Carmina Burana
Orff's famous cantata
Carmina Burana is a collection of medieval poems and songs from a 13th-century manuscript discovered in a Bavarian monastery.
The Latin title means "Songs of Beuern." Most people encounter the name through Carl Orff's 1937 choral composition based on selections from the manuscript, whose opening movement "O Fortuna" has become ubiquitous in film trailers, commercials, and dramatic contexts: The ad used Carmina Burana to make the car launch feel epic.
Creator of musical works
- cantataVocal work with instruments
- orchestraLarge instrumental ensemble
- percussionSound through impact
- choirOrganized group of singers
soprano · baritone · tenor · twentieth century · German · premiere · Frankfurt · 1937
Organized group of singers
- sopranoHighest female voice range
- tenorEssential meaning or import
- baritoneMid-range male voice
- chorusSingers performing together
orchestra · conductor · score · fortissimo · crescendo · percussion · timpani · cymbals
Ancient bound manuscript
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
- LatinAncient Roman language
- monksCloistered religious men
- abbeyMonastic house of worship
illumination · medieval · poetry · satire · moralistic · cloister · troubadours · minstrels
composer
Creator of musical works
- cantataVocal work with instruments
- orchestraLarge instrumental ensemble
- percussionSound through impact
choir · soprano · baritone · tenor · twentieth century · German · premiere · Frankfurt · 1937 · staging
choir
Organized group of singers
chorus · orchestra · conductor · score · fortissimo · crescendo · percussion · timpani · cymbals · piano
codex
Ancient bound manuscript
abbey · illumination · medieval · poetry · satire · moralistic · cloister · troubadours · minstrels · ballad
profane
Irreverent toward the sacred
earthy · carnal · hedonistic · tavern · drinking songs · gambling · lusty · pagan · sensual · bacchanalian
fortune
Wealth or destiny
love · drinking · gambling · nature · transience · carpe diem · mortality · youth · pleasure · satire
Carmina BuranaGregorian chant
Monophonic Catholic liturgical music
sacred music · church music · plainchant · Handel's Messiah · hymns
carmine, charm, charms, charmed, charming, charmer, enchant, enchanted, enchanting