Oratorius

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A term referring to a musical composition typically performed in a concert setting, often featuring vocalists and instrumentalists
2. Denotes a substantial work for voice and orchestra, usually based on a sacred theme
3. Characterizes an elaborate piece of music that showcases choral and soloist elements, commonly associated with religious or dramatic narratives

Etymology: "Oratorius" is the Latin adjective from which English gets "oratorical," and in its original sense it had nothing to do with music. It came from "orator," a speaker or pleader, and meant "of or relating to an orator," so it described the style, manner, or skill of public speech and advocacy. The Latin noun "orator" was itself built from "orare," to speak, pray, or plead, the same root behind "oral" and "orison." The musical sense arrived much later, through Italian. In the late 1500s, Roman religious confraternities gathered for devotional services at a room or chapel called an "oratorio," a name taken from the place where they prayed. Their services began to include sung dramatic narratives on sacred subjects, and by the 1640s Italian composers such as Giacomo Carissimi were writing these works. The English word "oratorio," for this kind of large sacred choral piece, was adopted in the early 1700s, and Handel's "Messiah" (1742) is the best-known example.

Synonyms: oratorical, rhetorical, eloquent, expressive

Antonyms: inarticulate, tongue-tied, ineloquent