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oratorio

Syllabification: (or·a·to·ri·o)

Translate oratorio | into Italian
Definition of oratorio

noun (plural oratorios)

  • a large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices, typically a narrative on a religious theme, performed without the use of costumes, scenery, or action. Well-known examples include Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah, and Haydn’s The Creation.

Origin:

Italian, from ecclesiastical Latin oratorium 'oratory', from the musical services held in the Church of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome

oratorio in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of oratorio in the British & World English dictionary