List of oratorios

First page of the first part of Bach's Christmas Oratorio (1734)

This is a chronological list of oratorios from the 16th century to the present. Unless otherwise indicated, all dates are those when the work was first performed. In some cases only the date of composition is known. In others, the oratorio has only been heard on a recording.

There is considerable overlap between the oratorio and the cantata, especially during the 19th century. The works listed below are those that have most often been referred to as oratorios.[1]

16th century

17th century

A recently discovered portrait, inscribed by the artist as representing Charpentier, but dating circa 1750,[2] about 40 years after his death.
  • Pietro della Valle – Oratorio della Purificatione (1640, the earliest documented use of the word "oratorio" to describe a musical composition)[3]
  • Cornelis Thymenszoon Padbrué – De tranen Petri ende Pauli (published 1647, only partial score survives)[4]
  • Giacomo Carissimi[5]
    • Jephte (before 16 June 1648)[6][7]
    • Baltazar (mid-17th century)
    • Diluvium universale (mid-17th century)
    • Dives malus (mid-17th century)
    • Ezechias (mid-17th century)
    • Jonas (mid-17th century)
    • Abramo e Isacco (mid-17th century)
    • Job (mid-17th century)
    • Judicium extremum (mid-17th century)
    • Judicium Salomonis (before 1669)
  • Marc-Antoine Charpentier
    • Judith sive liberata H.391 (mid 1670s)
    • Canticum pro pace H.392 (mid 1670s)
    • Canticum in nativitatem Domini H.393 (mid 1670s)
    • In honorem Caecilliae, Valeriani et Tiburij canticum H.394 (mid 1670s)
    • Pour la fête de l'Epiphanie H.395 (mid 1670s)
    • Historia Esther H.396 (mid 1670s)
    • Cacillia virgo et martyr Octobre vocibus H.397 (mid 1670s)
    • Pestis Mediolanensis H.398 (mid 1670s)
    • Prélude pour Horrenda pastis H.398 a (1679)
    • Filius prodigus H.399 (1680)
    • Prélude pour l'enfant prodigue H.399 a (1681–82)
    • L'enfant prodigue H/399 b (date unknown)
    • L'enfant prodigue H.399 c (date unknown)
    • Canticum in honorem Beatae Virginis Mariae... H.400 (1680)
    • Extremum Dei judicium H.401 (early 1680s)
    • Sacrificium Abrahae H.402
    • Symphonies ajustées au sacrifice d'Abraham H.402 a (date unknown)
    • Le sacrifice d'Abraham H.402 b (date unknown)
    • Mors Saülis et Jonathae H.403 (early 1680s)
    • Josue prélude H.404 a (1679)
    • Josue H.404 (early 1680s)
    • In resurrectione Domini Nostri Jesu Christi H.405 (1681–82)
    • In circumcisione Domini / Dialogus inter angelum et pastores H.406 (1682–83)
    • Dialogus inter esurientem, sitientem et Christum H.407 (1682–83)
    • Elévation H.408 (1683)
    • In obitum augustissimae nec non piissime Gallorum regina lamentum H.409 (1683)
    • Praelium Michaelis Archangeli factum in cocho cum dracone H.410 (1683)
    • Caedes sanctorum innocentium H.411 (1683–85)
    • Nuptiae sacrae H.412 (1683–85)
    • Caecilia virgo et martyr H.413 (1683–85)
    • In nativitatem Domini Nostri Jesu Christi canticum H.414 (1683–85)
    • Caecilia virgo et martyr H.415 (1686)
    • Prologue de la Ste Cécile après l'ouverture : Harmonia coelistis H.415 a (1686–87)
    • In nativitatem Domini canticum H.416 (late 1680s)
    • Dialogus inter Christum et homines H.417 (early 1690s)
    • In honorem Sancti Ludovici regis Galliae H.418 (early 1690s)
    • Pour Saint Augustin mourant H.419 (late 1690s)
    • Dialogus inter angelos et pastores Judae in nativitatem Domini H.420 (late 1690s)
    • In nativitatem Domini Nostri Jesu Christi canticum H.421 (1698–99)
    • Judicium Salomonis H.422 & H.422 a (1702)
    • Dialogus inter Magdalena et Jesu 2 vocibus Canto e Alto cum organo H.423 (date unknown)
    • Le reniement de St Pierre H.424 (date unknown)
    • Dialogus inter Christum et peccatores H.425 & H.425 a date unknown)
  • Louis-Nicolas Clérambault – L'histoire de la femme adultère ( 1699 ?) C.191
  • Sébastien de Brossard – Dialogus poenitentis animae cum Deo (1699 ?) SdB.55

