Anyone enjoying classical music from the twentieth century probably knows the
Carmina Burana, the famous work by the German composer Carl Orff (1895–1982) created between 1934 and 1935. He had, early in 1934, come across Andreas Schmeller’s edition of the medieval collection of Latin songs, some of which were also written in Middle High German, first published in 1847. With the help of the young student of law and enthusiast of Latin and Greek, Michel Hoffmann, Orff selected 24 of those songs and created a libretto for choral orchestra. Although the Nazi regime at that time had already clamped down decisively on all of German culture to adapt it to their notion of Aryan values, they eventually embraced the
Carmina Buranaas well. Since then, Orff has achieved world fame with his…
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Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Carmina Burana". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 October 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14317, accessed 07 November 2024.]