Orff, Carmina Burana

Even if you don’t know Carmina Burana, you will likely recognize the opening and closing theme O Fortuna. It has been used frequently in films and broadcasts. But this cantata’s enormous popularity lies in the energy and variety of its 25 movements. I encourage you to listen to the entire work in a single sitting.

The medieval text comes from the Goliards—students and clerics in the 12th and 13th centuries known for their rebellious views and vagabond lifestyle. Aptly described as over-educated and under-motivated (there is nothing new under the sun), they wrote satirical and sometimes bawdy poetry critical of the church and celebrating more earthly pursuits. Some of their sacred and secular songs were contained in a manuscript from the Benediktbeuern Monastery in Southern Germany and known as “Carmina Burana,” (meaning songs from Beuern).

The German composer Carl Orff (1895-1980) wrote the work in 1936. It was Orff’s first real success and remains by far his best-known and most frequently performed work. Orff would later make a name for himself in music education with his Musik für Kinder (Music for Children) or Schulwerk.

Orff had studied at the Munich Conservatory and his musical craftsmanship is evident in Carmina Burana. The work is prized for capturing the medieval flavor of the text in very colorful and accessible music filled with boisterous raw energy and youthful emotions. It may have a special appeal to young listeners. (I learned it well when I was 20, but the years have not diminished my enthusiasm for it.)

I have wanted to include the work here for some time, but never found a suitable full performance until now. Excerpts can’t convey the constantly changing emotional range of the work: laments on the cruelty of fate, drinking songs, love songs, and the comical tenor solo (#12) singing the role of a swan slowly roasting on a spit.

The full text can be found here.