18th century

First edition of Vivaldi's Juditha triumphans, the only one of his four oratorios to have survived
The final bars of the "Hallelujah" chorus, from Handel's Messiah, original manuscript
  • Sébastien de Brossard – Oratorio sopra l'immaculata conceptione della B Virgine (1702–1713) SdB.56
  • George Frideric Handel – Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (1707)
  • George Frideric Handel – La resurrezione (1708)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – Il trionfo della innocenza da S Niccolò (?1712)
  • George Frideric Handel – Brockes Passion (1715)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – Mosè al mar rosso, ovvero Il naufragio di Faraone (?1715; revised as La liberazione del popolo ebreo nel naufragio di Faraone, 1723)
  • Antonio Vivaldi – Juditha triumphans (1716)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – L'incoronazione di Davidde (1717)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – La caduta del savio nell'idoltria di Salomone (1720)
  • Jan Dismas Zelenka – Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis (1723)
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – St John Passion (1724)
  • Johann David Heinichen – L'aride tempie ignude, passion oratorio (1724?)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – L'empietà distrutta nella caduta di Gerico (1724)
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Easter Oratorio (1725)
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – St Matthew Passion (1727)
  • Johann David Heinichen – Come? S'imbruna il cieli Occhi piangete (1728), passion oratorio (1724?)
  • Jan Dismas Zelenka – Il Serpente di Bronzo (1730)
  • Willem de Fesch – Judith (1732)
  • Maurice Greene – The Song of Deborah and Barak (1732)[8]
  • George Frideric Handel – Esther (1732)
  • George Frideric Handel – Athalia (1733)
  • George Frideric Handel – Deborah (1733)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – Il cantico de' tre fanciulli (1734)
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Christmas Oratorio (1734)
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Ascension Oratorio (1735)
  • Johann Georg Reutter – Gioas re di Giuda (1735)
  • William Boyce – David's Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan (1736)[9]
  • George Frideric Handel – Alexander's Feast (1736)
  • Jan Dismas Zelenka – I penitenti al sepolcro del redentore (1736)
  • Maurice Greene – Jephtha (1737)
  • George Frideric Handel – Il trionfo del Tempo e della Verità (1737)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – Le virtù appiè della croce (1737)
  • George Frideric Handel – Israel in Egypt (1738)
  • George Frideric Handel – Saul (1739)
  • Giuseppe Bonno – Eleazaro (1739)
  • Giuseppe Bonno – San Paolo in Athene (1740)
  • George Frideric Handel – L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato (1740)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – Serpentes ignei in deserto (1740)
  • John Christopher Smith – David's Lamentation over Saul and Jonathan (Hickman's Rooms, 1740)
  • George Frideric Handel – Messiah (1741)
  • George Frideric Handel – Samson (1741)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – Giuseppe riconosciuto (1741)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – I pellegrini al sepolcro di Nostro Signore (1742)
  • George Frideric Handel – Joseph and his Brethren (1743)
  • George Frideric Handel – Semele (1743)
  • Thomas Arne – The Death of Abel (1744, lost except for 'Hymn of Eve')
  • Thomas Arne – Judith (1744)
  • Maurice Greene – The Force of Truth (1744)
  • George Frideric Handel – Hercules (1744)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – Ci'l un parantê und parsol scelopgrini (1744)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – L'errore di Salomone (1744)
  • Thomas Arne – Alfred (1745, oratorio version, later an opera)
  • George Frideric Handel – Belshazzar (1745)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – La Caduta di Gerico (1745)
  • Willem de Fesch – Joseph (1746)
  • George Frideric Handel – Judas Maccabaeus (1746)
  • George Frideric Handel – Occasional Oratorio (1746)
