An oratorio (Italian pronunciation: [oraˈtɔːrjo]) is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is musical theatre, while oratorio is strictly a concert piece—though oratorios are sometimes staged as operas, and operas are sometimes presented in concert form. In an oratorio there is generally little or no interaction between the characters, and no props or elaborate costumes. A particularly important difference is in the typical subject matter of the text. Opera tends to deal with history and mythology, including age-old devices of romance, deception, and murder, whereas the plot of an oratorio often deals with sacred topics, making it appropriate for performance in the church. Protestant composers took their stories from the Bible, while Catholic composers looked to the lives of saints, as well as to Biblical topics. Oratorios became extremely popular in early 17th-century Italy partly because of the success of opera and the Catholic Church's prohibition of spectacles during Lent. Oratorios became the main choice of music during that period for opera audiences.

One Piece is a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda that has been translated into various languages and spawned a substantial media franchise. It follows the adventures of the seventeen-year-old boy Monkey D. Luffy, whose body gained the properties of rubber when he accidentally ate a supernatural fruit, as he travels the oceans in search of the series' titular treasure and gathers himself a ragtag crew of heroic pirates, named the Straw Hats. In Japan, the series is published by Shueisha – chapterwise in the manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since the magazine's issue of August 4, 1997 and in tankōbon format since December 24, 1997.

In North America, Viz Media is publishing its English language adaptation of the series – chapterwise in the manga anthology Shonen Jump since the magazine's launch in November 2002 and in tankōbon format since June 2003. In the United Kingdom, the tankōbon were published by Gollancz Manga, starting March 2006, until Viz Media took over after the fourteenth volume. In Australia and New Zealand, the English volumes are distributed by Madman Entertainment since November 10, 2008.

Oratorio (foaled 29 April 2002) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. As a two-year-old in 2004 he won four of his seven races including the Anglesey Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as well as finishing second in the Phoenix Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes. He showed his best form when tried over a mile and a quarter in 2005, when he defeated strong international fields in the Eclipse Stakes and the Irish Champion Stakes, beating the Epsom Derby winner Motivator on both occasions. He was retired to stud at the end of 2005 and has had some success as a sire of winners.

Background

Oratorio is a good-looking bay horse with a small white star and three white socks bred jointly by the County Wicklow-based Barronstown Stud and Orpendale, a breeding organisation associated with John Magnier's Coolmore Stud.

Oratorio's sire Danehill (who died in 2003) was one of the most successful stallions of the last twenty years, producing the winners of more than a thousand races, including one hundred and fifty-six at Group One/Grade I level. Among his best offspring are Duke of Marmalade, Dylan Thomas, Rock of Gibraltar, George Washington and North Light. His dam, Mahrah, was a moderate racehorse who won one minor race from six starts before being retired to the breeding paddocks. She was a granddaughter of Katonka, who was a full-sister to the dam of the Preakness Stakes winner Codex. Apart from Oratorio, her best runners has been Fahim, who finished second to Awad in the Sword Dancer Invitational Handicap.