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1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_opera
Chamber opera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble
rather than a full orchestra.
The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera
Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small
performance spaces. The Rape of Lucretia was the first example of the genre, and Britten
followed it with Albert Herring, The Turn of the Screw and Curlew River. Other composers,
including Hans Werner Henze, Harrison Birtwistle, Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, William
Walton, Philip Glass, and Josef Berg have since adopted the term for their own works.
Instrumentation for a chamber opera will vary: Britten scored The Rape of Lucretia for eight
singers with single strings and wind with piano, harp and percussion. Matthew King's The Snow
Queen has three singers in multiple roles, with an ensemble of seven players while Judith Weir's
King Harald's Saga is for a single soprano voice. The chamber opera Pauline by Tobin Stokes
and Margaret Atwood, premiered in 2014, has seven players in the pit (violin, viola, cello,
flute/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, keyboard), and eight singers in a total of 14
roles.[1]
The term "chamber opera" is also sometimes used to describe smaller Baroque operatic works
such as Pergolesi's La serva padrona and Charpentier's Les arts florissants, which also use small
instrumental and vocal ensembles.
Oratorio- http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-oratorio-composers-definitions-
examples.html#lesson
History
Originating in the mid-1500s, the oratorio was the latest iteration of Catholic sacred music. The
oratorio was more or less a descendent of the musical plays that were popular during the Counter
Reformation. It was unintentionally developed in Rome as part of informal worship that took
place in the oratory of the church. This is actually how the oratorio got its name in the first place
and is a handy way to remember that it's based on religious themes. The praise songs sung during
the meetings proved to be effective in retaining and recruiting new members at a time when non-
traditional singing wasn't exactly the Church's cup of tea. The non-liturgical singing grew into
the idea of the oratorio. The first officially recognized oratorio is accredited to Emilio de
Cavalieri, who composed 'La rappresentazione di anima, et di corpo' (The representation of soul
and body) in the year 1600.

2. The oratorio continued to mature, and by the mid-17th century, and standards developed.
Oratorios were typically 30-60 minutes long and were performed in two sections, with a sermon
in between.
By the 18th century, popular composers were writing oratorios lasting 90 to 120 minutes, about
the same length as a modern movie. The text was based either on the Bible, a saint, or a moral
allegory. These were written in a more operatic style to satisfy the Italian public while staying
within the church's ban on opera. Most of the music was sung by a solo voice with a few choral
interludes.
Oratorios also began to spread across the continent and were used in Roman Catholic courts as a
substitute for opera during Lent, particularly in Vienna. The oratorio also became an acceptable
part of the Lutheran church in Germany. The German composers tended to use a bit more of the
chorus. The use of chorus proved to be influential to a young Georg Frederich Handel, who
single-handedly created the English oratorio.
Near the end of the Baroque period, Handel moved from Germany to England on a short 47 year
trip. In the 1730s, he basically created a new version of an oratorio, bringing elements of English
music, French drama, and Italian and German styles of oratorio. It was also sung in English
rather than in Italian, which helps when one is trying to get patronage beyond the snobbery in
London. The English oratorio was usually biblical, had three acts, and made more frequent use of
the chorus than previous styles.
Composer and Examples
While Handel is probably the best known composer of oratorios, he certainly couldn't have done
it without a few Italians before him. Roman composers Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674) and
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) both contributed to the richness of the Italian oratorio.
Carissimi was one of the originators of the oratorio. In particular, he was a leading composer of
Latin oratorios. His oratorio 'Jepthe', written in 1648, is characteristic of the mid-17th century
style. Orchestra was not yet part of the style, and relying only on a few instruments and voice,
Carissimi masterfully fills the sound with alternating solos and choruses. Composing a bit later,
Scarlatti made full use of the orchestra while incorporating the operatic style of singer and
accompaniment.
In the end, it's really Handel who takes the cake. His expressive vocal solos perfectly embodied
the emotional drive that was paramount to Baroque music. Perhaps the most important part of his
oratorios, however, was the use of the chorus. Handel was influenced by the choral traditions in
England, and he just happened to be genius at composing for them. Handel wrote many
oratorios, but even in 1742, 'Messiah' was a winner. Shockingly, he wrote the entire piece in just
three weeks. The oratorio is unique in that it does not tell a story. Instead, it is about the Christian
idea of redemption as explained through the Old Testament through the life of Christ.

