ORATORY 



in this form are hia two Pas- 

 sions according to 8. John and 

 8. Matthew and his Christmas 

 Oratorio. The 8. Matthew Passion 

 is his greatest work, and in it be 

 has used solo voices, chorus, 

 double chorus, and orchestra to 

 present a vivid musical picture of 

 t In- world's greatest tragedy, which 

 for intense earnestness and dra- 

 matic power stands alone in tin- 

 realm of music. The Passions of 

 Bach differ from the ordinary ora- 

 torio form in that they specially 

 emphasise the important points of 

 the story by the introduction of 

 solos and choruses of a reflective 

 and meditative character, and 

 also by means of chorales sung by 

 the whole body of listeners, thus 

 giving the congregation a definite 

 part in the performance. 

 Work of Handel 



The oratorios of Handel stand 

 in marked contrast to the deeply 

 devotional works of Bach. They 

 were written as a form of musical 

 entertainment, and several were 

 first produced at the same theatre 

 and upon the same stage as that 

 upon which his operas were pro- 

 duced, although without scenery 

 or action. In their general form 

 the majority follow more or less 

 closely some Biblical story. The 

 Messiah is an exception in that it 

 aims at a presentation of the 

 scheme of salvation beginning 

 with the prophecies and leading 

 step by step to the Ascension. 

 While many of Handel's vocal 

 solos are full of beauty and deep 

 feeling, the choruses are the dis- 

 tinguishing feature of his ora- 

 torios. Their greatness is only 

 fully realized when the simplicity 

 of their harmony is compared with 

 the grandeur of their musical effect. 

 Haydn's Creation presents a series 

 of tone pictures descriptive of the 

 beginning of the world, and is the 

 first oratorio in which the orchestra 

 and the orchestral accompani- 

 ments are treated upon modern 

 lines. While The Creation possesses 

 several fine and effective choruses, 

 it is rather distinguished by the 

 freshness and charm of its vocal 

 solos and the delicate, suggestive 

 and richly varied treatment of the 

 orchestra. In Spohr's Last Judg- 

 ment, a still more modern feeling 

 is present and emphasised by the 

 free use of that chromatic har- 

 mony which is so characteristic 

 of this composer's work. 



The development of the ora- 

 torio upon essentially modern 

 lines was carried to a much higher 

 plane by Mendelssohn. Of his 

 three works Lobgesang, St. Paul, 

 and Elijah, the last reaches the 

 highest level and reveals the com- 

 poser's complete mastery of choral 



5803 



and orchestral effect in the pro- 

 duction of vivid musical pictures of 

 some of the most dramatic in- 

 - in the life of the prophet. 

 Since the time of Mendelssohn 

 many oratorios have been | 

 duced, the greater number having 

 been MMM.M i it IHT by English 

 composers or for English audiences. 



It is a noteworthy fact that 

 works in which the chorus takes an 

 important part have always made a 

 specially strong appeal to English 

 people. The variety in scheme and 

 treatment adopted by modern 

 composers is seen in Gounod's 

 Redemption with its superabun- 

 dant recitative and rich orchestral 

 colouring ; in Parry's Job with its 

 fine setting of the " Lamentation " 

 and its chain of dramatic choruses ; 

 and in Elgar's Dream of Oerontius 

 in which the composer has made 

 consummate use of all the re- 

 sources of modern musical art. 



Bibliography. The Oxford His- 

 tory of Music, ed. Sir W. H. Hadow, 

 1901 ; The Story of Oratorio, Annie 

 W. Patterson, 1902; A History of 

 Music in England, E. Walker, 1907. 



Oratory. The art of speaking in 

 correct, expressive, and fluent lan- 

 guage, in order to please or per- 

 suade the hearers. 



Oratory first became a force in 

 the time of the Greek Republics. 

