Three hundred performances of oratorios were given in the salons, churches, and oratories of Bologna in the period 1659-1730. This book relates the genesis and development of oratorio in Bologna to the city's religious, political, and cultural aspirations. It is the first critical survey of this huge and largely unknown repertory, describing in detail oratorios by composers such as Bononcini, Cazzati, Colonna, and Perti.