Carl Orff (10th July 1895–29th March 1982) was a German composer, most famo… Read Full Bio ↴Carl Orff (10th July 1895–29th March 1982) was a German composer, most famous for his Carmina Burana (1937), and an important and influential music educator.
Orff was born in Munich and came from a Bavarian family that was very active in the German military. His father's regimental band supposedly often played the compositions of the young Orff. He studied at the Munich Academy of Music until 1914, then served in the military during World War I. Afterwards he held various positions at opera houses in Mannheim and Darmstadt, later to return to Munich to further pursue his musical studies.
From 1925 Orff was the head of a department and co-founder of the Guenther School for gymnastics, music, and dance in Munich, where he worked with musical beginners. Having constant contact with children, this is where he developed his theories in music education.
While Orff's association, or lack thereof, with the Nazi party has never been conclusively established, his Carmina Burana was hugely popular in Nazi Germany after its premiere in Frankfurt in 1937, receiving numerous performances (although one Nazi critic reviewed it savagely as "degenerate", implying a connection with the contemporaneous, and infamous, exhibit of Entartete Kunst). He was one of the few German composers under the Nazi regime who responded to the official call to write new music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, after the music of Felix Mendelssohn had been banned, which in itself suggests where his sympathies lay; others refused to cooperate in this.
Orff was a personal friend of Kurt Huber, one of the founders of the resistance movement Die Weiße Rose (the White Rose), and who was condemned to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed by the Nazis in 1943. After World War II, Orff claimed that he was a member of the group, and was himself involved in the resistance, but there was no evidence for this other than his own word, and other sources dispute his claim).
Orff is buried in the Baroque church of the beer-brewing Benedictine priory of Andechs, south of Munich.
Orff is best known for Carmina Burana (1937), a "scenic cantata". It is the first of a trilogy, Trionfi, which also includes Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite. These compositions reflected his interest in medieval German poetry. Together the trilogy is called Trionfi, meaning "triumphs". The work was based on a thirteenth-century erotic verse written by the Goliards, found in a manuscript dubbed the Codex latinus monacensis, which had been discovered in a Bavarian monastery in 1803. The term "Goliards" was often used to describe students who wrote secular verse in the Middle Ages. While "modern" in some of his compositional techniques, Orff was able to capture the spirit of the medieval period in this trilogy, with infectious rhythms and easy tonalities. The mediaeval poems were written in an early form of German and Latin.
With the success of Carmina Burana, Orff orphaned all of his previous works except for Catulli Carmina and the En trata, which were rewritten until acceptable by Orff. He was reluctant to call any of his works simply operas. For example, he called Der Mond ("The Moon") (1939) a "Märchenoper" or Fairytale Opera, and placed Die Kluge ("The Wise Woman") (1943) in the same category. About his Antigone (1949), Orff said specifically that it was not an opera, rather a Vertonung, a "musical setting" of the ancient tragedy. The text is a German translation, by Friedrich Hölderlin, of the Sophocles play of the same name. The orchestration relies heavily on the percussion section, and is otherwise fairly simple.
Orff's last work, De Temporum Fine Comoedia ("A Play of the End of Time"), had its premiere at the Salzburg music festival on 20th August 1973, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. In this highly personal work, Orff presented a mystery play, in which he summarised his view on the end of time, sung in Greek, German, and Latin.
Orff was born in Munich and came from a Bavarian family that was very active in the German military. His father's regimental band supposedly often played the compositions of the young Orff. He studied at the Munich Academy of Music until 1914, then served in the military during World War I. Afterwards he held various positions at opera houses in Mannheim and Darmstadt, later to return to Munich to further pursue his musical studies.
From 1925 Orff was the head of a department and co-founder of the Guenther School for gymnastics, music, and dance in Munich, where he worked with musical beginners. Having constant contact with children, this is where he developed his theories in music education.
