Catulli Carmina
Encyclopedia
Catulli Carmina is a cantata
by Carl Orff
dating from 1940-1943. The work sets the texts of Catullus
to music. Orff himself provided the text, in Latin, of the opening. Catulli Carmina is part of Trionfi
, the musical triptych
that also includes the Carmina Burana
and Trionfo di Afrodite
. It is scored for a full mixed choir, soprano and tenor soloists, and an entirely percussive orchestra - possibly inspired by Stravinsky's Les noces
- consisting of four piano
s, timpani
, bass drum
, 3 tambourine
s, triangle
, castanets, maracas, suspended
and crash cymbal
s, antique cymbal (without specified pitch), tam-tam, lithophone
, metallophone
, 2 glockenspiel
s, wood block
, xylophone
, and tenor xylophone.
This composition is another example of Carl Orff's use of orchestra, percussion and action on stage. The orchestra only plays in the framework story, whereas in the Catullus play itself, the soloists are only accompanied by the chorus, who takes the part of a Greek choros
. The piece experiments with repeated phrases and syncopated rhythms even more so than Carmina Burana. Scholars have debated the reason why this is such a lesser-known work compared to its predecessor for many years. Most of them have decided that, with the fall of Nazi Germany and the depressed feeling of Europe in the aftermath of World War II, it simply didn't have the opportunity to be presented to any large audience for a long time. Even now, it is one of Orff's least performed works.
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
by Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
dating from 1940-1943. The work sets the texts of Catullus
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:...
to music. Orff himself provided the text, in Latin, of the opening. Catulli Carmina is part of Trionfi
Trionfi (Carl Orff)
Trionfi is a trilogy of cantatas by German composer Carl Orff:* Carmina Burana* Catulli Carmina* Trionfo di AfroditeCarmina Burana is by far the most famous of the three....
, the musical triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
that also includes the Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana (Orff)
Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...
and Trionfo di Afrodite
Trionfo di Afrodite
Trionfo di Afrodite is a cantata called "concerto scenico" written in 1951 by the German composer Carl Orff. It is part of Trionfi, the musical triptych that also includes Carmina Burana and Catulli Carmina...
. It is scored for a full mixed choir, soprano and tenor soloists, and an entirely percussive orchestra - possibly inspired by Stravinsky's Les noces
Les Noces
Les noces by Igor Stravinsky, is a dance cantata, or ballet with vocalists.-History:The ballet was premiered on June 13, 1923 at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, by the Ballets Russes with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska...
- consisting of four piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, 3 tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s, triangle
Triangle (instrument)
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve...
, castanets, maracas, suspended
Suspended cymbal
right|thumb|Classical suspended cymbalA suspended cymbal is any single cymbal played with a stick or beater rather than struck against another cymbal. A common abbreviation used is sus. cym., or sus. cymb. .-History:...
and crash cymbal
Crash cymbal
A crash cymbal is a type of cymbal that produces a loud, sharp "crash" and is used mainly for occasional accents, as opposed to in ostinato. The term "crash" may have been first used by Zildjian in 1928....
s, antique cymbal (without specified pitch), tam-tam, lithophone
Lithophone
A lithophone is a musical instrument consisting of a rock or pieces of rock which are struck to produce musical notes. Notes may be sounded in combination or in succession...
, metallophone
Metallophone
A metallophone is any musical instrument consisting of tuned metal bars which are struck to make sound, usually with a mallet.Metallophones have been used in music for hundreds of years. There are several different types used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan ensembles, including the gendér, gangsa...
, 2 glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
s, wood block
Wood block
A woodblock is essentially a small piece of slit drum made from a single piece of wood and used as a percussion instrument. It is struck with a stick, making a characteristically percussive sound....
, xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
, and tenor xylophone.
This composition is another example of Carl Orff's use of orchestra, percussion and action on stage. The orchestra only plays in the framework story, whereas in the Catullus play itself, the soloists are only accompanied by the chorus, who takes the part of a Greek choros
Greek chorus
A Greek chorus is a homogenous, non-individualised group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action....
. The piece experiments with repeated phrases and syncopated rhythms even more so than Carmina Burana. Scholars have debated the reason why this is such a lesser-known work compared to its predecessor for many years. Most of them have decided that, with the fall of Nazi Germany and the depressed feeling of Europe in the aftermath of World War II, it simply didn't have the opportunity to be presented to any large audience for a long time. Even now, it is one of Orff's least performed works.
Sections
The story tells of Catullus, a lovesick young man who falls in love with Lesbia, a woman who does not remain faithful to him. In this way, the piece also requires a male and female soloist to portray each of these two roles, respectively. The text also contains a discussion of love, between on the one side, a group of young men and women, and in contrast, a group of old men.- 1 - cui dono lepidum nouum libellum
- 2 - passer. deliciae meae puellae
- 2b - tam gratum est mihi quam ferunt puellae
- 3 - lugete o Veneres Cupidinesque
- 4 - phaselus ille quem uidetis hospites
- 5 - uiuamus mea Lesbia. atque amemus
- 6 - Flaui delicias tuas Catullo
- 7 - quaeris quot mihi basiationes
- 8 - miser Catulle. desinas ineptire
Recordings
- Deutsche Grammophon (recorded June 1954, Nov 1955; reissued on CD 474 131-2): Annelies KupperAnnelies KupperAnnelies Kupper , was a German operatic soprano, particularly associated with Mozart and the German repertory....
