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Part I. The nineteenth century. The German oratorio: terminology, social and cultural context. Terminology ; Cultural and social context. German cultural nationalism and oratorio ; Romanticism and German oratorio ; Historicism and German oratorio. The Handel revival ; The Bach revival -- Religion and oratorio. Secularization ; Gefühlsreligion and Kunstreligion ; Liturgical reform and church music -- The context of oratorio performance. Oratorio and the amateur choral society ; Oratorio and the music festival ; Oratorio in church ; Oratorio on stage -- The German oratorio: aesthetic theory and criticism, libretto and music. Introduction: The oratorio market and the production of new oratorios, 1800-1914 ; Aesthetic Theory and criticism. The libretto and poetic genres: epic, lyric, dramatic. Oratorio as a contemplative genre, a lyric genre ; Oratorio as a lyric-dramatic genre ; Oratorio as a dramatic genre ; Oratorio as an epic genre -- The subject matter ; The music ; Oratorio as an obsolete genre -- The libretto. General structure ; Subject matter and treatment. New testament subjects ; Old testament subjects ; Subjects from history, literature, and legend -- The music. Musical historicism ; Innovations -- Periodization and summary of styles -- Selected German oratorios. Friedrich Schneider, Das Weltgericht ; Louis Spohr, Die letzten Dinge ; Felix Mendelssohn. Paulus ; Elias -- Robert Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri ; Franz Liszt. Die Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth ; Christus -- Oratorio in Britain: terminology, cultural and social context. Terminology, genre, and the Handelian legacy ; Cultural and social context. Nationalism ; Romanticism ; Historicism ; Religion. Secularization ; Oratorio as religious experience -- The context of oratorio performance. Early amateur choruses ; Music education and the sight-singing movement ; Provincial festivals to the 1830s ; Provincial choral societies, 1840s-1900 ; Provincial festivals, 1830s-1900 ; London festivals and choral societies ; The Anglican choral revival and oratorio -- Oratorio in Britain: aesthetic theory and criticism, libretto and music. Introduction: The oratorio market and the production of new oratorios, 1800-1914 ; Aesthetic theory and criticism. William Crotch and the sublime ; The "Aesthetic" school versus "Authority" ; The dramatic versus the epic oratorio ; George Bernard Shaw -- The libretto. Epic, lyric, and dramatic elements ; General structure ; Subject matter and treatment. Old testament subjects ; New testament subjects ; Subjects from history and legend -- The music. Musical historicism ; The pasticcio oratorio ; Periodization and summary -- Selected English oratorios. William Crotch, Palestine ; George Macfarren, St. John the baptist ; C. Hubert H. Parry, Job ; Edward Elgar, the dream of Gerontius -- Oratorio in America: cultural context. aesthetic theory and criticism. Oratorio in early America ; Oratorio and the choral society. Education in vocal music ; Oratorio and immigration ; Choral societies in selected cities. Boston ; New York City ; Philadelphia and Bethlehem ; Cincinnati and Chicago ; Toronto and Montreal -- Oratorio and the music festival. Bethlehem: the Moravian festivals ; Worcester music festival ; Boston festivals ; New York festivals ; Cincinnati May festival ; Festivals in other cities -- Other social contexts. Oratorio in educational institutions ; Oratorio in church -- Aesthetic theory and criticism: Dwight versus Fry. John Sullivan Dwight (1813-1893): American transcendentalism and German romanticism ; William Henry Fry (1813-1864): American nationalist, opponent of oratorio -- Oratorio in America: libretto, music, selected oratorios. Libretto. Subject matter and treatment. Biblical oratorios ; Nonbiblical oratorios ; The juvenile oratorio -- Music: general aspects. Oratorios in the great tradition ; Easy oratorios -- Selected oratorios. George Frederick Bristow, Daniel ; John Knowles Paine, St. Peter ; Horatio William Parker, Hora novissima -- Oratorio in France: social context, libretto, music. Terminology and genre ; Cultural and social context. The French revolution, religious revival, and oratorio. The revolution, the Catholic church, religious music ; Religious revival and oratorio, 1800-1830 ; Religious revival and oratorio, 1830-1870 ; Politics, the church, and oratorio in the third republic to 1914 ; Libretto. General characteristics ; Subject matter and treatment. Old testament oratorios ; New testament oratorios ; Oratorios based on legends -- Music. Periodization ; Characteristics of French oratorio. Styles of vocal writing ; Historicist elements ; Musical treatment of God and Jesus ; Recurring melodic material ; Exoticism ; Instrumental music -- Selected French oratorios ; Hector Berlioz, L'enfance du Christ ; Camille Saint-Saëns, Oratorio de Noël ; César Franck, Les béatitudes ; Charles Gounod, La rédemption ; Jules Massenet, La terre promise -- Some areas of lesser activity. Italy. The waning of Italian oratorio ; Central composers. Simon Mayr ; Niccoló Antonio Zingarelli ; Paolo Bonfichi ; Saverio Mercadante ; Giovanni Pacini ; Pietro Raimondi ; Teodulo Mabellini ; Enrico Bossi and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari ; Lorenzo Perosi ; Pater Hartmann -- Dvořák's Svata Ludmila and Tinel's Franciscus -- Part II. The twentieth century. The oratorio in the twentieth century. Terminology, social context ; Libretto. Traditional religious subjects. New testament ; Old testament ; Medieval saints ; Literary sources, mythology, and legends -- Nontraditional religious, philosophical, and historical subjects ; Political, patriotic, and nationalistic oratorios in socialist states ; Music -- Selected twentieth-century oratorios. Igor Stravinsky, Oedipus rex: opera-oratorio ; French oratorio. Arthur Honegger, Le roi David ; Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher -- Frank Martin, Le vin herbé ; Olivier Messiaen, La Transfiguration de notreseigneur Jésus-Christ -- German oratorio. Arnold Schoenberg, Die Jakobsleiter ; Paul Hindemith, Das Unaufhörliche ; Franz Schmidt, Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln ; Hans Werner Henze, Das Flos der Medusa -- English oratorio. Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sancta civitas ; William Walton, Belshazzar's feast ; Michael Tippett. A child of our time ; The mask of our time -- Appendix. A checklist of twentieth-century oratorios. |
