His family was Bavarian and was active in the Imperial German Army; his father was an army officer with strong musical interests. His paternal grandmother was Catholic of Jewish descent. At age five, Orff began to play piano, organ, and cello, and composed a few songs and music for puppet plays.
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What is the story behind Carmina Burana?
So, Carmina Burana translates as Songs Of Beuren, and refers to a collection of early 13th-century songs and poems that was discovered in Beuren in 1803 – although it has since been established that the collection originated from Seckau Abbey, Austria – and is now housed in the Bavarian State Library.
Who wrote the Carmina Burana poems?
composer Carl Orff'Carmina Burana,' Music Of Monks And Drunks Drawing from a collection of medieval poetry, composer Carl Orff transformed the sometimes bawdy lyrics into a classical music hit of enormous proportions, heard countless times in television and movies.
What type of music is Carmina Burana?
Carmina Burana, released 1983 on A&M Records. Genres: Rock music, Progressive rock, Art rock.
Who wrote O Fortuna poem?
"O Fortuna" is a medieval poem that inspired German composer Carl Orff to write the cantata "Carmina Burana," one of the most well-known works of the 20th century. It's been used for TV commercials and movie soundtracks, and it is frequently performed by professional musicians around the world.
What is the message in O Fortuna?
It literally means 'Oh Fate', and it is a lament about the inescapable power of fate, a central theme to Roman and Greek mythology, in which fate is a force that rules both gods and mortals.
Why is O Fortuna popular?
The composition appears in numerous films and television commercials and has become a staple in popular culture, setting the mood for dramatic or cataclysmic situations. For instance, it is used to portray the torment of Jim Morrison's drug addiction in the film The Doors.
What movie is Carmina Burana in?
One of the exciting pieces the Chorale will perform is “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana, a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935-1936. “O Fortuna” was first introduced to mainstream media in the 1981, John Boorman film, Excalibur (trailer below).
What is the most famous movement of Carmina Burana?
Musical settings Between 1935 and 1936, German composer Carl Orff composed music, also called Carmina Burana, for 24 of the poems. The single song "O Fortuna" (the Roman goddess of luck and fate), from the movement "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi", is often heard in many popular settings such as films.
What movies has the song O Fortuna been in?
1999: In the film The General's Daughter. 1999: Used in a scene from the television program That 70s Show. 2003: In Cheaper by the Dozen, at the end of Dylan's party scene.
Was Carmina Burana used in Star Wars?
TIL Star Wars Episode I's musical theme "Duel of the Fates" was inspired by the song "O Fortuna" in Carmina Burana : r/todayilearned.
Who conducted O Fortuna?
Carl Orff"O Fortuna" is a movement in Carl Orff's 1935–36 cantata Carmina Burana. It begins the opening and closing sections, both titled "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi".
Was Carmina Burana used in the omen?
This very famous piece has been used in numerous movies, TV shows and ads - BUT - The Omen was not one of them.
What did Orff write after Carmina Burana?
After the triumphant premiere of Carmina Burana, Orff, then 41, wrote to his publishers: “Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, published, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana my collected works begin.”. However, nothing Orff subsequently wrote ever came close to approaching the popularity of Carmina Burana.
How many songs are in Carmina Burana?
With the help of Michael Hofmann, a law student and Latin scholar, Orff chose 24 songs and set them to music in what he termed a “scenic cantata”. Carmina Burana is divided into three sections – Springtime, In the Tavern and The Court Of Love – preceded by and ending with an invocation to Fortune. Written between 1935 and 1936 for soloists, ...
What does "carmina" mean in Latin?
The name has Latin roots – 'Carmina' means 'songs', while 'Burana' is the Latinised form of Beuren, the name of the Benedictine monastery of Benediktbeuren in Bavaria.
When was the collection of women and song first published?
The collection was first published in Germany in 1847, but it wasn’t until 1934 that Orff came across the texts; a selection had been translated into English and formed part of a publication called Wine, Women And Song.
Who wrote the songs of the tavern?
The songs (over 1000 of them) were written in a mix of Latin, German and medieval French by the Goliards, a band of poet-musicians comprising scholars and clerical students, who celebrated with earthy humour the joys of the tavern, nature, love and lust.
What is the most popular choral work of the 21st century?
The Story Of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Car l Orff’s Carmina Burana is probably the most frequently performed choral work of the 21st century, made popular by the memorable surfing advert for Old Spice aftershave.
Who composed the cantata Carmina Burana?
Not to be confused with Catulli Carmina. 1937 cantata composed by Carl Orff. Carmina Burana. Cantata by Carl Orff. Cover of the score showing the Wheel of Fortune. Language. Secular Latin. Middle High German. Old French.
When was Carmina Burana first performed?
Carmina Burana was first staged by the Oper Frankfurt on 8 June 1937 under conductor Bertil Wetzelsberger [ de] (1892–1967) with the Cäcilienchor Frankfurt [ de], staging by Oskar Wälterlin [ de] and sets and costumes by Ludwig Sievert.
What is Carmina Burana a cantata?
It is here that modern performances of Carmina Burana fall short of Orff's intentions." Orff subtitled Carmina Burana a "scenic cantata" in his intention to stage the work with dance, choreography, visual design and other stage action; the piece is now usually performed in concert halls as a cantata.
