"For my part, they give me an idea of heaven, where everybody is to sing whether they have voices or not." - Horace Walpole on Handel’s oratorios, 1743. Combining words and music with choir, soloists and orchestra, the oratorio is one of the grandest genres of classical music. Join us as we explore how this wonderful genre works, with its origins and structures. We will listen to excerpts from such great works as Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. No musical knowledge is necessary.