  • George Frideric Handel – Joshua (1747)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – Santa Elena al Calvario (1747)
  • Franz Xaver Richter – La Deposizione della Croce (1748)
  • George Frideric Handel – Alexander Balus (1748)
  • George Frideric Handel – Solomon (1748)
  • George Frideric Handel – Susanna (1748)
  • George Frideric Handel – Theodora (1749)
  • George Frideric Handel – The Choice of Hercules (1750)
  • William Hayes – The Fall of Jericho (c. 1740–50)
  • William Hayes – The Passions. An Ode for Music ('dramatic oratorio', 1750)
  • Jean-Joseph de Mondonville – Coeli enarrant gloria (1750)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – La conversione di Sant' Agostino (1750)
  • George Frideric Handel – Jephtha (1752)
  • Carl Heinrich Graun – Der Tod Jesu (1755)[10]
  • George Frideric Handel – The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757)
  • John Stanley – Jephthah (1757)
  • Johann Adolph Hasse – S. Petrus et S. Maria Magdalena (1759)
  • Giuseppe Bonno – Isacco figura del redentore (1759)
  • John Christopher Smith – Paradise Lost (1760)
  • John Stanley – Zimiri (1760)
  • Thomas Arne – Judith (1761)
  • John Christopher Smith – Rebecca (1761, reworking of music by Handel)
  • John Stanley – Arcadia (1762)
  • Georg Philipp Telemann – Der Tag des Gerichts (1762)
  • Johann Georg Albrechtsberger – La passione di Gesù Cristo (1762)
  • George Frideric Handel – Nabal (1764)
  • John Christopher Smith – Tobit (1764, reworking of music by Handel)
  • John Worgan and Christopher Smart – Hannah (1764)
  • Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf – Isacco figura del Redentore (1766)
  • John Worgan – Manasseh (1766), performed at the Lock Hospital[11]
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots (1767, only the first part)
  • Francesco Maria Veracini – L'Assalone, ovvero L'infedelta punita (before 1768)
  • Samuel Arnold – Cure of Saul (1767)[11]
  • Samuel Arnold – Abimelech (1768)[12]
  • Michael Haydn – Der Kampf der Busse und Bekehrung (1768)
  • Michael Haydn – Kaiser Constanstin I. Feldzug und Sieg (1769)
  • George Frideric Handel – Gideon (1769)
  • Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Die Israeliten in der Wüste (1769)
  • Franz Joseph Aumann – Oratorium De Passione Domini Nostri Jesu Christi (c.1770)
  • Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf – Davide penitente (1770)
  • Michael Haydn – Der reumütige Petrus (1770)
  • Michael Haydn – Der büssende Sünder (1771)
  • Josef Mysliveček – Adamo ed Eva (1771)
  • Florian Leopold Gassmann – La Betulia Liberata (1772)
  • Samuel Arnold – The Prodigal Son (1773)
  • Luffman Atterbury – Goliah (5 May 1773, Haymarket Theatre, London)
  • Charles Avison (in collaboration with Felice Giardini) – Ruth (1773)
  • Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf – La Liberatrice del Popolo Giudaico nella Persia, o sia l'Esther (1773)
  • Samuel Arnold – Omnipotence (1774)[11]
  • Giuseppe Bonno – Il Giuseppe riconosciuto (1774)
  • John Stanley – The Fall of Egypt (1774)
  • Joseph Haydn – Il ritorno di Tobia (1775)
  • James Hook – The Ascension, (Covent Garden, 20 March 1776)
  • Antonio Salieri – La passione di Gesù Cristo (1776)
  • John Abraham Fisher – Providence (Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, 2 July 1777)[13]
  • William Hayes – David (first two acts completed, the rest finished by his son Philip (1777)
  • Thomas Linley the younger – The Song of Moses (1777)
  • Robert Wainwright – The Fall of Egypt (1780, Liverpool)
  • Marianna Martines – Sant'Elena al Calvario (1781)
  • Marianna Martines – Isacco figura del redentore (1782)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Davide penitente (1785)
  • Antonio Rosetti – Der sterbende Jesu (1785)
  • Anton Teyber – Gioas re di Giuda (1786)
  • Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf – Giobbe (1786)
  • Antonio Rosetti – Jesus in Gethsemane (1790)
  • Joseph Eybler – Die Hirten bei der krippe zu Bethlehem (1794)
  • Antonio Casimir Cartellieri – Gioas re di Giuda (1795)
  • Joseph Haydn – The Seven Last Words of Christ (1796)
  • Joseph Haydn – The Creation (1798)

