11. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana? (Classical music)
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This article is from the Classical music FAQ, by Gabe M. Wiener gabe@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
11. What is the history behind Orff's Carmina Burana? (Classical music)
"Carmina Burana" was originally a cycle of medieval songs. The text is
rather risque poetry written by medieval students. Carl Orff adapted
some of them into the best known arrangement, not surprisingly called
"Carmina Burana," in the 1930s. Of the songs he adapted, some are in
Latin and some are in Middle High German (much as Chaucer's "Canterbury
Tales" is in Middle English). The best known of the songs he used is
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" (a.k.a. "O Fortuna"), which was heavily used
in the film EXCALIBUR.
Carmina Burana is a wonderful introduction to classical music for the
Bruce Springsteen generation. When novice listeners are told that
it's all about sex, drinking, gambling, and more sex, it breaks down a
few of their preconceived notions about the classics.
The full texts to Carmina Burana, both original languages and English
translation can be found in the internet music archives, accessible by
Gopher or FTP (ftp.uwp.edu). We include the first movement here owing
to the frequency with which the request is made.
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