What is the Latin title of Carmina Burana?
Its full Latin title is Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis ("Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magical images"). It was first performed by the Oper Frankfurt on 8 June 1937.
How many poems are in Carmina Burana?
24 poems from Carmina Burana. Premiere. 8 June 1937. ( 1937-06-08) Oper Frankfurt. Carmina Burana is a cantata composed in 1935 and 1936 by Carl Orff, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection Carmina Burana.
When was the album Carl Orff released?
Released 1973 by Acanta and as part of seven CD set "Carl Orff Collection" (Acanta, 1992) and on Arts Archives (2003). James Levine with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and June Anderson, Philip Creech, and Bernd Weikl. Recorded 1984 (Deutsche Grammophon).
When was the Wheel of Fortune written?
Text. " The Wheel of Fortune " from the Codex Buranus. In 1934, Orff encountered the 1847 edition of the Carmina Burana by Johann Andreas Schmeller, the original text dating mostly from the 11th or 12th century, including some from the 13th century.
Who composed Carmina Burana?
See Article History. Carmina Burana, (Latin: “Songs of B [enediktb]euern”) cantata for orchestra, chorus, and vocal soloists by the German composer Carl Orff that premiered in 1937 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
What is the best known song of Carmina Burana?
The best-known song from Carmina Burana is “ O Fortuna” (“Oh Fortune”), which serves as both prologue and epilogue.
How many songs did Orff write?
Orff selected 24 songs, which he arranged into a prologue, an epilogue, and three parts of roughly equal length.
Where did Orff find the Carmina Burana?
Orff drew his text from a 13th-century manuscript containing songs and plays written in Latin and medieval German, which was discovered in 1803 at the Bavarian monastery of Benediktbeuern. Dubbed the Carmina Burana (“Songs of Beuern”) by the German philologist Johann Andreas Schmeller, the texts present a varied view of medieval life, ...
What is the theme of the first part of the movie "Primo Vere"?
The first part, “Primo Vere” (“In Early Spring”), presents youthful, energetic dances; the second part, “In Taberna” (“In the Tavern”), evokes drunken feasting and debauchery; and courtship and romantic love are the subject of the third part, “Cour d’Amours” (“Court of Love”).
Overview
Reception
Carmina Burana was first staged by the Oper Frankfurt on 8 June 1937 under conductor Bertil Wetzelsberger [de] (1892–1967) with the Cäcilienchor Frankfurt [de], staging by Oskar Wälterlin [de] and sets and costumes by Ludwig Sievert. Shortly after the greatly successful premiere, Orff said the following to his publisher, Schott Music: "Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, printed, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana, my collected works begin."
Text
In 1934, Orff encountered the 1847 edition of the Carmina Burana by Johann Andreas Schmeller, the original text dating mostly from the 11th or 12th century, including some from the 13th century. Michel Hofmann [de] was a young law student and an enthusiast of Latin and Greek; he assisted Orff in the selection and organization of 24 of these poems into a libretto, mostly in secular Latin ver…
Structure
Carmina Burana is structured into five major sections, containing 25 movements in total. Orff indicates attacca markings between all the movements within each scene.
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi Fortune, Empress of the World 1 O Fortuna Latin O Fortune choir 2 Fortune plango vulnera Latin I lament the wounds that Fortune deals choir I Primo vere In Spring 3 Veris leta facies Latin The joyous face of Spring small choir 4 Omnia Sol temperat Latin All thing…
Carmina Burana is structured into five major sections, containing 25 movements in total. Orff indicates attacca markings between all the movements within each scene.
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi Fortune, Empress of the World 1 O Fortuna Latin O Fortune choir 2 Fortune plango vulnera Latin I lament the wounds that Fortune deals choir I Primo vere In Spring 3 Veris leta facies Latin The joyous face of Spring small choir 4 Omnia Sol temperat Latin All thing…
Staging
Orff subscribed to a dramatic concept called "Theatrum Mundi" in which music, movement, and speech were inseparable. Babcock writes that "Orff's artistic formula limited the music in that every musical moment was to be connected with an action on stage. It is here that modern performances of Carmina Burana fall short of Orff's intentions." Orff subtitled Carmina Burana a "scenic cantata" …
Musical style
Orff's style demonstrates a desire for directness of speech and of access. Carmina Burana contains little or no development in the classical sense, and polyphony is also conspicuously absent. Carmina Burana avoids overt harmonic complexities, a fact which many musicians and critics have pointed out, such as Ann Powers of The New York Times.
Orff was influenced melodically by late Renaissance and early Baroque models including William B…
Notable recordings
• Herbert Blomstedt with the San Francisco Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, led by Vance George, won the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance in 1992. The recording was released by Decca on October 11, 1991.
• Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, the New Philharmonia Chorus (chorus master: Wilhelm Pitz), Wandsworth School Boys' Choir, John Noble, Raymond Wolansky, Lucia Popp, Emi, 1966.
Further reading
• Abrantes, Miguel Carvalho (2020). The Carmina Burana of Carl Orff: Translated from Latin to English.
• Babcock, Jonathan. "Carl Orff's Carmina Burana: A Fresh Approach to the Work's Performance Practice". Choral Journal 45, no. 11 (May 2006): 26–40.
• Fassone, Alberto: "Carl Orff", in: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, London: Macmillan 2001.