Mrs. H. H. A. Beach (b. 1867) has written several small choral works that have found well-merited favor, among them ‘The Minstrel and the King’ for tenor and baritone solos, male chorus and orchestra, ‘The Rose of Avontown,’ a ballad for soprano solo and female chorus, ‘The Chambered Nautilus’ for female chorus, and ‘Sylvania’ for mixed chorus. Among other small choral works of serious content and fine workmanship belonging to this period must be mentioned a fine motet by Arthur Whiting (b. 1861) for double chorus _a cappella_, ‘O God, my heart is ready’ (words selected from the Psalms). FOOTNOTES: [71] Born 1857. CHAPTER VII EARLY AND CLASSICAL ORATORIOS Origin of oratorio in the sacred drama of Italy--Cavalieri: ‘The Representation of Soul and Body’--Carissimi: ‘Jephthah’--Scarlatti; Stradella; other early oratorio writers--Development of oratorio in Germany; Passion-music and its development; Schütz: ‘The Seven Last Words of Christ’; ‘The Passion Oratorio’; ‘The Resurrection’--J. S. Bach: ‘Christmas Oratorio’; ‘Passion according to St. Matthew’; Graun: ‘The Death of Jesus’; other writers of Passion-music--Handel and the oratorio; ‘The Messiah’--‘Israel in Egypt’; ‘Judas Maccabæus’; ‘Samson,’ etc.--Haydn: ‘The Creation’; ‘The Seasons.’ The early oratorio had many of the essential characteristics possessed by its modern derivative. It always dealt with sacred subjects (the modern oratorio, however, frequently concerns itself with secular themes), it was almost always dramatic and its musical apparatus consisted of the usual four solo voices and the chorus with instrumental accompaniment.