Carl Orff

Carl Orff

Carl Orff (July 10, 1895 – March 29, 1982) was a German composer. Today, he is perhaps best remembered for his work Carmina Burana. Carmina Burana is a collection of texts from the Middle Ages. In 1937, Carl Orff wrote the music for some of these texts. His other well-known work, the Orff Schulwerk is aimed at teaching children about music. Carl Orff received many awards for his works. Amongst others he wrote "Reigen der Kinder", which was performed at the opening ceremony of the 1936 Summer Olympics. He also adapted the music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was originally written by Felix Mendelssohn. The problem was that Mendelsohn had Jewish roots, and the rulers of Germany at the time did not think this was suitable. Orff was a close friend of Kurt Huber, a prominent oppoent of the regime. Huber was a founding member of the opposition group White Rose. Huber was tried and executed in 1943.