Why were Handel’s oratorios usually performed in theatres rather than churches?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Oil portrait of composer Georg Frideric Handel by Thomas Hudson, showing Handel in a red coat with gold trim, white wig, and holding a sheet of music. — George Frideric Handel George Frideric Handel, oil on canvas by Thomas Hudson, c. 1736; in the Foundling Museum, London.

Handel’s oratorios were typically performed in theatres rather than churches primarily because they were essentially theatrical presentations that reflected his background as an opera composer.12

While these works often dramatized biblical stories, they were performed by opera singers and were not intended for liturgical use. Because of this theatrical nature, they were staged in theatres, although ecclesiastical prejudice at the time strictly forbade the use of actual stage action or scenery during these performances. Consequently, Handel’s oratorios functioned as dramatic musical narratives that existed independently of the church, allowing him to reach a new public among the rising middle classes who sought edification through moral tales set to music.123