Musical Moments #42
“Experience first, then intellectualize.”
Carl Orff (1895-1982)
Carmina Burana
From sections “In the Tavern” and “The Courts of Love”
As discussed in our previous “Musical Moment,” Carmina Burana has three distinct sections. Now that we have left “Spring,” we are on our way to the “Tavern,” and eventually the “Courts of Love,”
Composer Carl Orff’s life was not without controversy, and his relationship in the musical history of Nazi Germany remains a mystery. Carmina Burana’s sheer popularity spared the piece even though prominent Nazi musicologist Hans Gerigk harshly criticized it. This negative assessment was encouraged because of Orff’s 1920 presentation of music by composers such as Stravinsky, Bartok, Hindemith, and Schoenberg, all whose works were considered “degenerate” by the Nazi Regime. Orff was also viewed as a leftist, not only because of his music, but also because of his friendship with Jewish composer Kurt Weill and poet Franz Werfel.
In spite of this, somehow Orff did not fall out of favor with the Nazi’s, and they even employed him to write music for the schools, including the Hitler youth program. During this time, it was reported he forgot his previous affiliation with Jewish and contemporary artists and denounced jazz and the music of atonal composers.
When the war ended, Orff asserted that he had been anti-Nazi but his classification to determine how active he was with the Nazi regime was noted as “gray unacceptable,” but later changed to “gray acceptable” by the American denazification authorities. Canadian historian, Michael Kater, wrote that Orff claimed he had helped establish the White Rose resistance movement, but there was no evidence to support this other than his word. Once Orff was cleared, he was free to compose, conduct, teach and collect royalties, but his philosophical leanings remain an enigma.
Despite this political controversy, Carl Orff’s contribution to music education is profound. He was a partner in the Munich Günther School which was a proponent for exploring melody and rhythm through singing, playing percussion instruments, speech, and movement. The Orff approach is still widely used by music educators around the world.
The selections offered today are from the second and third section of the work and start with a swan roasting and ends as it started with “O Fortuna.” The translated anguished text sung by the tenor is: “Once I lived on lakes, once I looked beautiful when I was a swan. The servant is turning me on the spit; I am burning on the pyre. Now I lie on a plate, and cannot fly anymore, I see bared teeth.” After each verse the male chorus sings: “Misery Me! Now black and roasting fiercely!” Contrast the swan’s text to the short soprano solo, “Dulcissime,” you will hear prior to “O Fortuna.” This text from the “Courts of Love” is: “Sweetest one. Ah! I give myself to you totally.”
Just because the work is fun to sing and play, the fact remains that the work calls for extreme ranges from the soloists and instrumentalists, primarily for the effect of the lyrics. For the choir, it is rhythmically complicated, often quite fast, and contains much text in archaic languages. No one making music gets an easy button. For the audience, those complexities may be secondary to the beauty and intrigue of the piece.
Enjoy the Bach Choir and Orchestra’s excerpts of Carmina Burana performed with soprano Sharla Nafziger, tenor Christopher Pfund, and baritone Philip Lima.
“Carmina is an absolute blast—so many people, so many textures, so much variety.”
Marin Alsop
Listen on YouTube