Carmina Burana FAQ
Charles Cave
Carl Orff
Frequently Asked Questions
1st December, 1994
Edited :
Charles Cave cha...@jolt.mpx.com.au
With help from:
Bill Alford bi...@rsphy7.anu.edu.au
Werner Icking Werner...@gmd.de
Marjory J Klein MARJ...@UCSVAX.UCS.UMASS.EDU
Dan Stenborg dan.stenbo...@oasis.icl.co.uk
Carmina Burana (from here-on abbreviated to CB) is a work which
regularly comes up for discussion in the rec.music.classical
newsgroup as well as rec.music.movies, and alt.music.enya.
It is the author's hope that this document will provide some
background information on this popular work. CB is briefly discussed
in the more general rec.music.classical FAQ compiled by Gabe Wiener
(ga...@panix.com).
Contents:
1. The Manuscript
2. Who wrote it?
3. When was it first performed?
4. How would you describe the work?
5. More about the lyrics and their origins.
6. What language are the lyrics?
7. Why is the music so popular?
8. Where has the music been used?
9. Which recordings do you recommend?
10. Have any films been made of the work?
11. What are some other works of the composer?
12. Structure of the Work
13. What others have said about it:
14. References and Further Reading.
15. The Lyrics
Q1. The Manuscript
The title "Carmina Burana" literally means 'songs of Beuren' and was
given by Johann Andreas Schmeller to his complete edition (1847) of
the poems contained in an early 13th-century German manuscript (found
in 1803) from the Benedictine abbey of Benediktbeuren, a few
kilometres south of Munich in the Bavarian region.
Since then, the manuscript has been known by that title even though it
is now generally agreed that it probably did not originate in
Benediktbeuren and may have come rather from Seckau. The manuscript is
perhaps the most important source for Latin secular poetry of the
12th-Century goliardic repertory. There are some poems in German, and
several of the poems have music written in unheighted neumes - a
relatively rare style of notation at the time. In total, the
manuscript contains approximately 250 poems.
Q2. Who wrote it?
Carl Orff was born in Munich on the 10th July, 1895 (and died on
March 29, 1982 at the age of 87) and was an educationalist as well as
a composer.
Orff wrote a secular cantata, titled "Carmina Burana" based on the
poems from the manuscript, but did not use any of the original
melodies. The poems comprise religious, political, moral, erotic,
Bacchic and Satirical verses. When Orff discovered the Carmina Burana
for himself, the poems changed his entire career. He was past forty
years old and more prominent in his native Munich as a music educator
than a composer. In writing Carmina Burana, he found his own,
unmistakable style.
His work contains driving rhythms and exultant hedonism, and
brought him to wide attention in the musical world.
It is rumoured that Orff was an active Roman Catholic and included
bells in "Ave formosissima" (Song 24).
Q3. When was it first performed?
The world premiere was presented in Frankfurt am Main by the Frankfurt
Opera on June 8, 1937, with Bertil Wetzelsberger conducting. The
premiere was a big hit and spread to other opera houses. After the
second world war it developed into an international triumph.
The 'total theatre' used in the first performance (music words and
movement) have, as far known, never been repeated and today we only
get a concert performance. Refer to Grove's to see the staging used in
that original performance (as well as on Mehta's Teldec CD).
Q4. How would you describe the work?
Orff's principal aim evident in CB has been a 'total theatre' where
music, words and movement work together in producing an overwhelming
effect. He sought models of such a work in two cultural traditions:
classical Greek tragedy and Italian Baroque musical theatre. Orff had
previously written works based on Sophocles and Aeschylus, as well as
arranging some works of Monteverdi.
CB is composed to a sequence of medieval Latin lyrics; the
Bavarian pieces are peasant plays in dialect.
At first hearing, Orff's masterpiece seems paradoxical in its
combination of tunefulness and an almost brutally percussive style, in
its amalgam of primitive, modern and medieval masterpieces. Orff's
large and colourful orchestra leans heavily on the percussion section,
which reguires five players.
