Apex Type Foundry

Acheron, Achinese, Acholi, Achuar-Shiwiar, Afar, Afrikaans, Aguaruna, Alekano, Aleut, Alonquin, Amahuaca, Amarakaeri, Amis, Anaang, Andaandi, Dongolawi, Anuta, Aragonese, Arbëreshë Albanian, Asháninka, Ashéninka Perené, Atayal, Balinese, Banjar, Bari, Basque, Batak Dairi, Batak Karo, Batak Mandailing, Batak Simalungun, Batak Toba, Bemba (Zambia), Bena (Tanzania), Bikol, Bislama, Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo, Bosnian, Breton, Buginese, Candoshi-Shapra, Caquinte, Caribbean Hindustani, Cashibo-Cacataibo, Cashinahua, Catalan, Cebuano, Central Aymara, Central Kurdish, Chachi, Chamorro, Chavacano, Chiga, Chiltepec Chinantec, Chokwe, Chuukese, Cimbrian, Cofán, Cook Islands Māori, Cornish, Corsican, Creek, Crimean Tatar, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dehu, Eastern Arrernte, Eastern Oromo, English, Faroese, Fijian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Friulian, Gagauz, Galician, Ganda, Garifuna, German, Gheg Albanian, Gilbertese, Gooniyandi, Gourmanchéma, Guadeloupean Creole French, Gusii, Haitian, Hani, Hawaiian, Hiligaynon, Hopi, Huastec, Hungarian, Icelandic, Iloko, Inari Sami, Indonesian, Irish, Istro Romanian, Italian, Ixcatlán Mazatec, Jamaican Creole English, Japanese, Javanese, Jola-Fonyi, K'iche', Kabuverdianu, Kaingang, Kala Lagaw Ya, Kalaallisut, Kalenjin, Kamba (Kenya), Kaonde, Karelian, Kashubian, Kekchí, Kenzi, Mattokki, Khasi, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kituba (DRC), Kongo, Konzo, Kven Finnish, Kölsch, Ladin, Ladino, Latgalian, Lithuanian, Lombard, Low German, Lower Sorbian, Luba-Lulua, Lule Sami, Luo (Kenya and Tanzania), Luxembourgish, Macedo-Romanian, Makonde, Malagasy, Malaysian, Maltese, Mandinka, Mandjak, Mankanya, Manx, Maore Comorian, Maori, Mapudungun, Marshallese, Matsés, Mauritian Creole, Meriam Mir, Meru, Minangkabau, Mirandese, Mohawk, Montenegrin, Munsee, Murrinh-Patha, Mwani, Mískito, Naga Pidgin, Ndonga, Neapolitan, Ngazidja Comorian, Niuean, Nobiin, Nomatsiguenga, North Marquesan, North Ndebele, Northern Kurdish, Northern Qiandong Miao, Northern Sami, Northern Uzbek, Norwegian, Nyanja, Nyankole, Occitan, Ojitlán Chinantec, Orma, Oroqen, Palauan, Pampanga, Papantla Totonac, Papiamento, Pedi, Picard, Pichis Ashéninka, Piemontese, Pijin, Pintupi-Luritja, Pipil, Pohnpeian, Polish, Portuguese, Potawatomi, Purepecha, Páez, Quechua, Romanian, Romansh, Rotokas, Rundi, Samoan, Sango, Sangu (Tanzania), Saramaccan, Sardinian, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Sena, Seri, Seselwa Creole French, Shawnee, Shipibo-Conibo, Shona, Shuar, Sicilian, Silesian, Slovak, Slovenian, Soga, Somali, Soninke, South Marquesan, South Ndebele, Southern Aymara, Southern Qiandong Miao, Southern Sami, Southern Sotho, Spanish, Sranan Tongo, Standard Estonian, Standard Latvian, Standard Malay, Sundanese, Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Tahitian, Tedim Chin, Tetum, Tetun Dili, Toba, Tok Pisin, Tokelau, Tonga (Tonga Islands), Tonga (Zambia), Tosk Albanian, Tumbuka, Turkish, Turkmen, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Uab Meto, Umbundu, Ume Sami, Upper Guinea Crioulo, Upper Sorbian, Venetian, Veps, Võro, Wallisian, Walloon, Walser, Waray (Philippines), Warlpiri, Wayuu, Welsh, West Central Oromo, Western Abnaki, Western Frisian, Wiradjuri, Wolof, Xhosa, Yanesha', Yao, Yucateco, Zapotec, Zulu, Záparo

Oratorio is what happens when a Jugendstil tenor meets a 1970s American funk band in a phototypesetting studio. Ornamental excess meets typographic swagger—with just enough restraint to keep it printable.

Originally conceived as a dramatic serif revival, Oratorio gradually blended Baroque intensity with contemporary finesse. Rooted in the expressive rhythms of “Halbfette Cantate” (a display face released around 1910 by H. Berthold AG and designed by Johann Graf), Oratorio infuses sweeping swashes and lyrical terminals reminiscent of Ed Benguiat’s flamboyant 1970s classics. The result is a hybrid typeface with a rich, theatrical voice —unapologetically bold yet unmistakably modern.

Oratorio thrives in display settings (editorial headlines, book and record covers, posters) where its generous forms and high contrast command attention—especially in full caps lock! Digitally redrawn with precision and historical sensitivity, it reinvents typographic excess with elegance and intent.

Though it comes in just one weight, Oratorio is anything but limited: its four sets of initial capital forms, numerous alternates, and robust OpenType features offer a wide range of expressive options to play around with.
Oratorio is no pastiche—it’s a celebration of expressive type at its most eloquent.