Carmina Burana

Fortuna roto volvitur: descendo minoratus; alter in altum tollitur; nimis exaltus.

(At the turn of Fortune’s wheel one is disposed, another is lifted on high to enjoy a brief felicity.)

We had the pleasure of attending two concerts at Weber State featuring the Symphonic Band and the Chamber Choir. (My son is in the Symphonic Band.) It is an enlightening evening when one can drink in the emotion of the music and enjoy people sharing their musical talents with one another.

The band and choir performed selections from a musical work by Carl Orff entitled “Carmina Burana”. Orff derived the inspiration for his work from a 13th century manuscript collection of songs and poems written by wandering poets, monks, scholars and travelling story tellers. This manuscript was discovered in a monastery in the Bavarian Alps and it contains over 200 songs and poems covering a variety of topics from religious contemplation to extolling life’s beauty, to the tenderness of love, to the cruelty of the fortune of life. Let’s hear other round of applause for the Chamber Choir and Symphonic Band.

O Fortuna, velut luna, statu variabilis (O fate changeable like the moon)
Semper crecis aut decrescis (waxes and wanes)
Vita detestabilis (hateful life)
Nunc obdurat et tunc curat ludo mentis aciem (you torture and pamper us as you wish)
Egestatem, potestatum, dissolvit ut glaciem (poverty and power, melt like ice)
Sorn immanis et inanis, rota tu volubilis (like a monstrous spinning wheel)
Status mabus, vena salus, simper dissolubilis (fame, fortune and good health fades away)
Obumbrata et velata michi quoque niteris (veiled in disguise, you attacked me also)
Nunc per ludum dorsum nudum fero tui sceleris (I yield to your cruel pleasure)
Sors salutis et virtutis michi nunc contraria (you have threatened my health and virtue)
Est affectus et defectus simper in angaria (you exploit my weakness and emotions)
Hac in hora sine mora corde pulsum tangite (so at this mournful hour, let’s play a tune to
commisurate)