 In 4th century Athens, the 

 sophists ('/.'.) made it their chief 

 aim to teach oratory as a means to 

 personal success. Eloquence was 

 brought to the highest perfection, 

 and Demosthenes, in spite of many 

 physical disabilities, attained an 

 excellence never surpassed. Under 

 the Roman Republic; public speak- 

 ing became a principal means of 

 acquiring power, honour, and dis- 

 tinction. The Romans derived this 

 art from the Greeks, but though in 

 form it is similar, and is marked by 

 the Roman qualities of method and 

 stateliness, it lacks that spon- 

 taneity and sensitiveness which 

 distinguish the orations of the 

 Athenians. Of those who attained 

 distinction, Cicero by the magic of 

 his style stands alone. 



Growth o! Pulpit Oratory 



The first orator to receive a 

 salary from the state as public 

 teacher was Quintilian, a pleader 

 in Pome. Of all the ancient writers 

 on this subject, he is perhaps the 

 most instructive : explaining from 

 observation as well as from 

 experience, in his Institutiones 

 Oratoriae, what constitutes the 

 well-graced orator. The artificial 

 oratory of panegyrics and acade- 

 mic declamations was taught by 

 professional rhetoricians, such as 

 Dion Chrysostom (?.v.), until 

 with the decline of the Roman 

 empire and the introduction of 



ORATORY 



Christianity a new form of elo- 

 quence, that of the pulpit, wa 

 established, of which S. John 

 Chrysostom (q.v). was a great mas- 

 ter. During the Middle Age* ora- 

 tory suffered from the dominance 

 of scholastic rules, though some of 

 the friars cultivated unconventional 

 popular methods. 



In modem time* oratory waa 

 chiefly associated with debates in 

 parliaments and the law courts. 

 In England Shaftesbury, an earnest 

 student of Cicero, was the first great 

 parliamentary debater. Pitt, Chat- 

 ham, Sheridan, Fox, and Burke 

 being the most distinguished of 

 18th century speakers. The 

 Americans paid great attention to 

 the art, and among the 19th century 

 orators, Webster and Lincoln 

 were prominent. 



Training of the Orator 



One of the first essentials of the 

 public speaker is a fund of general 

 information. The mind must be 

 quick to respond to the exigency of 

 the moment, and to this end 

 memory should be carefully culti- 

 vated. Wide reading, an extensive 

 vocabulary, apt quotations contri- 

 bute to the orator's equipment. 



In preparing a speech, a summary 

 of points should be made, so that 

 the sequence may be given in due 

 order ; variety of metaphor and 

 simile is necessary, that the same 

 thought may be shown from differ- 

 ent standpoints. Above all, the 

 speaker must have a thorough 

 knowledge of his subject. 



The delivery is hardly of less 

 importance than the matter. The 

 voice must be flexible, and mono- 

 tony must be avoided by change of 

 pitch, tone, and rate of delivery. 

 It is because of their monotonous 

 method of speaking and droning 

 indistinctness that many present- 

 day teachers, instead of stimulating 

 interest, only lull their hearers 

 into hypnotic tranquillity. 



Gesture and action must be spon- 

 taneous, formed on the basis 

 of individual personality, and the 

 speaker should remember that nar- 

 row and confined movements are 

 not only ungraceful but ineffective. 

 The value of facial expression is 

 great, and that of the rhetori- 

 cal pause must not be forgotten. 

 See Acting ; Cicero : Demosthenes ; 

 Elocution ; Preaching ; Rhetoric. 



Acton Bond 



Bibliography. Dialogue on Ora- 

 tory, Tacitus, Eng. trans., A. J. 

 Church and W. J. Brodribb, 1877 ; 

 Oratory and Orators, Cicero, Eng. 

 trans. J. S. Watson, 1891 ; The 

 Attic Orators, R. C. Jebb. 2nd ed. 

 1893; Modern Parliamentary Elo- 

 quence, G. N. Curzon, 1913 ; Effi- 

 cient Public Speaking, E. T. Powell, 

 1918 ; Oratory, British and Irish, 

 G. Locker-Lampson, 1918. 



