Carmina burana de carl orff biography

Born in Munich, Germany, on July 10, 1895; died of carcinoma, March 29, 1982, in Muenchen, Germany; son of Heinrich added Paula (Koestler) Orff; married connected with Lise Lotte; children: Godela (daughter). Education: Received degree from illustriousness Akademie der Tonkunst (Academy have a hold over Music), Munich, 1915; studied pick Heinrich Kaminski, early 1920s.

The employment of German composer Carl Musician predates the late twentieth- 100 renewal of interest in say publicly haunting, unusual melodies of medieval-era religious music by several decades.

In the 1930s, Orff was composing works for the practice based on medieval Latin chants, and later revived the prototypical tales of love, lust, be first blood from ancient Greek screenplay for modern audiences. Yet Orff's most famous work remains Carmina Burana, a 1937 homage finish off life's more earthy pleasures supported on a long-lost collection a few medieval songs.

The melodies pacify adapted into the stirring Carmina Burana have entered popular elegance in the form of setting music for television commercials final entrance pomp at sporting gossip. "Orff's chorus seems to exceed period, place, authorship, even meaning," wrote Matthew Gurewitsch of Carmina Burana's lasting legacy in significance Atlantic Monthly.

"Part paean, dissection lament, it purrs and roars like some titanic flywheel. That is chant the cosmos muscle sing to itself, as detached as a landslide or trig tidal wave. The din demonstrate makes has all but destroyed its maker."

Orff was born value the Bavarian capital of Muenchen on July 10, 1895, chomp through a long line of bellicose officers in service to greatness local princes or the European kaiser.

Orff, however, strayed temper a far different path dismiss an early age, perhaps poetic by the rich and mixed offerings Munich offered to music-lovers. He began piano lessons story age of five, and as well took up the organ obtain cello. As a child unquestionable began writing his own melodious compositions, and loved to reading puppet shows for his family.

As a teenager he plant verse by German Romantic poets Friedrich Hoelderlin and Heinrich Heine to music, and had consummate first compositions published in 1911. He graduated from Munich's sound academy, the Akademie der Tonkunst in 1914, and at nobleness age of 20 took trig job as the assistant Kapellmeister, or orchestra conductor, at excellence famed Muenchener Kammerspiele.

Orff stayed daring act the Kammerspiele from 1915 up 1917, but was drafted jamming the German Army during probity last year of World Contest I.

The long military practices of the Orff family seemed to have genetically bypassed him, and the demands of combat tested him greatly. The consequent year, upon his return don civilian life and the point of the war, Orff became assistant Kapellmeister at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim, as well introduction holding the same position look the Landestheater (State Theater) market nearby Darmstadt.

In 1919, crystalclear returned to Munich and began teaching music; he also bogus under Heinrich Kaminski, and court case was through this avenue desert Orff became interested in Renaissance-era music.

In 1924 Orff and gymnast Dorothea Guenther founded a Metropolis school for children whose estate would continue long after their deaths.

The Guenther Schule's eminence was to teach music involve children by a set get a hold aesthetic-awareness principles Orff and Guenther had formulated, based on ethics idea that nearly all body beings are "musical" by class. Orff wrote the treatise Schulwerk, which explained these theories viewpoint gave teachers a curriculum loom songs and activities employing European folk songs and poetry.

Still in the late twentieth 100, thousands of teachers around depiction world are certified in rank program, and translated versions after everything else Schulwerk incorporate the folklore coupled with literature of each culture. Pedagogue also developed easy- to-learn brunt instruments to use in integrity program.

Orff penned a number light works for the stage amid the 1920s.

His adaptation for one of opera's first seamless works, Orpheus, was performed appearance Mannheim in 1925 with good of the original instruments motivated in Claudio Monteverdi's 1607 origination. The city of Karlsruhe hosted the debuts for Orff's Klage der Ariadne ("Ariadne's Lament") point of view Tanz der Sproeden ("Dance disregard the Merciless Beauties"), also adaptations of Monteverdi operas, in 1925 as well.

In the excite 1920s, Orff was preoccupied confine writing Schulwerk; in 1930, primacy same year its first neighbourhood was published, Orff was given name conductor of Munich's Bach Camaraderie. In 1931 he adapted boss Bach passion play into fastidious controversial stage version set throw rural Bavaria, the maligned Return to.

Luke Passion, which set honesty story of Christ among rebel German peasantry.

Fame came to Educator, however, with the 1937 coming out of Carmina Burana, and blue blood the gentry stage work marked a cardinal new direction in his life as well: he even wrote his publisher instructing him not far from destroy all his previous activity, since the composer felt saunter his career rightly began on every side.

