , & Taggart, C. C. (2005). The Development and Practical Application of Music Learning Theory. USA: GIA Publications.