An Epic Music Monday Sunday: Carmina Burana

I hope that 2012 will be an interesting, happy and a productive year for everyone who reads this blog. I hope that this first piece of music that I have selected will help you get off on the right foot in the new year.


Since 2012 is supposed to an epic year, I thought it appropriate to begin this year's first installment of my Music Monday series with a presentation of the epic Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. The particular performance I have chosen is from the 50th anniversary celebration of the Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira in Spain. 

Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana. Its full Latin title is Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanæ cantoribus et choris cantandæ comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis ("Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magic images.") Carmina Burana is part of Trionfi, the musical triptych that also includes the cantata Catulli Carmina and Trionfo di Afrodite. The best-known movement is "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi" ("O Fortuna") that opens and closes the piece.

Source: Wikipedia


You might want to check out this article from NPR on why the piece has remained so popular since it's introduction.






If you want to see the lyrics, Classical.net and Teach Yourself Latin are good sources. 


What follows is also from Wikipedia, a listing of the structure of the piece so you can follow along with the performance:

Carmina Burana is structured into five major sections, containing 25 movements total. Orff indicates attacca markings between all the movements within each scene.

Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi		Fortune, Empress of the World
1. O Fortuna	Latin	O Fortune	choir
2. Fortune plango vulnera	Latin	I lament the wounds that Fortune deals	choir
I – Primo vere		In Spring
3. Veris leta facies	Latin	The joyous face of Spring	small choir
4. Omnia sol temperat	Latin	All things are tempered by the Sun	baritone
5. Ecce gratum	Latin	Behold the welcome	choir
Uf dem Anger		In the Meadow
6. Tanz		Dance	instrumental
7. Floret silva	Latin/Middle High German	The forest flowers	choir
8. Chramer, gip die varwe mir	Middle High German	Monger, give me coloured paint	choir (small and large)
9. a) Reie		round dance	instrumental
b) Swaz hie gat umbe	Middle High German	They who here go dancing around	choir
c) Chume, chum, geselle min	Middle High German	Come, come, my dear companion	small choir
d) Swaz hie gat umbe (reprise)	Middle High German	They who here go dancing around	choir
10. Were diu werlt alle min	Middle High German	If the whole world were but mine	choir
II – In Taberna		In the Tavern
11. Estuans interius	Latin	Seething inside	baritone
12. Olim lacus colueram	Latin	Once I swam in lakes	tenor, choir (male)
13. Ego sum abbas	Latin	I am the abbot of Cockaigne	baritone, choir (male)
14. In taberna quando sumus	Latin	When we are in the tavern	choir (male)
III – Cour d'amours		Court of Love
15. Amor volat undique	Latin	Love flies everywhere	soprano, boys' choir
16. Dies, nox et omnia	Latin/Provençal	Day, night and everything	baritone
17. Stetit puella	Latin	There stood a girl	soprano
18. Circa mea pectora	Latin/Middle High German	In my breast	baritone, choir
19. Si puer cum puellula	Latin	If a boy with a girl	3 tenors, baritone, 2 basses
20. Veni, veni, venias	Latin	Come, come, pray come	double choir
21. In trutina	Latin	On the scales	soprano
22. Tempus est iocundum	Latin	Time to jest	soprano, baritone, boys' choir
23. Dulcissime	Latin	Sweetest boy	soprano
Blanziflor et Helena		Blancheflour and Helen
24. Ave formosissima	Latin	Hail to the most lovely	choir
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi		Fortune, Empress of the World
25. O Fortuna (reprise)	Latin	O Fortune	choir

Here are other sources where you can find out more regarding this wonderful piece of music, including purchase options:




Classical Net has an excellent discussion that will help you understand the music better, including a lot of information on the background of it and a guide to available recordings of the work. 


Amazon listings (pay attention to the reviews for recommendations)


Classics Online (you'll have manually enter Carmina Burana)


Arkiv Music (at the time I searched, 81 separate recordings were available)