Grove's dictionary states: "Orff's musical and dramatic style arose
directly from Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and in particular, "The
Wedding" (Les Noces). Like "The Wedding", Carmina Burana (and other
Orff works) give an important place to the chorus. The orchestra,
often rich in percussion, is normally used in block harmony to
underline the highly accented choral rhythms. Polyphony, extended
melodic writing and thematic development are rarely found, and
instead, the most basic means are pressed into service to generate
effects of wild abandon. This technique produces music of powerful
pagan sensuality and direct physical excitement."
"In Henry Pleasant's notes accompanying a recording of Carl Orff's Die
Kluge (The Wise Woman) he states (this was written before Carl Orff's
death): "...all his life he has been a composer. Even his earliest
works betray the predeliction for simple melodies and strong rhythms
that has remained characteristic of his music to the present day. In
this respect his music has been likened to Stravinsky's and it is
often stated that it betrays a Stravinskian influence. This statement
is unsupported by the facts, which are that Orff was writing those
ostinati of Carmina Burana long before anything of Stravinsky's had
ever been heard in Germany. It is a fact, however, that there are
affinities between the two men. How Stravinsky feels about Carl Orff
is not recorded. But Orff makes no secret of his admiration for the
older man. Stravinsky is and has been for many years his favourite
contemporary composer."
Prior to Carmina Burana Carl Orff has been composing works in a
similar vein to his later works and indeed he used in at least one
case a revised form of one these early works in his later works."
Therefore, it is probably not correct to claim that Carl Orff was
heavily influenced by Stravinsky's "Les Noces".
Q5. More about the lyrics and their origins.
The poems include the freshness of medieval love lyrics, exuberance of
the drinking song, the zest of the sinner's 'confessions', the wild
humour of the hymns to gambling and gluttony, the stoic litany to Lady
Luck ('Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi') which Orff chose to open and close
his score.
Who were these richly gifted poets? They called themselves 'goliards'
(defrocked monks and minstrels). Traditionally they have been
identified as 'vagantes' (vagrant students, vagabond monks and minor
clerics), said to have been 'better known for their rioting, gambling
and intemperance than for their scholarship'. Yet whatever their
social status, their artistic and technical skill seem to place them
among the clerical and academic elite of the age.
Q6. What language are the lyrics?
The language used is Latin, with some songs (Numbers 8,9 and 10) in
Middle High German.
Q7. Why is the music so popular?
Carmina Burana is a modern, 20th Century work but is simple in
harmony, unlike a lot of music composed this century. The driving
rhythm and fundamental musical instincts allow listeners to respond
immediately. In some ways, the work is barbaric and pagan and very
potent.
It is a great introduction to classical music, particularly to people
who think classical music is boring and monotonous.
Q8. Where has the music been used?
My first exposure to 'O Fortuna' (the opening movement) was in a
television commercial for Nescafe instant coffee. The paper seal of
the coffee jar was pulled back slowly to the strains of 'O Fortuna,
velut Luna...'.
More recently, CB has been used in the film 'Excalibur'.
It has been rumoured that CB was used by the Nazis and maybe that is
why CB only came into fashion in the last 10 to 15 years. Does anyone
have further information on this?
Q9. Which recordings do you recommend?
Like most popular "classical" works, there is an abundance of
recordings to suit all tastes and price ranges. Comments below
are from contributors to this FAQ, so if you disagree, please
send me your review in defence!
* Jochum on mid priced DG (DG 423 886-2).
Jochum's version (DG 423 886-2) leaves the rest behind. Jochum's
baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in particular is the best baritone
soloist for this work. The sound might be mid 1960's DG analogue but
the performance leaves the rest way behind. Jochum's version was
recorded in the presence of Carl Orff and is authorised by Carl
Orff. DG have also issued a 2 CD box containing both Jochum's
recording of Catulli Carmina and Carmina Burana.
