# Cantata vs Oratorio



## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Can anyone tell me the difference between these two genres? I can obviously tell either apart from an opera, which has an element of non-musical drama/acting, etc. But I can't really tell a cantata from an oratorio other than by scale, oratorios usually being large scale, cantatas vary, but usually smaller. However, there are some longer works like Schoenberg's Gurrelieder and Brahms' Rinaldo that are considered cantatas and not oratorios, so the lines are kind of blurred in my eyes.

If anyone can offer any elucidation, it would be appreciated.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Generally, oratorios are based on religious themes. Cantatas can be either religious or profane. Moreover, oratorios tend to be larger in scale.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Not an easy question and you get conflicting answers on line. Differences brought up include religious/non-religious, multiple acts, underlying through plot . . . neverthesless, you get Wikipedia calling Gurrelieder and Mahler's Das Klagende Lied, and Brahms' Rinaldo cantatas, but someone else defining Rinaldo as not a cantata . . . and Bach's "Coffee" Cantata (non-religious) an oratorio, but some commentors defining oratorios as being on religious subjects. Neither involves physical acting -- like an opera -- but many (most) involve vocal acting. And what the difference is between these and a large-scale song cycle in beyond my pay grade.


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