oratorio

A musical composition for voices and orchestra, telling a usually sacred story without costumes, scenery, or dramatic action.

A place of worship; a chapel; an oratory.

A form of extended musical composition, more or less dramatic in character, based upon a religious (or occasionally a heroic) theme, and intended to be performed without dramatic action and scenery.

The words or text of an oratorio; an oratorio libretto.

A more or less dramatic text or poem, founded on some Scripture nerrative, or great divine event, elaborately set to music, in recitative, arias, grand choruses, etc., to be sung with an orchestral accompaniment, but without action, scenery, or costume, although the oratorio grew out of the Mysteries and the Miracle and Passion plays, which were acted.