Carmina Burana

The name Carmina Burana refers both to

The modern music

Selections from the medieval Carmina Burana were set to music by Carl Orff as a work, of the same name, for large orchestra, chorus, and solovocalists. Orff chose to compose anew, even though the original manuscript contained musical settings of some of the poems. The languages of the work are Latin and Middle High German.

Related Topics:
Carl Orff - Orchestra - Chorus - Vocalist - Latin - Middle High German

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Carmina Burana is probably the most famous piece of music composed in Nazi Germany. This work, described as a "scenic cantata", was first performed in Frankfurt by the Frankfurt Opera on June 8, 1937, and the performance was repeated elsewhere; the fame of the work was such that Orff was quickly commissioned to write other works. While initially condemned by local critics as entartet ("degenerate", see Degenerate music), the work was later enthusiastically embraced by the Nazi regime as a celebration of early "Aryan" culture. After the war the popularity of the work continued to rise, and by the 1960s Carmina Burana was well established as part of the international classic repertory and was performed in 1966 in Israel.

Related Topics:
Nazi Germany - Cantata - Frankfurt - Frankfurt Opera - June 8 - 1937 - Degenerate music - 1960s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The work mixes highly rhythmic and percussive passages with tuneful sections. Some portions are purely instrumental, others are for solo voice with accompaniment, and others are for the full ensemble of massed chorus and orchestra: especially effective are the bracketing O Fortuna sections which open and close the long cantata. Some of the descriptions emphasize the pagan nature of the music, and even mention physical effects on the listeners.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The lyrics of the poems cover a wide range of secular topics, as familiar in the 13th century as they are today: the fickleness of fortune, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasures of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust.

Related Topics:
13th century - Drinking - Gluttony - Gambling - Lust

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In many modern CDs mention is made of the paradox of having the innocent voices of boys singing some of the more lascivious pieces.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Excerpts, especially the opening and finale number O Fortuna, have been widely used in numerous movie trailers and in various other commercials, such as The Big Ad for Carlton Draught beer in Australia. Portions also appear as background music in the films "Excalibur", "The Doors", and "Natural Born Killers" in the dramatic Capture of Mickey and Mallory Knox scene. Additionally, the work has been sampled in the CD The Screen Behind the Mirror by Enigma, by Ministry in their song No W and by Apoptygma Berzerk in their song "Love Never Dies". During the 1980s and even up until now, Greek socialist party PASOK has used O Fortuna as one of its anthems, mainly as an introduction to public speeches of the party's leader. The Flaming Lips have used Carmina Burana as their opening music for live shows.

Related Topics:
Commercial - Carlton Draught - Australia - Excalibur - The Doors - Natural Born Killers - Sampled - CD - The Screen Behind the Mirror - Enigma - Ministry - No W - 1980 - Socialist - PASOK - Flaming Lips

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other musical settings of these texts include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The "versio originale et integrale" recorded by the Clemencic Consort in the 1970s and released on the Harmonia Mundi label (190336.38); arguably the most full and faithful interpretation as of 2005
• The symphonic rock adaptation by The Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek (in collaboration with Philip Glass)
• Pieces by the German electro-medieval musical groups Helium Vola and Qntal
• Pieces by the musical group Corvus Corax
• The verses to the song "The Mass" by Era (the first and third verses of "O Fortuna")
• The final battle music ("One-Winged Angel" by Nobuo Uematsu) for the video game Final Fantasy VII, using snippets of the texts of "O Fortuna", "Estuans interius", "Veni, veni, venias" and "Ave formosissima".
• Techno version of "O Fortuna" by the band Apotheosis
• Hardcore punk version of "O Fortuna" by the band Botch, titled "The Opera Song"
• A rendition of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" for the carillon, performed by Cast in Bronze