Canadian author RJ Anderson once said: "I heard the universe like an oratorio sung by a choir of stars, accompanied by the orchestra of the planets and the percussion of satellites and moons. » . The oratorio genre was created and popularized in the 17th century. This type of music is primarily known for its diverse use of orchestral style and various instruments. Oratorios were very similar to operas, but they focused primarily on presenting biblical and religious stories rather than romance or drama. Compared to earlier religious music, the oratorio featured more emotional audience engagement through the use of monologues or duets. Presenting religious stories in this style, rather than the prayer songs previously seen in church history, made religious messages easier for the congregation to follow. Additionally, the style of the oratorio differed in the use of narrative, dialogue, and commentary. By the mid-17th century, the oratorio genre evolved to differ from earlier church musical traditions and was created in a different setting and musical style, giving rise to new composers and compositions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Oratorios were usually performed in a theater, much like an opera. However, unlike an opera, the oratorio had a much smaller cast and featured little acting. Instead, the voice actors would stand in one place and deliver their lines in narration form. In some cases, actors used monologues to express their emotions, while in other cases, the narrator or performers alone expressed the thoughts and emotions of the main characters on stage. With this, oratorios were typically recitatives, arias, instrumental duets or preludes, and ritornellos with combined narration, dialogue, and commentary. These vocal works, or Libretti, were often in Latin or Italian, and later in English. Many of these performances focused on religious issues and were described by the narrator and chorus rather than the direction. The purpose of the oratorios was to make the Bible stories easier for audiences to understand and to keep them engaged during the performance. To do this, composers would take creative license and alter the literal text of the Old and New Testaments by having phrases and dialogue flow throughout the performance rather than reading directly from the Bible. Many topics included the life of Jesus, creation stories, or other important Bible stories. By the early 17th century, many settings of these Latin biblical texts were very motet-like with a strong narrative and dramatic emphasis with conversational exchanges between the actors. Towards the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, oratorios became secularized. For this reason, regular performances outside church halls, in courts and public theaters, became more widespread. One of the most revolutionary oratorio periods in musical history was the Baroque period. This period is commonly referred to as "sacred opera", sharing similar characteristics to previous operas but focusing on biblical content. Some of the musical characteristics of Baroque music included figured bass, dissonance and chromatism, and a very metrical and free tempo. Thanks to these.