3. Lesson Summary
The oratorio provided the would-be opera-goers with a way to enjoy the budding emotional
vocal style in a way that satisfied the restrictions set by the church. The religiously-themed
dramatic musical works written by greats like Carissimi, Scarlatti, and Handel had the church
singing, 'hallelujah' throughout the Baroque period.
http://www.biography.com/people/george-handel-9327378
opera
Opera
While working as a violinist, Handel ironically earned attention for his skill on the organ. In fact,
it was Handel’s organ playing that landed him more opportunities to perform in operas.
In 1704 Handel made his debut as an opera composer, writing his very first opera,
<em>Almira</em>. The opera was successful and achieved a 20-performance run. After
composing several more successful operas, in 1706 Handel decided to try his hand in Italy.
While in Italy, Handel composed the operas Rodrigo and Agrippina, which were produced in
1701 and 1709 respectively. He also managed to write more than a few dramatic chamber works
during his trip to Italy.
Touring the major Italian cities over three opera seasons, Handel introduced himself to most of
Italy’s major musicians. Unexpectedly, while in Venice, he met multiple people who expressed
an interest in London’s music scene. Enticed to experiment with a freelance music career there,
Handel left Venice and set out for London. In London, Handel met with the manager of the
King’s Theatre. The manager gladly agreed to let Handel write an opera for the theater. Within
just two weeks, Handel composed Rinaldo. Released during the 1710–1711 London opera
season, Rinaldo was Handel’s breakthrough work. His most critically acclaimed work up to that
date, it gained him the widespread recognition he would maintain throughout the rest of his
musical career.
After Handel released Rinaldo, he spent the next few years writing and performing for English
royalty, including Queen Anne and King George I. In 1719, Handel was invited to become the
Master of the Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music, the first Italian opera company in
London. Handel eagerly accepted. He produced several operas with the Royal Academy of
Music that, while well liked, were not especially lucrative for the struggling academy.
In 1726 Handel decided to make London his home permanently, and became a British citizen. In
1727, when Handel’s latest opera, Alessandro, was being performed, Italian opera in London
took a hard hit as a result of a hostile rivalry between two female lead singers. Frustrated, Handel
broke away from the Royal Academy and formed his own new company, calling it the New
Royal Academy of Music. Under the New Royal Academy of Music, Handel produced two

4. operas a year for the next decade, but Italian opera fell increasingly out of style in London.
Handel composed two more Italian operas before he decided to abandon the failing genre.
Oratorios
In place of operas, oratorios became Handel’s new format of choice. Oratorios, large-scale
concert pieces, immediately caught on with audiences and proved quite lucrative. The fact that
oratorios didn’t require elaborate costumes and sets, as operas did, also meant that they cost far
less to produce. Handel revised a number of Italian operas to fit the new format, translating them
into English for the London audience. Handel’s oratorios became the latest craze in London and
were soon made a regular feature of the opera season.
In 1735, during Lent alone, Handel produced over 14 concerts made up primarily of oratorios. In
1741 Dublin’s Lord Lieutenant commissioned Handel to write a new oratorio based on a biblical
libretto assembled by art patron Charles Jennens. As a result, Handel’s most famous oratorio,
Messiah, made its debut at the New Music Hall in Dublin in April 1742.
Back in London, Handel organized a subscription season for 1743 that consisted exclusively of
oratorios. The series opened with Handel’s composition Samson, to audience acclaim. Samson
was eventually followed by a run of Handel’s beloved Messiah.
Handel continued to compose a long string of oratorios throughout the remainder of his life and
career. These included: Semele (1744), Joseph and his Brethren (1744), Hercules (1745),
Belshazzar (1745), Occasional Oratorio (1746), Judas Maccabeus (1747), Joshua (1748),
Alexander Balus (1748), Susanna (1749), Solomon (1749), Theodora (1750), The Choice of
Hercules (1751), Jeptha (1752) and The Triumph of Time and Truth (1757).
In addition to his oratorios, Handel’s concerti grossi, anthems and orchestral pieces also garnered
him fame and success. Among the most noted were Water Music (1717), Coronation Anthems
(1727), Trio Sonatas op. 2 (1722–1733), Trio Sonatas op. 5 (1739), Concerto Grosso op. 6
(1739) and Music for Royal Fireworks, completed a decade before his death.