* Live recording of Previn conducting a Vienna group, recently
released by Deutsche Grammophon.
* London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Conducted by Richard Hickox
Innovative Music Productions Ltf (IMP). Budget-priced recording.
* Slovak Philharmonic Chorus and Czecho=Slovak Radio Symphony
Orchestra (Bratislava) under Stephen Gunzenhauser. Naxos.
* Philhadelphia/Ormandy. Sony Essential Classics.
* Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw.
Telarc.
This recording was reviewed as too "hi-fi" in spite of the baritone
and Robert Shaw's always fine chorus (he's an old hand at this).
* Eduardo Mata on RCA RCD 14550 with the baritone Hagen Hagegard.
This is a good early CD recording/performance but Jochum's soloists
are better.
* St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conduced by
Leonard Slatkin
* Reference was made to a definitive recording made in the 1960s
conducted by Fruhbeck de Burgos and available on the
Angel label.
* Levine's version on DG 415 136-2 is just a satisfactory performance
* Welser-Most's unimpressive version on EMI CDC7 54054-2 uses a
counter-tenor(!) for the tenor part and has no reverberation
Previn's version on EMI transferred from an analogue source is not
overly impressive. Previn adopts a slowish steady pace all the way
through which may add to the diction of the choir but it robs this
music of its energy and thrust.
There is a recent DDD version by Blomstedt and the San Franciso
Orchestra on Decca which has some excellent orchestral playing in an
excellent recording for a change but is let down by the soloists when
compared to other versions.
I haven't heard the recent Mehta CD on Teldec but it didn't receive a
good review.
There are various other CDs that I haven't heard yet but as I said about
the Ormandy CD if any of them were good I'm sure it would have come to my
attention way before this.
There is an historical mono CD with Sawallish
on EMI from the mid 1950's made in Orff's presence in which everybody
puts in a lot of effort which is loudly applauded by Carl Orff himself
on the last track but the quality of the recording means that we can't
really evaluate it against later recordings.
Stokowski also made an early
US recording with a Houston group which has been reissued onto EMI CD and
it still confirms my initial feelings when I first heard this on LP that
it is somewhat amateaurish and that Stokowski unusually hasn't got the measure
of this work (or his group just wasn't up to it).
The following two recordings were recommended but I suspect
they are not Carl Orff's work:
* Clemencic Consort. Harmonia Mundi
* New London Consort. L'Oissea-Lyre.
Q10. Have any films been made of the work?
I have seen a film interpretation of CB on Television but this was at
least ten years ago. Does anyone have more details?
A scenic CB was performed in Stockholm, Sweden in the Spring of
1991 and broadcast on Swedish and Finnish television.
A video on Philips exists of a concert performance. No comments
are available on its merit.
Q11. What are some other works of the composer?
CB is the first part of a trilogy called 'Triumphs', the other works
are 'Catulli Carmina' (on poems by Catullus) and the 'Triumph of
Aphrodite' (based on verses by Catullus, Sappho and Euripides). I
would caution people to listen to these works carefully before buying
to avoid disappointment. They are interesting works but don't have the
raw appeal of Carmina Burana.
Carmina Burana (1936), Catulli carmina (1943) and Trionfo di Afrodite
(1953) form the parts of a triptych, meant to be performed as "total
stage works" where movement, dance, singing, music, speaking and other
stage crafts were all combined to produce an overwhelming or thought
provoking effect. Lyric latin poems of the middle ages and poems from
Roman and Grecian antiquity, mixed with pieces in the vernacular
(middle-high German, ancient Provencal and Italian) form the basis of
these three works, rich in their diversity, under the title Trionfi
since they were first performed in their entirety in Milano's La
Scala. Originally Orff never conceived the works as an integral cycle.
The Trionfi is about love in different places, times and
circumstances.