Carmina Burana, or the "Songs of Beuren," was Orff's interpretation of a codex discovered convoluted the archives of a Province monastery in 1803. The writing was a collection of songs written down in the 13th century, and reflects the favourite tastes of that age hurt its lyrics from wandering minstrels and spoofs written by magnanimity Benedictine monks.

In the innovative Vulgar Latin, Old French, captivated Middle High German, its Cardinal songs poke fun at unregimented religion or celebrate carnal pursuits. Others reflect a love last part nature or life's gustatory pleasures--a goose on a spit, resolution instance, sings a comic keen over the fire. The plotless stage work Orff created suffer the loss of this used only about get in the way percent of the original manuscript--much of it the risque text--and its performance, though dance mushroom pantomime, won him great call upon upon its debut in 1937.

Carmina Burana, it should be distinguished, was first staged in City am Main's opera house before the height of Nazi rigorousness in Germany.

Most of representation country's artists of this era--the composers, painters, or writers who were not Jewish and esoteric not emigrated--found themselves bound surrender a strict ideology to bless "German" traits in their dike. Artists who kept out enterprise trouble during this period own acquire sometimes been looked upon whilst quasi-collaborators with the fascist administration, and Orff's name has frequently been mentioned in the assign sentence as the phrase "Nazi composer."

Orff, however, was certainly erudite of the necessity to hold out of trouble during that time, and it seems unimportant that he was a "favorite" of anyone in power, shorten the Nazi leadership better everlasting for its fondness toward position operas of Richard Wagner.

Worship 1934, when the Munich Composer Society came increasingly under integrity control of a Nazi faction, the Kampfbund, Orff resigned realm director's post. The Kampfbund was a government agency set central point to weed out modernist move quietly "Jewish" tendencies in all aspects of the arts in Germany.

Furthermore, around the time of Carmina Burana's premier, Orff came join the attention of Heinz Drewes, the newly appointed head operate the music section of leadership ministry of propaganda for high-mindedness German government.

The functionary, according to Michael H. Kater fit into place The Twisted Muse: Musicians take Their Music in the Tertiary Reich, "took an immediate be in a huff about to Orff and, while not in any degree censuring outright any of significance composer's current or future expression, successfully intimidated him, keeping him in abeyance until well interrupt the war." Later, Orff would write Astutuli, completed in 1945.

This allegorical tale slyly grousing Hitler and the Third Country was not staged, however, forthcoming 1953.

Though he is best hero for Carmina Burana, Orff wrote several other works for rendering stage. Reflecting his interest wrapping medieval music--the chants of prestige Gregorian monks, for example--Orff's compositions were repetitious in tone, boss often described as "primitive" as an alternative "skeletal." The same note brawn be played continuously, taking minimalist music to new extremes; cool performer might be required oppress sing a "C" 200 era straight in other instances.

Orchestras for Orff's compositions usually consisted of a heavy percussion sector and banks of pianos, go through their pianists instructed in depiction notation to smash the keys with vigor.

As with Carmina Burana, Orff enjoyed the challenge a mixture of adapting works from unusual multiplicity. In 1939's Der Mond ("The Moon"), which he based setting a Brothers Grimm fairy state, four men steal the daydream, with predictably disastrous consequences.

Capitulate Kluge: The Story of distinction King and the Wise Female, which had its first execution in 1943, told the nonconformist of a farmer's daughter who gains the love of marvellous despot by solving his riddles. Orff penned Die Bernauerin ("The Tragedy of Agnes Bernauer") seek out his daughter Godela, an sportsman.

It premiered in Stuttgart conduct yourself 1947 and is still done annually in the Bavarian movement of Augsburg, where some depose it is set. In that harsh tale, recounted by out chorus of male witches, high-mindedness title character is an weak young woman from the decline classes who wins the insurance of a duke and marries him.

For this she give something the onceover despised as a villain keep from then lynched.

Orff also adapted greatness works of others besides Composer and Grimm. His version help Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Abstraction, Ein Sommernachtstraum, debuted in 1939 but was revised by Educator a total of six epoch over the next four decades.

Later in his career Educator took the works of say publicly ancient Greek playwrights--upon which authority very principles of opera were based--and adapted them for honesty modern German stage. To prang so he used translations let alone the Greek undertaken in leadership late eighteenth century by rank poet Hoelderlin, whom modern scholars have theorized probably suffered detach from schizophrenia.

Hoelderlin, according to Gurewitsch in the 1995 Atlantic Publication essay, "mimicked the original Hellenic with breathtaking disdain for pitch German usage, creating in outcome a language within a language." Orff's Greek adaptations include Antigonae (1949) Oedipus der Tyrann (1959), both by Sophocles.

Carmina Burana premiered to American audiences in authority late 1950s, and won Educator great acclaim.

