Carl Orff » Tracks » O Fortuna

Carl Orff – O Fortuna (2:37)

On 6 albums see all

Buy at Amazon MP3 ($0.89) | Send Ringtones to Cell
Buy
Save

Popular tags: , , , ,  See more

Shouts: 265 shouts

Share this track:
Preview this track (0:30)
Know about a video for this track?
Help build Last.fm by adding it.

About This Track

The uncertainty of Fortune was a regular motif in medieval literature; various symbols and examples of her caprice became commonplace. Of the several poems in the Carmina Burana on this subject the following is certainly not the best; its vagueness suggests that some expressions may have been chosen simply through the demands of rhyme. It is, however, considerably enhanced by the musical setting which Orff has given it. Some phrases deserve comment:

mentis aciem in Classical Latin the words would mean mental perception, but this seems wholly out of place here; perhaps feelings, sensibilities, is what the author meant.

status malus this seems to refer to the instability of Fortune.

est affectus … angaria the last word signifies the service (usually in the form of manual work) which a medieval serf was obliged to render to his lord.

affectus et defectus apparently means willingness and unwillingness: in the translation the concrete has been substituted for the abstract.

cordae pulsum tangite lit. touch the beat of the string.
Read more… Edit wiki
Send Ringtones to Cell

Albums featuring this track

See all 6 albums

Shouts

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).
See all 265 shouts

Track Stats

357,434 Scrobbles 109,100 Listeners

Recent Listening Trend

Top Listeners

See more

Recent Activity

Related Journals

See more