While Orff's association, or lack thereof, with the Nazi party has never been conclusively established, his Carmina Burana was hugely popular in Nazi Germany after its premiere in Frankfurt in 1937, receiving numerous performances (although one Nazi critic reviewed it savagely as "degenerate", implying a connection with the contemporaneous, and infamous, exhibit of Entartete Kunst). He was one of the few German composers under the Nazi regime who responded to the official call to write new music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, after the music of Felix Mendelssohn had been banned, which in itself suggests where his sympathies lay; others refused to cooperate in this.
Orff was a personal friend of Kurt Huber, one of the founders of the resistance movement Die Weiße Rose (the White Rose), and who was condemned to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed by the Nazis in 1943. After World War II, Orff claimed that he was a member of the group, and was himself involved in the resistance, but there was no evidence for this other than his own word, and other sources dispute his claim).
Orff is buried in the Baroque church of the beer-brewing Benedictine priory of Andechs, south of Munich.
Orff is best known for Carmina Burana (1937), a "scenic cantata". It is the first of a trilogy, Trionfi, which also includes Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite. These compositions reflected his interest in medieval German poetry. Together the trilogy is called Trionfi, meaning "triumphs". The work was based on a thirteenth-century erotic verse written by the Goliards, found in a manuscript dubbed the Codex latinus monacensis, which had been discovered in a Bavarian monastery in 1803. The term "Goliards" was often used to describe students who wrote secular verse in the Middle Ages. While "modern" in some of his compositional techniques, Orff was able to capture the spirit of the medieval period in this trilogy, with infectious rhythms and easy tonalities. The mediaeval poems were written in an early form of German and Latin.
With the success of Carmina Burana, Orff orphaned all of his previous works except for Catulli Carmina and the En trata, which were rewritten until acceptable by Orff. He was reluctant to call any of his works simply operas. For example, he called Der Mond ("The Moon") (1939) a "Märchenoper" or Fairytale Opera, and placed Die Kluge ("The Wise Woman") (1943) in the same category. About his Antigone (1949), Orff said specifically that it was not an opera, rather a Vertonung, a "musical setting" of the ancient tragedy. The text is a German translation, by Friedrich Hölderlin, of the Sophocles play of the same name. The orchestration relies heavily on the percussion section, and is otherwise fairly simple.
Orff's last work, De Temporum Fine Comoedia ("A Play of the End of Time"), had its premiere at the Salzburg music festival on 20th August 1973, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. In this highly personal work, Orff presented a mystery play, in which he summarised his view on the end of time, sung in Greek, German, and Latin.
Carmina Burana : In Trutina
Carl Orff Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Carl Orff:
"O Fortuna" O Fortuna, Velut luna Statu variabilis, Semper crescis Aut d…
Amor Volat Undique Amor volat undique, captus est libidine. Iuvenes, iuvencule …
Apparizione di Afrodite the Greek verses with Latin alphabet (*Greek original verses…
Ave formosissima Ave formosissima, gemma pretiosa, ave decus virginum, virgo …
Carmina I- ODI ET AMO Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse…
Carmina Burana O Fortuna (O Fortune) velut luna (like the moon) statu var…
Carmina Burana 'O Fortuna' O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana - Fortune Plango Vulnera Fortune plango vulnera Stillantibus ocellis Quod sua mihi mu…
Carmina Burana o Fortuna Oh Fortuna Carmina Burana O fortuna Velut luna Statu varia…
Carmina Burana: Amor volat undique O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: Chramer gip die varwe mir Chramer, gip die varwe mir, …
