'Music Messiah' George Frideric Handel
Oratorio forms an integral part of any baroque period music just like the operas. For the same reason Maestro Ilaiyaraaja also used this style to compose his Thiruvasagam. AFAIK oratorio style was introduced primarily to focus people to turn pious towards religion outside the churches. Opera is more dramatic and is not religious specific, but oratorio is sacred and mostly religious specific. But sometimes these concepts are even interchanged between operas and oratorio.
First one comes to my mind whenever I think about oratorio is Sir George Frideric Handel and his Messiah. But there are many composers before him wrote lot of oratorios. One such gem of a composer is Barbara Strozzi. Yes, she is a woman composer at that time who is very prolific and wrote many oratorios. But coming to Messiah, the beauty in this is there is no standard version. Based on the singer and instruments availability this has changed. One version I liked the most (hope everyone cannot deny this) is the one arranged and orchestrated by the greatest composer of all time Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Just imagine the best composer of oratorio Sir Handel's composition orchestrated by the great Mozart.
Here it is, Hallelujha from Messiah composed by Handel and arranged by Mozart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Td7nYKJp6Y
Greatest composer on this planet : Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach needs no introduction. Eventhough he belong to late Baroque era, his contributions to baroque style of music made him the most known composer of all time, even surpassing Monteverdis, Corellis and Vivaldis.
Straightway going into his compositions.
Bach's Cantatas. Cantata is a vocal composition with accompanying instruments, just like oratorio, but quite short compared to orataria. Again it's meaning changed from baroque to classical and romantic period. There is also solo cantata just like choir cantata. There is sacred cantata just like secular cantata. It seems Bach wrote many cantatas, but only 200 was recovered. There are different movements in each cantata. I have only 29 and 51 with me in my collection, so sharing, luckily they have the same in youtube (thanks to uploader). Need to hear more Bach cantatas.
This cantata called Cantata 51 - Aria 'Jauchzet Gott In Allen Landen'. This is a solo cantata. This cantata is one of Bach's best composition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVkeCDQB0Nk
Cantata 29 is a sacred cantata.
Cantata 29 'Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken, dir' - Sinfonia (Sinfonie means symphony, but here this piece is just a prelude to the actual cantata)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jk1fLaDelk
Cantata 29 Aria (alto): Hallujah! Strength and Might (Op.4) This is one such tremendous performance by Doug Marshall. Just amazing how he plays with his legs too! Initially I thought it's a pedal, but it seems full organ keys under his legs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk-vbXCnmvE
Here is the list of all Bach's cantatas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Sebastian_Bach