Carl Orff And His Carmina Burana

Carl Orff is a German composer, dramatist and educator of international reputation in the 20th century. He is well-known not only for the music pedagogical system he developed for children and the corresponding teaching material, but also for a large number of musical works he created for stage.Carmina Burana, the masterpiece among Orff's stage works, received its successful premier in Frankfurt, Germany, on June.8,1937. With this significant work, Orff established both his position in the 20th century music and his distinguished style of musical drama within the pluralistic landscape of western modern music.This thesis centers on Carl Orff and his world-famous Carmina Burana. It consists of three chapters, dealing with the composer, the work and the performance and promotion of the work respectively. The author traces the biographical life and creative career of Carl Orff, discusses his musical style and artistic pursuit, and examines the actual performances practice the work received in various parts of the world. It is on the study of the work Carmina Burana that the thesis focuses, including its subject, content as well as the idea of music/drama and the musical language and style. In the analysis and interpretation of this great work, which took as its text the medieval anti-religious folk poetry and is filled with humanistic spirit, the author tries to explore and demonstrate its cultural significance and artistic achievement.