Today, Lily introduced me to one of my all-time favorite classical music pieces. I didn’t even know what it was before today, although I had heard bits and pieces of it before because it is so famous. We almost didn’t drive to Salt Lake tonight, but when the roads looked good, we ended up going. Eli babysat Ammon and Clarissa, and Lily and I took Lydia and Mary to the Utah Symphony.
Orff is not famous for any other music (although he’s famous for his methods of educating children and his methods are still used today), but when he wrote Carmmina Burana, he knew it was a masterpiece, and it was immediately successful.
The text for Carmina Burana comes from a collection of poems and songs called Carmina Burana made by traveling poets and students of Catholicism. The poems are irreverent, mock the church, and discuss the absurdity of life, the pleasures of life, and mostly the terror of decline, poverty and aging especially after one has experienced the good things of life “Oh Fortuna!”
When Orff chanced upon the manuscript, he said a vision opened up into his mind, and he frantically pieced it together as he felt inspiration was pouring down upon him and he had the whole thing unfold to him.
The words are so powerful, and the music was deeply cathartic. Through the music, I felt my own fear of death and failure expressed, my own joy for the good times expressed, as well as good old-fashioned humor (including a goose singing about its terrible fortune as it’s getting roasted and tuba flatulence). I was completely mesmerized and I’ve downloaded it on iTunes, and I’ve been listening to it ever since. Lily, of course, knew what Carmina Burana is, and was eager to share it with the family. One of my favorite things about Lily is her knowledge of the world and the way she opens my eyes to it and adds color and richness to my world. It was also so fun to share the experience with Lydia and Mary. What an amazing evening!
