An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is musical theatre, while oratorio is strictly a concert piece – though oratorios are sometimes staged as operas, and operas are sometimes presented in concert form. In an oratorio the choir often plays a central role, and there is generally little or no interaction between the characters, and no props or elaborate costumes. A particularly important difference is in the typical subject matter of the text. Opera tends to deal with history and mythology, including age-old devices of romance, deception, and murder, whereas the plot of an oratorio often deals with sacred topics, making it appropriate for performance in the church. Protestant composers took their stories from the Bible, while Catholic composers looked to the lives of saints, as well as to Biblical topics. Oratorios became extremely popular in early 17th-century Italy partly because of the success of opera and the Catholic Church's prohibition of spectacles during Lent. Oratorios became the main choice of music during that period for opera audiences.
Bibbiena is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany (Italy), the largest town in the valley of Casentino. It is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Florence, 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Arezzo, 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Siena, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Sanctuary of La Verna.
Amico Aspertini, also called Amerigo Aspertini, was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor whose complex, eccentric, and eclectic style anticipates Mannerism. He is considered one of the leading exponents of the Bolognese School of painting.
Cortemaggiore is an Italian comune located in the Province of Piacenza. Cortemaggiore is located in the northern Italy about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Milan and 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Bologna, in the Pianura Padana. The municipality borders with Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Villanova sull'Arda, Besenzone, San Pietro in Cerro, Caorso, Pontenure and Cadeo.
Calenzano is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 11 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of Florence. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 15,557 and an area of 76.9 square kilometres (29.7 sq mi).
Carmignano is a comune (municipality) in the province of Prato, part of the Italian region Tuscany. It is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Florence and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of Prato. It is the centre of the wine region of the same name.
Vernio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Prato in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Florence and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Prato.
Giacomo Serpotta was an Italian sculptor, active in a Rococo style and mainly working in stucco.
The Oratorio dei Vanchetoni or Oratory of the Vanchetoni is a Roman Catholic prayer hall for the Arch-confraternity of San Francesco, in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy.
The Oratorio di San Giacomo della Marina is a small chapel or prayer-house at the dockside in Genoa, northern Italy.
San Martino del Vescovo, also known as the Oratorio dei Buonomini di San Martino, is a Roman Catholic parish church, located in the small piazza of the same name in Florence, Italy.
The Commune of Scopello is located in the Valsesia region of the Italian Pennine Alps, in the Piedmontese Province of Vercelli. The municipality covers an area of 18.62 square kilometres (7.19 sq mi) and ranges in elevation from 640 to 1,930 metres above sea level. Its main centre of population, and the capoluogo of the commune, is the small town of Scopello which stands on the river Sesia at an elevation of 659 metres (2,162 ft).
The Oratorio di San Protaso is a church in via Lorenteggio, Milan, Lombardy.
Oratory of Saint Stephen (Italian: Oratorio di Santo Stefano is a Roman Catholic chapel in the town of Lentate sul Seveso, in the Province of Monza and Brianza and the region of Lombardy, Italy.
Quirino Colombani was an Italian composer, and cellist. He was active in both 17th and 18th centuries.
The Oratory of St John the Baptist is a 14th-century small chapel or prayer hall located in Via Francesco Barocci, in Urbino, Region of the Marche, Italy.
Oratorio di San Pellegrino is a medieval oratory in the village of Bominaco, in the municipality of Caporciano in the Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo).
Palermo, main city of Sicily, has a big heritage of churches which ranges from the Arab-Norman-Byzantine style to the Gothic and the Baroque styles. In particular, the list includes the most important churches of the historic centre divided by the four areas of Kalsa, Albergaria, Seralcadi and Loggia.
The Oratory of Saint Lawrence is a Baroque oratory of Palermo. It is located near the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, in the quarter of the Kalsa, within the historic centre of Palermo.
The San Michele Oratory or Oratory of San Michele is an oratory chapel in Padova, Italy. The interior is painted with a cycle of frescoes on the life of the Virgin Mary by Jacopo da Verona.
