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Handel's Biography

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What is an oratorio?

The exact definition of the oratorio varies, and so must any account of Handel’s experiments in the genre. But for Handel the shift from opera to oratorio meant writing musical dramas in English rather than Italian, usually with an important role for a chorus, often based on Biblical stories, and containing little or no staging.

The genre had plenty of advantages artistically and financially, as Handel soon realized. Oratorios required no sets, costumes, or expensive foreign singers, and the musical experience was heightened by the inclusion of a chorus. Also the stories were grander, and more conducive to heavy drama than they had been in the opera, often resulting in music of greater depth.

Handel’s oratorio career spanned over thirty years, overlapping with his opera career. Its beginning was reluctant and sporadic, but over time it came to demand his full attention, as he split his time between composing new works and reviving and directing old ones for oratorio seasons. His audience resisted at times, but eventually he dispelled any doubts about the potential of unstaged drama. With his successes he amassed a healthy fortune, and was a respected man until the end of his life, though failing health eventually limited his personal role in the performances.

Handel wrote over twenty oratorios, most of them dramatic, meaning they have specific characters rather than only narration. Messiah, his most famous, is an exception, as is Israel in Egypt. Most of them were based on Biblical stories, but not all. Semele, Hercules, and Acis and Galatea have their roots in classical mythology, and Theodora comes from the story of a martyr during Roman times. Handel’s final oratorio, Jephtha, was completed in 1751. Next Page

Biography: Upbringing and Early Career | Handel's Opera Career | Transition to Oratorios | Final years | Legacy | Personality

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