Vivaldi: Gloria / Händel: Gloria / Händel: Dixit Dominus

Baroque is a period and style of Western art music spanning roughly 1600–1750. It is characterized by the birth of functional tonality, the widespread use of basso continuo (figured bass), and a love of contrast—between soloist and ensemble, loud and soft, and different timbres. Hallmark genres and forms of the era include opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto (especially the concerto grosso), dance suite, sonata, and fugue. Textures range from expressive monody to intricate counterpoint, and melodies are richly ornamented with trills, mordents, and appoggiaturas. Baroque music flourished in churches, courts, and theaters across Europe, with regional styles (Italian, French, German, English) shaping distinctive approaches to rhythm, dance, harmony, and ornamentation.

An oratorio is a large‑scale, multi‑movement work for voices and orchestra, typically on a sacred narrative subject, performed without staging, costumes, or scenery. It combines solo recitatives and arias with powerful choruses and instrumental movements, using a dramatic arc similar to opera but presented as a concert work. Languages and styles vary by era and region (Italian and Latin in early Roman oratorios, German for Lutheran works such as Bach’s, and English for Handel’s). While most are sacred, secular oratorios also exist. Across the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern eras, the oratorio evolved from intimate devotional storytelling to monumental public concert pieces, often intended for festivals and large choirs.

A Passion is a large‑scale sacred musical genre that sets the Gospel narrative of Christ’s suffering and crucifixion (the Passion) to music. It originated as liturgical chant and evolved into elaborate polyphonic and Baroque oratorio forms. Typical Baroque Passions feature an Evangelist (tenor narrator) who declaims the biblical text in recitative, solo roles for Jesus (Christus) and other characters, congregational-style chorales, reflective arias, and dramatic "turba" choruses representing the crowd. Earlier Renaissance Passions are often austere and predominantly choral, while Catholic traditions favored Latin and Protestant (especially Lutheran) Passions used vernacular German. Passions were historically performed during Holy Week, often in two parts surrounding a sermon, and are among the most revered monuments of Christian sacred music.