Carmina Burana
by Carl Orff (1895 – 1982)
Carl Orff wrote Carmina Burana in 1936 as a ‘scenic cantata’, setting a selection of mostly secular twelfth and thirteenth century poems for chorus, children’s choir, and large orchestra (including two pianos, and a large percussion section), with the intention for the music to be accompanied by dance and mime. The performances in July will be with singers and orchestra only. It is the single work for which Orff is well-known, although he did compose other works, including several operas. He was also deeply interested in musical education, and developed a method which has been used by generations of music teachers internationally.
The style of Carmina Burana is rhythmical, generally homophonic, and harmonically simple, with often repeated short melodies, which tend to emphasise the somewhat ritualistic and hedonistic nature of much of the verse. In all of that he manages to use a range of styles from plainsong to grand opera! Most of the movements are for choir and orchestra, but there are two orchestral dances, a soprano solo, and baritone solos (one of which is intended for falsetto singing and is thus sometimes sung by a counter-tenor). When first performed it was dismissed by the critics for being simplistic but quickly became popular with the public, as it is today, so much so that sections are now used in television programmes and advertising.
The poetry which Orff uses comes from a 13th century manuscript found in the Bavarian monastery of Benedictbeuren (hence ‘Burana’), and were probably written (in Latin and High German) by a group of wandering scholars who were well-known for their praise of worldly excesses. Their subject matter is varied, but mainly celebrate drinking, love (both serious and raunchy), gambling, and dancing.
The work is in seven sections, the first and last being a powerful hymn to the goddess Fortuna, the Empress of the World. The other sections are: ‘Spring’, ‘On the Green’, ‘In the Tavern’, ‘The Court of Love’, and ‘Blancefleur and Helena’.
Alan Franks 24/03/05