Carl Orff

Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: July 10


Carl Orff  (b. July 10, 1895, Munich - d. March 29, 1982, Munich), German composer, is best remembered for his popular cantata Carmina Burana. He was also known for his influential teaching method.

Early Life

German composer and teacher Carl Orff was born in Munich on July 10, 1895. Although his father was a soldier, his family was musical. As a boy he studied piano, organ and cello. His first works were all vocal and published when he was 16 years old. Formal Academic Training He enrolled at the local Munich Academy of Music and graduated in 1914, aged 19. Three years later, however, he was called by the German army to fight in the First World War.

Marriage, Gymnastic Dancing School, and Turning Point

He married Alice Solscher in 1920, the first of his four wives. With Dorothee Günther in 1924, he co-founded the Günther Schule of Gymnastic Dancing, a school for gymnastics, music and dance, which was a turning point in his life. Out this came his later activity in providing materials for young children to make music, using their voices and simple percussion instruments. Orff became interested in musical education, and passionate with primitive and evocative rhythms, and with renaissance music.  

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' ChorusOz in 2015, our Sydney Philharmonia Choirs performed "O Fortuna" at the Sydney Opera House forecourt prior our formal concert at night. Below is a link of "O Fortuna" from YouTube, uploaded by Beatrix, Accessed July 10, 2018.  Images by artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.



Career, Influence, and Compositions

Orff was appointed conductor of the Bach Society of Munich, leading to staging of Bach and Schütz, much influential to the creation of his masterpiece Carmina Burana. All his major works, including the phenominally successful cantata Carmina Burana (1937) and the opera Antigone (1949), were designed as pageants for the stage: they include several versions of Greek tragedies and Bavarian comedies. Carmina Burana was first performed in Frankfurt. It brought him overnight fame.

Below, André Rieu performance of Orff's "O Fortuna" (Carmina Burana). YouTube, Accessed July 10, 2015.

 Orff was known for his simple melodies and harmonies. His music was mostly written for the stage and with strong mass appeal. Although his contemporary composers either left Germany or died during the Nazi Germany period in the 1930s to 1945, Orff remained in Munich through the years, dying at the age of 87.

Carl Orff's His music was generally approved by the authorities because it was conservative and uplifting to people’s spirits. He is most significant in the role of his music in education and physical recreation. He always believed that music should be healthy and should please.

TRIVIA: 

Happy to share. Our Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will be presenting a concert of Orff's Carmina Burana at Sydney Town Hall, 22 May 2021, Saturday 3pm. 


Image Credit: 

Carl Orff.  en.wikipedia.org. Jens Rusch / Wiki creative Commons Attribution.

 

Resources:  

1. Dictionary of Composers and their Music by Eric Gilder, Sphere Reference (1987) 
2. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, edited by Stanley Sadie (2000). London: Macmillan.  



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