, Richard HolmRichard Holm (tenor)Richard Holm was a German operatic tenor, particularly associated with Mozart, though he sang a wide range of roles.Born in Stuttgart, where he studied with Rudolf Ritter, he made his debut at the Kiel Opera House in 1937...
; Bavarian Radio Chorus; Eugen JochumEugen JochumEugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
, conductor - CBS BRG 72611 (original LP): Judith BlegenJudith BlegenJudith Blegen is an American soprano, particularly associated with light lyric roles of the French, Italian and German repertories.-Life and career:Blegen was raised and attended high school in Missoula, Montana...
, Richard Kness; Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
Choirs; Philadelphia OrchestraPhiladelphia OrchestraThe Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
; Eugene OrmandyEugene OrmandyEugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
, conductor - Arts Music (CD reissue): Ruth-Margret Pütz, Donald GrobeDonald GrobeDonald Roth Grobe was an American lyric tenor who sang at the Deutsche Oper Berlin during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s....
; Cologne Radio Choir; Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-OrchesterWDR Symphony Orchestra CologneThe WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne is a German orchestra based in Cologne. The orchestra was founded in 1947 by Allied occupation authorities after World War II, as the orchestra of Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunk . The orchestra later acquired the names of the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra and...
; Ferdinand LeitnerFerdinand LeitnerFerdinand Leitner was a German conductor. Leitner studied under Franz Schreker, Julius Prüwer, Artur Schnabel and Karl Muck. He also was a composition student with Robert Kahn. Starting as a pianist, through the help of Fritz Busch, he became a conductor in the 1930s...
, conductor - Deutsche Grammophon DGG 2530 074 (original LP): Arleen AugerArleen AugerJoyce Arleen Auger was an American soprano singer, admired for her coloratura voice and interpretations of works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Monteverdi, Gluck, and Mozart.-Biography:...
, Wieslaw OchmanWieslaw OchmanWiesław Ochman is a Polish tenor.Ochman began learning voice under the direction of Gustaw Serafin in Kraków and Maria Szłapak in Bytom . In 1960 he joined the Silesian Opera in Bytom, where Ochman sang for three seasons, in 1963 and 1964; and then, at the Opera Krakowska...
; Chorus of the Deutsche Oper BerlinDeutsche Oper BerlinThe Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
; Eugen JochumEugen JochumEugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
, conductor - SupraphonSupraphonSupraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
1112 1462 (original LP, copyright date on label 1974); Ivo ŽidekIvo ZídekIvo Žídek was a celebrated Czech lyric tenor, known for his vivid portrayals of character roles in the operas of Smetana, Dvorák and Janáček.-Early life:...
, Helena TattermuschováHelena TattermuschováHelena Tattermuschová is a Czech lyric coloratura soprano, known chiefly for her character roles in the operas of Mozart and Janáček....
, Ludmilla Tržická, Vladimir Topinka; Vladimir Menci and Oldřich Kredba (pianos), Czech Philharmonic Chorus, Prague Symphony OrchestraPrague Symphony OrchestraThe Prague Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1934 by Rudolf Pekárek. In the 1930s the orchestra performed the scores for many Czech films, and also appeared regularly on Czech radio. An early promoter of the orchestra was Dr...
, Václav SmetáčekVáclav SmetácekVáclav Smetáček was a Czech conductor, composer, and oboist.He studied in Prague among others with Jaroslav Křička, conducting with Metod Doležil and Pavel Dědeček, musicology, aesthetics, and philosophy at Charles University...
(conductor). - Vox PL 8640 (LP, first issued 1954, re-issued 1963): Elisabeth Roon (soprano); Hans Loeffler (tenor); Walter KlienWalter KlienWalter Klien was an Austrian pianist.-Career:Klien was born in Graz. His mother was the artist Erika Giovanna Klien . She emigrated to the United States in 1929, and their only further contact was by correspondence.Klien studied piano with Josef Dichler at the Music Academy in Vienna and with...
, Michael GielenMichael Gielen-Professional career:Gielen was born in Dresden, Germany, to opera director Josef Gielen. Through his mother, Rose, he is the nephew of Eduard Steuermann and Salka Steuermann Viertel. He began his career as a pianist in Buenos Aires, where he studied with Erwin Leuchter and gave an early...
, Eduard Mrazek, Walter Kamper (pianos); Vienna Chamber Choir, Heinrich HollreiserHeinrich HollreiserHeinrich Hollreiser was a German conductor.Born in Munich, he attended the State Academy of Music there, and went on to serve as the conductor at the opera houses in Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Mannheim, and Duisburg. From 1942-1945 he served as the principal conductor of the Bavarian State Opera, while...
(conductor). - Philips 6500 815 (original LP): Ute Mai (soprano); Eberhard Büchner (tenor); Jutta Czapski, Günter Philipp, Wolfgang Wappler, Gerhard Erber (pianos); Chorus of Radio Leipzig; Herbert KegelHerbert KegelHerbert Kegel was a German conductor.Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940...
(conductor).