Question

The Baroque period gave rise to 2 new large scale vocal genres which many consider to be polar reflections of each other: Opera (based on a mythological or historical story) and Oratorio (based on a sacred story or scripture text). We will be discussing these at the beginning of class on Thursday and I'll want you to weigh in on the similarities and differences of each genre.

Watch these excerpts and try to determine what kinds of things the two genres have in common and what things are different. Consider setting, topic, musical aspects such as texture, instrumentation, and voice types as well as other performing considerations such as acting, costumes, dancing, use of musical scores or not, performance locations, etc...

Opera Ensemble or Chorus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf16_lGs7Ss

Oratorio Ensemble or Chorus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) The famous Baroque style of art expands to paintings, plays, music, literature and other art forms. While the higher classes of society considered it to be vulgar and garish, it is now considered intricate and a window to the past. This is primarily because the main attribute of Baroque was that it was supposed to be congested with details. In paintings, for instance, the artist would accommodate several nuances and elements to their work. It would be the kind of painting that if one might look at it every single time, one might have found a previously unnoticed element.

Similarly, Opera and Oratorio were clustered with characters, extravagant elements, motifs, colours etc. Also, the music for both forms would have several breaks, tones, moods and even instruments used. This would make the piece quite entertaining as there was always something to watch out for.

The primary difference in both forms would perhaps be their subtlety in the story. With the Opera, it was good to be blatant with the themes and stories. However, with Oratorio, the stories would have metaphorical meanings just like a biblical narrative would. Furthermore, Oratorio would attempt to be far primmer as it would have religious sentiments as opposed to the Opera which would be stories simply to entertain.