July 8, 2019.Carl Orff.It’s quite strange, but we’ve never written about a popular, if somewhat controversial, 20th century composer, Carl Orff.Orff was born in Munich on July 10th of 1895; his father came from a line of Bavarian military officers.At the age of five Carl started music lessons, playing piano, cello and organ.In his youth he became fascinated with two very different composers, Claude Debussy and Arnold Schoenberg; one wouldn’t discern their influence on his mature works but apparently it was more obvious with his early operas, which Orff later dismissed.In 1914 he became the conductor of the Munich Kammerspiele, the state theater.During the Great War Orff was drafted, sent to the front and wounded, after which he spent the rest of the war working at the theaters of Mannheim and Darmstadt.He returned to Munich in 1919 and immersed himself in the music of the 16th and 17th centuries.In 1924 Orff staged Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo; the German text was written by Dorothée Günther, who also did the choreography.Günther, an artist and pedagogue, became Orff’s collaborator in many endeavors.It was the first such production in modern German history.Around that time Orff got interested in the concept of elementare Musik, or elemental music, understood as the synthesis of music, gesture/dance and spoken poetry.In 1924 these ideas led Orff and Günther to establish the Güntherschule, a school for gymnastics, music and dance.Orff composed a number of short simple pieces for the school, which in 1932-35 were published as Schulwerk: elementare Musikübung.Here’s the easily recognizable Gassenhauer (it was used in many movies, including Terrence Malick’s Badlands).
In 1935-36 Orff composed a cantata based on a collection of poems from the 11th and 12th centuries called Carmina Burana, or "Songs from the town of Benediktbeuern" (Buria in Latin).It was premiered at the Frankfurt opera on June 8th of 1937 and became an immediate success, both with the public and officials, in the Nazi Germany.The music and especially the old texts managed to encapsulate the zeitgeist: the Nazis, avid environmentalists, worshipped nature, and so did the poems of Carmina Burana.Same with the idyllic “folk” of the poems and Nazi historic myths.The music, while influenced by Stravinsky (not a Nazi favorite), was simple in structure, pulsating with energy and forward-moving.It became a symbol of the party-approved modernism.Here’s the opening section, O Fortuna (the closing is a repeat).As Gassenhauer, it’s beenused in popular culture to no end.The recording was made by the London Symphony Orchestra with St. Clement Danes Grammar School Boys’ choir under the direction of André Previn.
In 1939 Orff was involved in a morally questionable episode.The Nazis leadership of the city of Frankfurt decided to replace Midnight Summer’s Dream composed by the outlawed (Jewish) Mendelssohn with an Arian piece.Orff responded to the official call and presented his version.In 1943 he composed another cantata, Catulli Carmina, set to the verses of the Latin poet Catullus.It became his second most popular work.In 1951 he followed with Trionfo di Afrodite which, with Burana and Catulli formed a triptych.To the end of his life Orff was involved with music education.He died in Munich on March 29th of 1982.
So, what are we to think about Orff?Obviously, he isn’t guilty of the Nazis loving his Carmina Burana.He never joined the Nazi party, and had Jewish and leftist friends.On the other hand, to submit his own version of the Midsummer Night’s Dream to replace Mendelssohn’s – that’s something you wouldn’t expect from a decent person.He also composed the music for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games – only a composer with good standing with the Nazis could be given such a role.On the other hand, he composed the music for the 1972 Munich Olympics as well.He went through the de-Nazification process after the war and was cleared of any direct collaboration.Still, after reading about him, one is left with a bad taste in the mouth. A talented but compromised figure.
Carl Orff, 2019
July 8, 2019. Carl Orff. It’s quite strange, but we’ve never written about a popular, if somewhat controversial, 20th century composer, Carl Orff. Orff was born in Munich on July 10th of 1895; his father came from a line of Bavarian military officers. At the age of five Carl started music
lessons, playing piano, cello and organ. In his youth he became fascinated with two very different composers, Claude Debussy and Arnold Schoenberg; one wouldn’t discern their influence on his mature works but apparently it was more obvious with his early operas, which Orff later dismissed. In 1914 he became the conductor of the Munich Kammerspiele, the state theater. During the Great War Orff was drafted, sent to the front and wounded, after which he spent the rest of the war working at the theaters of Mannheim and Darmstadt. He returned to Munich in 1919 and immersed himself in the music of the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1924 Orff staged Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo; the German text was written by Dorothée Günther, who also did the choreography. Günther, an artist and pedagogue, became Orff’s collaborator in many endeavors. It was the first such production in modern German history. Around that time Orff got interested in the concept of elementare Musik, or elemental music, understood as the synthesis of music, gesture/dance and spoken poetry. In 1924 these ideas led Orff and Günther to establish the Güntherschule, a school for gymnastics, music and dance. Orff composed a number of short simple pieces for the school, which in 1932-35 were published as Schulwerk: elementare Musikübung. Here’s the easily recognizable Gassenhauer (it was used in many movies, including Terrence Malick’s Badlands).
In 1935-36 Orff composed a cantata based on a collection of poems from the 11th and 12th centuries called Carmina Burana, or "Songs from the town of Benediktbeuern" (Buria in Latin). It was premiered at the Frankfurt opera on June 8th of 1937 and became an immediate success, both with the public and officials, in the Nazi Germany. The music and especially the old texts managed to encapsulate the zeitgeist: the Nazis, avid environmentalists, worshipped nature, and so did the poems of Carmina Burana. Same with the idyllic “folk” of the poems and Nazi historic myths. The music, while influenced by Stravinsky (not a Nazi favorite), was simple in structure, pulsating with energy and forward-moving. It became a symbol of the party-approved modernism. Here’s the opening section, O Fortuna (the closing is a repeat). As Gassenhauer, it’s beenused in popular culture to no end. The recording was made by the London Symphony Orchestra with St. Clement Danes Grammar School Boys’ choir under the direction of André Previn.
In 1939 Orff was involved in a morally questionable episode. The Nazis leadership of the city of Frankfurt decided to replace Midnight Summer’s Dream composed by the outlawed (Jewish) Mendelssohn with an Arian piece. Orff responded to the official call and presented his version. In 1943 he composed another cantata, Catulli Carmina, set to the verses of the Latin poet Catullus. It became his second most popular work. In 1951 he followed with Trionfo di Afrodite which, with Burana and Catulli formed a triptych. To the end of his life Orff was involved with music education. He died in Munich on March 29th of 1982.
So, what are we to think about Orff? Obviously, he isn’t guilty of the Nazis loving his Carmina Burana. He never joined the Nazi party, and had Jewish and leftist friends. On the other hand, to submit his own version of the Midsummer Night’s Dream to replace Mendelssohn’s – that’s something you wouldn’t expect from a decent person. He also composed the music for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games – only a composer with good standing with the Nazis could be given such a role. On the other hand, he composed the music for the 1972 Munich Olympics as well. He went through the de-Nazification process after the war and was cleared of any direct collaboration. Still, after reading about him, one is left with a bad taste in the mouth. A talented but compromised figure.