Q12. Structure of the Work
Major structure is shown with some comments about the
musical instrumentation:
OVERALL STRUCTURE:
Prologue - Fortuna Imperatirx Mundi
(Fortune, Empress of the World)
I. Primo vere (In Springtime)
Uf dem anger (On the Lawn)
2. In Taberna (In the Tavern) with drinking and gambling.
3. Cour d'amours (The Court of Love)
Blanziflor et Helena (Blanziflor and Helena)
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi
(Fortune, Empress of the World)
INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS.
Prologue - Fortuna Imperatirx Mundi
(Fortune, Empress of the World)
1. O Fortuna
2. Fortune plango vulnera
A. Primo vere (In Springtime)
3. Veris leta facies (No strings and only a small
chorus)
4. Omnia sol temperat
5. Ecce gratum
- Uf dem anger (On the Lawn)
6. Tanz
7. Floret silva nobilis (Small and large choruses)
8. Chramer, gip die varwe mir (Small and large choruses) [German]
9. Reie [German]
10. Were diu werlt alle min [German]
B. In Taberna (In the Tavern)
11. Estuans interius
12. Olim lacus colueram (No violins used)
13. Ego sum abbas (Only percussion and brass with chorus)
14. In taberna quando sumus
C. Cour d'amours (The Court of Love)
15. Amor volat undique (Boys chorus with soprano)
16. Dies, nox et omnia
17. Stetit puella
18. Circa mea pectora
19. Si puer cum puellula
20. Veni, veni, venias (Double chorus with two pianos
and six percussionists)
21. In truitina
22. Tempus est iocundum (Two pianos, percussion and all
vocalists except tenor)
23. Dulcissime
Blanziflor et Helena (Blanziflor and Helena)
24. Ave formosissima (Three glockenspiels with independent
parts)
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi
25. O Fortuna (Fortune, Empress of the World)
Q13. What others have said about it:
Leopold Stokowski introduced CB to Boston and New York in 1954:
"I believe that Orff's genius - combining as it does so magnificantly
all the resources of traditional occidental music with vigourous new
conceptions of lyricism, romantic intensity, gigantic architectonics,
rhythmic audacity , an extraordinarily personal blending of pagan and
modern feeling, and the mature simplicity achieved only by a master -
will be recognised by future generations as a major departure in the
development of the art of music."
Q14. References and Further Reading.
Grove's Dictionary of Music - entries for "Carmina Burana"
and "Orff, Carl".
New York Philharmonic Society notes by Edward Downes (published in
Sydney Opera House program booklet)
Q15. Lyrics
The lyrics are available in a separate file, recently posted
to rec.music.classical and soon to be made available
at an ftp site.
-end-
Hemantha Parvatharaj
cha...@jolt.mpx.com.au (Charles Cave) wrote:
> Carmina Burana
> Carl Orff
> Frequently Asked Questions
>
> 1st December, 1994
>
>
>
> My first exposure to 'O Fortuna' (the opening movement) was in a
> television commercial for Nescafe instant coffee. The paper seal of
> the coffee jar was pulled back slowly to the strains of 'O Fortuna,
> velut Luna...'.
>
> More recently, CB has been used in the film 'Excalibur'.
>
> It has been rumoured that CB was used by the Nazis and maybe that is
> why CB only came into fashion in the last 10 to 15 years. Does anyone
> have further information on this?
Excerpts of CB were used in the docu-drama "Peter the Great" and
can be heard in numerous trailers for various movies.
Also Basil Poledouris used some of CB as a springboard from
which to compose some of his music in "Conan the Barbarian." The entire
score was based on similar music that Poledouris found in the Middle
Ages/Gregorian chant genre.
BDHild
loch...@dorsai.dorsai.org (Hemantha Parvatharaj) writes:
> Q8. Where has the music been used?
Most recently, Oliver Stone used CB in 'The Doors' during the scene where
Jim chases his witch lover around the room naked. CB is probably the most
worn-out piece of music that is used in film, but you cannot deny the
power it brings when it is used appropriately.
Brad