Carmina Burana: Dies Nox Et Omnia Dies, nox et omnia …
Carmina Burana: Ecce gratium I know we can make it baby If only we try Lets…
Carmina Burana: Ecce gratum O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: Floret silva O Fortuna (O Fortune) Velut luna (like the moon) Statu varia…
Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatix Mundi: Fortune plango vulnera O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis semper crescis aut…
Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis semper crescis aut…
Carmina Burana: Fortune plange vulnera Fortune plango vulnera Stillantibus ocellis Quod sua michi m…
Carmina Burana: Fortune plango vulnera Fortune plango vulnera Stillantibus ocellis Quod sua mihi mu…
Carmina Burana: I. O Fortuna O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: II. Fortune plango vulnera Fortune plango vulnera Stillantibus ocellis Quod sua michi m…
Carmina Burana: II. In taberna O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: II. In taberna: In taberna quando sumus In taberna quando sumus …
Carmina Burana: III. Cour d'amour O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: III. Veris leta facies Veris leta facies Mundo propinatur, Hiemalis acies Victa iam…
Carmina Burana: In Taberna Quando Sumus In taberna quando sumus …
Carmina Burana: In Trutina O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: IV. Omnia sol temperat Omnia sol temperat Purus et subtilis, Novo mundo reserat Fac…
Carmina Burana: O Fortuna O Fortuna O Fortune, velut luna like the moon statu variabil…
Carmina Burana: Omnia Sol temperat Omnia sol temperat Purus et subtilis, Novo mundo reserat Fac…
Carmina Burana: Primo Vere: Ecce gratum Ecce gratum Ecce gratum Et optatum Ver reducit gaudia. Ecce …
Carmina Burana: Primo Vere: Omnia sol temperat O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis semper crescis aut…
Carmina Burana: Si Puer Cum Puellula Si puer cum puellula …
Carmina Burana: Stetit Puella Stetit puella Rufa tunica; Si quis eam tetigit, Tunica crepu…
Carmina Burana: Tanz O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: Uf dem Anger - Dance O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis semper crescis aut…
Carmina Burana: Uf dem Anger: Dance O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: V. Ecce gratum Ecce gratum Et optatum Ver reducit gaudia, Purpuratum Floret…
Carmina Burana: Veni Veni Venias O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Carmina Burana: Veris leta facies O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis semper crescis aut…
Carmina Burana: XIV. In taberna: In taberna quando sumus In taberna quando sumus …
Catulli Carmina I- ODI ET AMO Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse…
Catulli Carmina: 1. Eis aiona! PRAELUSIO : EIS AIONA! Together: Eis aiona! …
Catulli Carmina: Act 1 No 1 I- ODI ET AMO Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse…
Catulli Carmina: Exodium: Chorus: Eis aiona PRAELUSIO : EIS AIONA! Together: Eis aiona! …
Charmer gip die varwe mir Chramer, gip die varwe mir, …
Chorus: Eis aiona PRAELUSIO : EIS AIONA! Together: Eis aiona! …
Chramer gip de varwe mir Chramer, gip die varwe mir, …
Chramer gip die varwe mir (Semi-Chorus) Chramer, gip die varwe mir, Die min wengel roe…
Chramer, Gip Die Varwe Mir Chramer, gip die varwe mir, die min wengel roete, damit ich …
Circa mea pectora Circa mea pectora multa sunt suspiria de tua pulchritudine, …
Cours D'Amours: Dies Nox Et Omnia Dies, nox et omnia …
Cours D'Amours: Si Puer Cum Puellula Si puer cum puellula …
Dies nox et omnia Dies, nox et omnia Michi sunt contraria; Virginum colloqui…
Dies, nox et omnia Dies, nox et omnia michi sunt contraria; virginum colloquia …
Dulcissime Dulcissime! Ah! Totam tibi subdo me!…
Ecce gratum Ecce gratum et optatum Ver reducit gaudia, purpuratum floret…
Ego sum abbas Ego sum abbas Cucaniensis et consilium meum est cum bibulis,…
Estuans Interius Estuans interius ira vehementi in amaritudine loquor mee men…
Estuans interius... Estuans interius …
Floret Silva Floret silva nobilis floribus et foliis. Ubi est antiquus me…
