Baroque Oratorio

Running Head : ESSAY ON BAROQUE ORATORIO

Baroque Oratorio

Name

Name of University

Name of Professor

Subject

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

Baroque Oratorio PAGE \ MERGEFORMAT 1...