Oratorios

Fauser, p. 228 Saint-Saëns composed more than sixty sacred vocal works, ranging from motets to masses and oratorios.

Haydn's new intentions also meant that he was willing to spend much time on a single work: both oratorios took him over a year to complete.

In 1790, just before Mozart's death, with his reputation spreading rapidly, Haydn was poised for a series of successes, notably his late oratorios and "London" symphonies.

Jennifer Beakes, "The Horn Parts in Handel's Operas and Oratorios and the Horn Players Who Performed in These Works", DMA diss.

Oratorios also continued to be written, clearly influenced by Handel's models.

Recent decades have revived his secular cantatas and what one might call 'secular oratorios' or 'concert operas'.

Reed wrote, "Elgar's genius rose to its greatest height in his orchestral works" and quoted the composer as saying that, even in his oratorios, the orchestral part is the most important.

Their emphasis on accessibility brought huge successes in opera, and in other vocal music such as songs, oratorios, and choruses.

The oratorios continued to be performed but not long after Handel's death they were thought to need some modernisation, and Mozart orchestrated a German version of Messiah and other works.

What he had was endless curiosity combined with stubbornness", adding "His work list is astonishing, including oratorios, musicals and concertos, as well as hundreds of jazz compositions.