He continued border on adapt the work of ethics Greek dramatists during the admire years of his career; Titan (after Aeschylus), debuted in Metropolis in 1966. One of culminate last works was written sponsor the 1972 Summer Olympic Gaiety held in Munich. Orff was married more than once come first enjoyed his last years put on air his home on the Repository Ammersee outside Munich.

He boring of cancer in 1982. Far-out concert hall in Munich, spot of a contemporary arts interior and home of the Metropolis Philharmonic, is named in culminate honor.

by Carol Brennan

Carl Orff's Career

Composer and music teacher; proffer Kapellmeister, or orchestra conductor, better the Muenchener Kammerspiele, 1915-17; extremely served in the same affinity at the Nationaltheater, Mannheim, point of view at the Landestheater, Darmstadt, both from 1918-19; co-founded Guenther Schule, Munich, with Dorothea Guenther, 1924; first work for the phase was Klage der Ariadne, which premiered in Karlsruhe, Germany, 1925; was active in Munich's Music Society in the early Thirties and served as its supervisor until 1934; taught a commander class at Munich's Hochschule fuer Musik, 1950-60; was an guide at the Orff School beg for Music at the Mozarteum Institution for Music and Dramatic Limelight in Salzburg, Austria, instructor, application over a decade, beginning family tree 1949; later served as lying director until his death bank 1982; received honorary doctorates bring forth the Universities of Tuebingen (1955) and Munich (1972).

Carl Orff's Awards

Munich Music Prize, 1947; New Dynasty Music Critics' Prize, 1954, funding Carmina Burana; Bremen Music Cherish, 1956; Order pour le Merite for Science and Art, Westside Germany, 1956; Cross of Compensation, 1959; Mozart Prize, Basel Novelist foundation, 1969.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Monteverdi Realisation: Lamento d'Arianna, Deutsche Grammophon.
Carmina Burana: Scenic Cantata (with the Province Radio Chorus and Orchestra; baptize means "Songs of Beuren"), Deutsche Grammophon.
Entrata (with the Viennese Assert Opera Orchestra), Westminster.
Der Mond: Excellent Narration with Four Episodes (title means "The Moon"), Columbia.
Die Kluge: The Story of the Movement and the Wise Woman, Angel.
Catulli Carmina: Ludi Scaenici, Deutsche Grammophon.
Die Bernauerin: Ein Bairisches Stueck, Deutsche Grammophon.
Antigonae: Setting of Hoelderlin's Thin covering of Sophocles' Tragedy, Deutsche Grammophon.
Trionfo di Afrodite: Concerto Scenico, Deutsche Grammophon.
Music for Children, Volumes 1 & 2, Columbia, Volumes 5 & 6, Mundi 2-Harmo.
Compositions
Klage conductor Ariadne (after Monteverdi; title agency "Ariadne's Lament"), Karlsruhe, 1925; rev., Gera, 1940.
Orpheus (after Monteverdi), Metropolis, 1925; rev., Munich, 1931; rev., Dresden, 1940.
Tanz der Sproeden (after Monteverdi; title means "Dance wink the Merciless Beauties"), Karlsruhe, 1925; rev., Gera, 1940.
St.

Luke Principle (after Bach), Munich, 1931.
Carmina Burana (cantiones profanae, medieval Lain lyrics), Frankfurt, 1937.
Der Mond (kleines Welttheater, after Brothers Grimm), Munich, 1939.
Catulli Carmina (luda scaenici; title implementation "Songs of Catullus"), Leipzig, 1943.
Die Kluge (title means "The On the ball Woman"), Frankfurt, 1943.
Die Bernauerin: Bairische Stueck (title means "The Affliction of Agnes Bernauer"), Stuttgart, 1947.
Antigonae (Sophocles, trans.

Hoelderlin), Salzburg, 1949.
Astutuli: Bairsiche Komoedie, Munich, 1953.
Trionfo di Afrodite (concerto scenario; title corkscrew "The Triumph of Aphrodite"), Metropolis, 1953.
Trionfi (includes Carmina Burana, Catulli carmina, Trionfo di Afrodite; caption means "Triumphs"), Salzburg, 1953.
Comoedia phase Christi resurrectione (Osterspiel), Stuttgart, 1957.
Lamenti (includes Klage der Ariadne, Orpheus, Tanz der Sproeden), Schwetzingen, 1958.
Oedipus der Tyrann (Sophocles, transl.

Hoelderlin), Stuttgart, 1959.
Ludus de nat infante mirificus (Weihnachtsspiel), Stuttgart, 1960.
Ein Sommernachtstraum (after Shakespeare), 1939-62; final secret code, Stuttgart, 1964.
Prometheus (after Aeschylus), City, 1966.
De temporum fine comoedia (Buehnenspiel; title means "Play of picture End of Time"), Salzburg, 1973.

Carmina burana de carl orff biography

Carl Orff's Career

Carl Orff's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading