Orff was born in Munich and began writing music when he was very young. Can you spot the crescendo?Ĭarl Orff BORN: 1895 / DIED: 1982 / NATIONALITY: GermanĬarl Orff was a German composer who is now best known for his strange and massive choral work: Carmina Burana. Listen out for: The changing dynamics in the piece. This super-dramatic music, perhaps already familiar to children from movies and TV, still gives us the chills now – perhaps because it makes us feel that the world is much bigger than us. It was intentionally written for entertainment, rather than a religious purpose, as the piece is subtitled as: 'secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magic images'. The name Carmina Burana means 'songs of Beuren', which was a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria.Ĭarmina Burana was composed between 19 and it is based on 24 poems from medieval literature. 'O fortuna' is part of a cantata (a vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment) called Carmina Burana. The piece gives us a chance to meet Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Fortune (also worshipped in Greek mythology) and transports us back to medieval times. Who will win, who will lose? Inspired by medieval literature, ‘O fortuna’ is one of the most famous choral pieces in the world.