19th century

Worcester Cathedral, where Sullivan's The Prodigal Son premiered in 1869
Manuscript score of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, signed by Elgar and the performers of the premiere in 1900

20th century

The Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where John Adams's El Niño premiered in 2000

21st century

Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, where Jörg Widmann's Arche premiered in 2017

See also

References

  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary: "A large-scale, usually narrative musical work for orchestra and voices, typically on a sacred theme and performed with little or no costume, scenery, or action."
  2. ^ "New Portrait". Ranumspanat.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  3. ^ Howard E. Smither, "Oratorio", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).
  4. ^ Grijp, Louis and Jan Bloemendal, Jan (2011). "Vondel's Theatre and Music", Joost Van Den Vondel (1587–1679): Dutch Playwright in the Golden Age, pp. 150–151. Brill
  5. ^ Howard E. Smither. A History of the Oratorio, Vol. 1 (1977)
  6. ^ Andrew V. Jones, "Carissimi, Giacomo [Jacomo]", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).
  7. ^ Randel, Don M. (1996). "Carissimi, Giacomo", The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music, p. 136. Harvard University Press
  8. ^ Zöllner, Eva. 'Handel and English oratorio' in The Cambridge History of Eighteenth Century Music (2011)
  9. ^ Bartlett, Ian. 'Boyce and the Early English Oratorio'. in The Musical Times, Vol. 120, No. 1634 (April 1979), pp. 293–297
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Upton, George P. The Standard Oratorios (1893)
  11. ^ a b c d Historical Dictionary of English Music ca. 1400–1958 ed. by Charles Edward McGuire, Steven E. Plank (2012), p. 223
  12. ^ a b S D Long and J Sawyer: The Bible in Music (2017), p.5
  13. ^ "Biography of the composer John Abraham Fisher". Artaria Editions. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Scholes, Percy A. 'The Century of Oratorio', in The Mirror of Music (1947), pp. 63–148
  15. ^ Shrock, Dennis (2009). Choral Repertoire, p. 458. Oxford University Press
  16. ^ C E Horsley, Gideon, score at IMSLP
  17. ^ Lea-Scarlett, EJ (1974). Packer, Charles Sandys (Stuart Shipley) (1810–1883), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 5, MUP
  18. ^ Maggie Humphreys, Robert C. Evans (1997). "Carter, William (1838 – ?)". Dictionary of composers for the Church in Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 59. ISBN 9780720123302.
  19. ^ Fauquet, Joël-Marie (ed.) (1999). Correspondance de César Franck, pp. 114; 300. Editions Mardaga
  20. ^ Orr, N. Lee (2008). Dudley Buck, p. 98. University of Illinois Press
  21. ^ Landon, Robert Tallant (1974). Willard Patton, Friend of Music and Musicians, p. 5, Minnesota Musicians of the Cultured Generation, University of Minnesota
  22. ^ Simms, Bryan R. (2000). The Atonal Music of Arnold Schoenberg, 1908–1923, p. 169. Oxford University Press
  23. ^ "The dullest oratorio since Parry's Job", Constant Lambert, quoted in Lloyd Stephen. Beyond the Rio Grande (2014), p.493
  24. ^ Liran Gurkiewicz. Paul Ben-Haim: The Oratorio Joram and the Jewish Identity of a Composer, in Israel Studies in Musicology Online , Vol. 11, 2013/II
  25. ^ "Martin Shaw's Oratorio 'The Redeemer'". www.martinshawmusic.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  26. ^ Recorded (in Welsh) on Rubicon RCD1100 (2023)
