Wouldn't it be great to have a guide to take you on tour through Carmina Burana?
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Such a guide can be found in the book "Classical Music Top 40" by Anthony Rudel, published by Simon & Schuster in 1995. More information on this book can be found at Amazon books. |
I am seeking permission from the publishers to reproduce the chapter on Carmina Burana on this web site, but in the meantime, here is the introduction and guide to O Fortuna:
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Carl Orff (1895-1982) is one composer whose fame and reputation was secured by a single staggering work of music: Carmina Burana--Cantiones profanae (Songs from Benedict-Beuern). Though firmly a work of the twentieth century, Carmina Burana has its roots in a group of secular thirteenth-century songs discovered in a monastery at Benediktbeuem during the 1800s. The main subjects of these texts are Fortune, the coming of Spring, Drinking, and Love. Overall this massive work has the image and sound of a pagan ritual.
Carmina Burana was completed in 1936, the year that Hitler and Mussolini proclaimed the Berlin-Rome Axis. It was the year of the famous Berlin Olympics hosted by Hitler during which Jesse Owens won four gold medals; Dale Carnegie wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People; Margaret Mitchell won the Pullitzer Prize for Gone with the Wind; and Charlie Chaplin set the world on its ear with his astounding film Modern Times. In essence, 1936 was a year the world was on the brink of chaos, a mood well captured in the powerful music that Orff composed in Carmina Burana.
Carmina Burana received its world premiere in Frankfurt in 1937 and was first heard in the United States in San Francisco in January of 1954. It has been a cornerstone of the repertoire ever since, despite the fact that it requires large vocal and instrumental forces. The vocalists include a solo soprano, tenor, and baritone, a large chorus with a smaller choir within it, and a children's chorus.
In addition to substantial string, wind, and brass sections, the huge orchestra features two pianos, a celesta, and a spectacular array of percussion instruments including three glockenspiels, xylophone, castanets, ratchet, sleigh bells, triangle, finger cymbals, large cymbals, tam-tam, bells, tambou ine, two snare drums, and a bass drum. The wealth of sounds created by this unusual instrumentation gives Carmina Burana much of its controlled cacophony and a distinctly jazzy quality in sections.
There is a tremendous amount to absorb in Carmina Burana. One hearing will not reveal all the wonders of the piece, even though much of the music is repeated at least twice to accommo, date the multiple verses of the lyrics. Each subsequent hearing will bring out new melodies, intricacies, and favorite parts. In any event, be certain to read the texts before listening to each of the twenty-five sections. The words will draw you right in and will illuminate Orffs brilliance as a composer and orchestrator.
REFERENCE RECORDING: LONDON 430 509 BLOMSTEDT/SOLOISTS/SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY/CHORUS
TOTAL TIME: 59: 7
FORTUNA IMPERATRIX MUNDI
(FORTUNE, EMPRESS OF THE WORLD)
1. 0 FORTUNA (0 FORTUNE) (2:32)
The opening moments of Carmina Burana set the tone for the work: dramatic, powerful, and exciting. The full orchestra and chorus, led by the steady beat of the timpani, explode in an attenuated "0 Fortuna." After the initial volley of sound, everything grows quieter and more mysterious as the voices, supported by a pulse in the bassoons and pianos, almost whisper (0:22). A sudden explosion (1:32) breaks the spell the phrase the same, only now much louder with the winds and timpani augmenting the pianos. The volume increases steadily, unable to be held back, driving inexorably toward the final sustained choral note (2:11) as the glockenspiel and trumpets add brilliance while speeding up toward the movement's exuberant end.
2. FORTUNE PLANGO VULNERA
(I BEMOAN THE WOUNDS OF FORTUNE)
(2:41)
The first thing to note here is the unusual instrumentation; lower voices are the key. At first, the only instruments used are the two pianos, bassoons, contrabassoon, cellos, basses, and bass drum. This rumbling assortment provides sustained chords to accompany the male voices of the chorus as they chant the text. The pace picks up on the words "Verum est" (0:13), remaining quiet, but becoming bouncy. On the next pass at the words "Verum est" (0:29) the volume increases with the addition of the women in the chorus and the violins. Then, almost like a series of nasty sneers, the trumpets punctuate the end of each phrase with snappy, four-note interjections. When the chorus stops (0:43), the orchestral forces speed up and race ahead, led by the trumpets and horns, who cut through the other instruments. With the percussion instruments adding to the fury, the movement's first verse comes to an end.
This is one of the movements that has three verses, allowing the music to be
heard three times. The second verse begins immediately following the riotous
end of the first (0:52), and the final verse also follows with no pause after
the second (1:46).
.... the remaining sections of the work are documented in this style.