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.
Tempus est iocundum
Carl Orff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
o virgines,
modo congaudete
vos iuvenes.
Oh, oh, oh,
totus floreo,
iam amore virginali totus ardeo
novus, novus amorest, quo pereo.
Mea me confortat
promissio,
mea me deportat
Oh, oh, oh
totus floreo
iam amore virginali totus ardeo
novus, novus amorest, quo pereo.
Tempore brumali
vir patiens,
animo vernali
lasciviens.
Oh, oh, oh,
totus floreo,
iam amore virginali totus ardeo
novus, novus amorest, quo pereo.
Mea mecum ludit
virginitas,
mea me detrudit
simplicitas.
Oh, oh, oh,
totus floreo,
iam amore virginali totus ardeo,
novus, novus amorest, quo pereo.
Veni, domicella,
cum gaudio,
veni, veni, pulchra,
iam pereo.
Oh, oh, oh,
totus floreo,
iam amore virginali totus ardeo,
novus, novus amorest, quo pereo.
The lyrics to Tempus est iocundum by Carl Orff are in Latin, however, the meaning primarily revolves around the themes of youth, love and desire. The song conveys a sense of excitement and joy that comes with youthful energy and the urge for love. The opening lines are addressed to women, urging them to celebrate and be happy, while calling out to young men to also join in the celebration. The phrase "Oh, oh, oh, totus floreo" is repeated throughout the song, and it means "I am in full bloom." The phrase signifies the youthful energy that the song is all about.
The second verse changes the tone of the song, as it highlights the internal conflict of the singer. They are torn between two opposing forces, one that comforts them and the other that pushes them away. The lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling with their own sexual desires and trying to balance them with their own moral values. The third verse describes a man enduring the winter season patiently, while his mind and emotions yearn for the lively spirit of spring. There is a sense of duality in everything that is being described, which is a characteristic of Orff's musical style.
The fourth and final verse reintroduces the theme of love and desire, as the singer describes how their virginity is like a playful game that they are engaging in, while their simplicity is something that they are trying to leave behind. The song ends with a powerful plea for someone to come to the singer, calling out for a pretty, beautiful "domicella" to end their suffering. The song essentially expresses how the singer is fully consumed by the intensity of their emotions, to a point where they feel like they are going to perish if they don't satisfy their desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Tempus es iocundum
This is an enjoyable time
o virgines
Oh, young women
modo congaudete
Now, rejoice!
vos iuvenes
You, young people
Oh, oh, oh
Expressing excitement and joy
totus floreo
I am completely in bloom
iam amore virginali totus ardeo
I am passionate with virgin love
novus, novus amorest, quo pereo
This is a new and overwhelming love that could lead to my ruin
Mea me confortat promissio
A promise is bringing me comfort
mea me deportat
And yet it also takes me away from what I know
Tempore brumali vir patiens
In the winter season, a patient man
animo vernali lasciviens
With a spring-like spirit, becomes lustful
mea mecum ludit virginitas
My virginity is playing with me
mea me detrudit simplicitas
But my innocence is holding me back
Veni, domicella, cum gaudio
Come, young maiden, with joy
veni, veni, pulchra, iam pereo
Come, come, beautiful one, I am dying
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@hawksterlees
TEMPUS EST IOCUNDUM
Tempus est iocundum,
o virgines,
modo congaudete
vos iuvenes.
Oh, oh, oh!
totus floreo,
iam amore virginali totus ardeo!
novus, novus novus amor est, quo pereo!
Mea me confortat
promissio,
mea me deportant
negatio.
Oh, oh, oh! etc.
Tempore brumali
vir patiens,
animo vernali
lasciviens.
Oh, oh, oh! etc.
Mea mecum ludit
virginitas,
mea me detrudit
simplicitas.
Oh, oh, oh! etc.
Veni domicella,
cum gaudio,
veni, veni, pulchra,
iam pereo.
Oh, oh, oh! etc.
@iwonanatalia5476
Love the chemistry between two main singers, it fits song lyrics perfectly
@MuhuiZhang-hz7yu
This is my favourite part in Carmina Burana
@ferrynoc
same!
@certifiedgreg_rose
Same, it's so energetic and fun and it sounds beautiful!
@patopotato9988
An absolute banger of a song dude
@user-xc3ok8fp3b
Maravilhoso!!!!!
@user-zf9ng7kl7i
Como soy de coro donde cantan hay que cantarla y es fantastica❤❤😄🥹👻
@keliana8744
Also the baritone and sipranist are really good
@giovanimartinez4846
the piano really gives it a nice touch
@danijelaminauf4875
Prekrasno