Oratorio
An ORATORIO is a large-scale musical composition on a sacred or semisacred subject, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra. An oratorio’s text is usually based on scripture, and the narration necessary to move from scene to scene is supplied by recitatives sung by various voices to prepare the way for airs and choruses.
Read more here:
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431021/oratorio
Read more here:
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431021/oratorio
Opera
Opera: a staged drama set to music in its entirety, made up of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment and usually with orchestral overtures and interludes. In some operas the music is continuous throughout an act; in others it is broken up into discrete pieces, or “numbers,” separated either by recitative (a dramatic type of singing that approaches speech) or by spoken dialogue.
IMPORTANT INFO
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ARIA AND RECITATIVE?
ON A VERY BASIC LEVEL:
An Aria is any piece within an Opera in which words are sung
Recitative is basically when there are spoken or semi-spoken words. Recitative is usually used to bring the audience up to date with things the composer didn't want to write actual songs about within the plot - HEY SPEED UP OUR UNDERSTANDING AND HELP TO MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD...
IMPORTANT INFO
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ARIA AND RECITATIVE?
ON A VERY BASIC LEVEL:
An Aria is any piece within an Opera in which words are sung
Recitative is basically when there are spoken or semi-spoken words. Recitative is usually used to bring the audience up to date with things the composer didn't want to write actual songs about within the plot - HEY SPEED UP OUR UNDERSTANDING AND HELP TO MOVE THE PLOT FORWARD...
Examples of famous operatic ARIAs
|
|
|
EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS OPERATIC Recitative
|
|
|