Floret Silva Nobilis [Chorus:] Floret silva nobilis Floribus et foliis. (Small Ch…
Fortuna O fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis, Semper crescis Aut de…
Fortuna imperatrix mundi O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis, semper crescis au…
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: Fortune plango vulnera Fortune plango vulnera stillantibus ocellis quod sua michi…
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: O Fortuna O Fortuna, Velut Luna Statu variabilis, Semper crescis Aut d…
Fortune Empress of the World: O Fortuna O Fortuna Velut luna Statu variabilis Semper crescis Aut dec…
Fortune plango vulnera Fortune plango vulnera stillantibus ocellis quod sua mihi mu…
Fortune, Empress of the World: O Fortuna O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut de…
Gassenhauer kelmangeee magee kakoo kakooo candan geel mageee kakoooo kak…
I Ecce gratum Section: Primo Vere …
II In Taberna In taberna quando sumus …
In taberna quando sumus In taberna quando sumus non curamus quid sit humus, sed ad l…
In the Tavern: In taberna quando sumus In taberna quando sumus …
In trutina In truitina mentis dubia fluctuant contraria alscivus amor e…
La Taberna: In taberna quando sumus In taberna quando sumus …
O Fortuna O Fortuna velut luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut de…
Olim lacus colueram Olim lacus colueram, olim pulcher extiteram, dum cignus ego …
Omnia sol temperat Omnia sol temperat Purus et subtilis, Novo mundo reserat …
O´fortuna Section: Imperatrix Mundi (Empress of the World) O Fortuna…
Primo Vere: Omnia Sol temperat Omnia sol temperat Purus et subtilis, Novo mundo reserat Fac…
Primo Vere: Veris leta facies Veris leta facies Mundo propinatur, Hiemalis acies Victa iam…
Reie - Swaz hie gat umbe - Swaz hie gat umbe, Daz…
Si puer cum puellula Si puer cum puellula moraretur ni cellula, felix coniunctio.…
Spring: Omnia Sol temperat Section: Primo Vere …
Stetit puella Stetit puella Rufa tunica; Si quis eam tetigit, Tunica cr…
Swaz Hie Gat Umbe SWAZ HIE GAT UMBE Swaz hie gat umbe, Those who go…
Tanz Instrumental.…
Tempus est iocundum Tempus es iocundum, o virgines, modo congaudete vos iuvenes.…
The Court of Love: Dies nox et omnia Dies, nox et omnia …
The Court of Love: Si puer cum puellula Si puer cum puellula …
Trionfo di Afrodite the Greek verses with Latin alphabet (*Greek original verses…
Veni veni venias Veni, veni, venias Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias,…
Veni, Veni, Venias Veni, veni, venias Veni, veni, venias, ne me mori facias, hy…
Veris Leta Facies Veris leta facies mundo propinatur, hiemalis acies victa iam…
Were diu werlt alle min Were diu werlt alle min von deme mere unze an den…
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@Lilly1985007
I always loose a little tear! This interpretation is so natural and sweeeeeeeeet! I can listen to it 1000 times... just love it!
@Leighsharpe
You are so right, I think and feel the same throughout 😊
@CaptainPickard1
I've sung Carmina Burana more times than I care to remember, but every time I've done it, this movement always makes me melt.
@MSM4U2POM
"It is in my opinion the finest rendition of this most divine work." Totally agree. Never heard anything else that even compares with it.
@27elt
Sylvia Greenberg is a wonderful singer. Her Konstanze from Entfuehrung aus dem Serail is brilliant. The rest of this recording is gorgeous. Greenberg sings with incredible ease and beauty. Congratulations!
@MrLinusDaman
Outstanding. I agree on this being my favourite rendition of this beautiful piece, in no other recording have I heard the artist display such pureness and passion in her voice. I get goosebumps every single time I listen to it.
@kguy152000
After comparing a few (not nearly all) recordings, this is by far my favorite rendition. An opinion, not a scoff at others.
@pvadasz
Truly divine. This sound is PERFECTION.
@audax67
Listened to this about 30 times so far. The voluptuous images set it off perfectly, too.
@ThierryGouvernet
Sublime, a découvrir d'autres trésors dans les chants profanes de Carmina Burana