  27. ^ "SALMANOV The Twelve, Big City Nights – NORTHERN FLOWERS NFPMA99116 [RB] Classical Music Reviews: March 2017 – MusicWeb-International". www.musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  28. ^ Good Music Guide
  29. ^ Paul Hindmarsh. John Golland – Towards a Catalogue Raisonné
  30. ^ Ravas, Tammy, (2004). Peter Schickele: A Bio-Bibliography, p. 109. Greenwood
  31. ^ "Review". Gramophone. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  32. ^ The Hutchinson Concise Dictionary of Music (2014)
  33. ^ 'Pott's powerful oratorio returns to Three Choirs festival', in The Guardian, 26 July 2023
  34. ^ Birmingham Bach Choir recording, reviewed at MusicWeb International
  35. ^ "Chandos Records". Chandos Records. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  36. ^ Parthasarathy, Dhanya (10 July 2005). "Song across cultures". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  37. ^ a b "A New American Oratorio – PS Audio". Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  38. ^ Watkin, Daniel J. (12 September 2008). "Two Wars, Two Presidents, One Oratorio". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021.
  39. ^ "Dove: There was a child". Retrieved 22 April 2022 – via www.hyperion-records.co.uk.
  40. ^ Advent without cant, and carols in no man's land Review of Advent Oratorio in the Church Times
  41. ^ Jayawardana, Ruwini (9 February 2011). "Buddha's life set to music" Archived 29 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Daily News. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  42. ^ Halsey, Simon (15 October 2011). "The premiere of Weltethos by Jonathan Harvey". Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  43. ^ Roderic, Dunnett (12 October 2012). "World needs room to breathe. Review: WELTETHOS, an 80-minute oratorio by Jonathan Harvey". Church Times, UK. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  44. ^ Colin Touchin – Choose the Light, Composer's Alliance
  45. ^ "Concerts (News)". Halifax Choral Society. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  46. ^ "Neil Hannon: my father's Alzheimer's was the inspiration behind To Our Fathers in Distress". The Guardian. 10 March 2014.
  47. ^ The Immortal, Boosey & Hawkes
  48. ^ "Hallé/Elder review – Jonathan Dove explains evolution … with singing galaxies". the Guardian. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  49. ^ "Craig Hella Johnson on Turning Hate into Art | Berklee". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  50. ^ "Gallipoli to the Somme – Pāho". University of Otago – Pāho. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  51. ^ "Bob Chilcott's Attractive New Oratorio Brings Christmas Early to Gloucester – Seen and Heard International". seenandheard-international.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  52. ^ "Music review: Christmas Oratorio, by James MacMillan (Amsterdam première)". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  53. ^ Rowe, Georgia (16 October 2019). "Carl Sagan inspired a new oratorio for Philharmonia Baroque". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  54. ^ "Wadada Leo Smith: Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  55. ^ 'Then it finally became the world premiere for Silent Earth', composer's website, 29 January, 2022
  56. ^ Holze, Guido. "Oratorium "Eins": Ein Gott, ein Glaube, eine Taufe". Retrieved 22 April 2022 – via www.faz.net.
  57. ^ "Permissions". Mosaic for Earth. Retrieved 24 November 2023.