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Quiz about Easy Orff
Quiz about Easy Orff

Easy Orff Trivia Quiz


Most of FunTrivia's Classical Music quizzes are wonderful but DIFFICULT! Here's one on a terrific composer that you can do even if you've never heard of Carl Orff and his amazing 20th century compositions.

A multiple-choice quiz by LilahDeDah. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
LilahDeDah
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
210,467
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
802
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Carl Orff was born (in 1895) and died (1982) in this Bavarian capital, where he studied with Heinrich Kaminski. The city is also the home of "Oktoberfest" and hosted the 1972 Olympics. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. By the time he was 30, Orff had developed an interest in one particular field of music. From 1930-35, he wrote five volumes of his "Schulwerk - Musik für Kinder". For what is the "Schulwerk" still used today? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Although in his lifetime Orff vigorously refused to have his work categorized as opera or anything else (preferring to call them "pageants for the stage"), today his work is often called "opera" anyway. "Carmina Burana" is called a "scenic cantata" by classiccat.net/orff. Which of the following statements about cantata vs. opera is TRUE? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Although most of his work can be considered secular, Carl Orff was Catholic and composed a few religious pieces. His "Ludus de Nato Infante Mirificus" is a Christmas work. For what religious holiday was "Comoedia de Christi Resurrectione" written? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Orff frequently found inspiration in Greek tragedy. Of these four compositions (all by Orff), which one is NOT adapted from a Greek play? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Orff's best-known work, "Carmina Burana", was possibly the greatest musical composition written and premiered during Hitler's Third Reich. History is equivocal on whether Orff was a Nazi sympathizer. In a "New York Times" article from 2001, Richard Taruskin writes "Even if we admit that "Carmina Burana" was the original "Springtime for Hitler," with its theme of vernal lust and its tunes redolent (according to a German acquaintance of mine) of the songs sung in the 30's by Nazi youth clubs, can't we take Hitler away now and just leave innocent springtime or, at least, innocent music?"

From what 1968 movie and 2001 stage play is "Springtime for Hitler"?

Answer: (One or Two Words. The Incomparable Mel Brooks)
Question 7 of 10
7. In the 1930s, Carl Orff wrote a score for Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" ("Ein Sommernachtstraum") to replace the 1826 music of Felix Mendelssohn. Why was Mendelssohn's work banned? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. "Catulli Carmina" (1943) was inspired by the work of the first century BCE Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, much of whose work is lusty and erotic. "Catulli Carmina", like its more popular predecessor "Carmina Burana", is written in the same language Catullus would have spoken. What language is that? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Orff's "Carmina Burana" was adapted from 13th century Bavarian erotic verses. The three-part composition has as its subjects some of the most beloved aspects of secular 13th century life. Which of the following is NOT a major theme in "Carmina Burana"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. "Carmina Burana" and "Catulli Carmina", along with a third piece called "Trionfo di Afrodite" comprise Orff's "Trionfi" trilogy. This work was first performed in its entirety in 1953 at La Scala. In which city is this famous opera house? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Carl Orff was born (in 1895) and died (1982) in this Bavarian capital, where he studied with Heinrich Kaminski. The city is also the home of "Oktoberfest" and hosted the 1972 Olympics.

Answer: Munich

Munich (München in German) was named after a community of Benedictine monks ("München" means "little monks") who lived where the city was founded. Interestingly, Orff would write his most famous work ("Carmina Burana") based on decidedly non-sacred medieval texts found at Beneditbeuern Abbey near Munich.
2. By the time he was 30, Orff had developed an interest in one particular field of music. From 1930-35, he wrote five volumes of his "Schulwerk - Musik für Kinder". For what is the "Schulwerk" still used today?

Answer: Teaching music to children

(If only ALL German were so easily translatable to English as "Schulwerk"!)

Orff founded a music school in Munich in 1924. His "Schulwerk" is still used today in music education, and in fact is called the "Orff Method".
3. Although in his lifetime Orff vigorously refused to have his work categorized as opera or anything else (preferring to call them "pageants for the stage"), today his work is often called "opera" anyway. "Carmina Burana" is called a "scenic cantata" by classiccat.net/orff. Which of the following statements about cantata vs. opera is TRUE?

Answer: All of these

There's a wonderful discussion on cantata, oratorio, and opera (what they are, and aren't) at http://www.incompetech.com/music/cantata.html.
Most cantatas, this says, last 10-15 minutes and are not elaborately staged. "Carmina Burana" contains 25 movements and usually takes about an hour to perform. I guess "scenic cantata" sounds better than "sort of short opera"?

(And if YOU'RE confused, what about poor ME, the poor non-musical quizwriter? I hope you picked "All of these"...it's generally the right answer anyway.)
4. Although most of his work can be considered secular, Carl Orff was Catholic and composed a few religious pieces. His "Ludus de Nato Infante Mirificus" is a Christmas work. For what religious holiday was "Comoedia de Christi Resurrectione" written?

Answer: Easter

According to the website www.mobileopera.org/carmina_orff.php, Orff employs not only religious but also distinctly Bavarian idioms in these two pieces.
5. Orff frequently found inspiration in Greek tragedy. Of these four compositions (all by Orff), which one is NOT adapted from a Greek play?

Answer: De Temporum Fine Comoedia

"Antigonae" and "Oedipus" were both adapted by Orff from German translations of Sophocles. "Prometheus" is from "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus.

One of Orff's last works was "De Temporum Fine Comoedia" or "Comedy About the End of Time", from 1973.
6. Orff's best-known work, "Carmina Burana", was possibly the greatest musical composition written and premiered during Hitler's Third Reich. History is equivocal on whether Orff was a Nazi sympathizer. In a "New York Times" article from 2001, Richard Taruskin writes "Even if we admit that "Carmina Burana" was the original "Springtime for Hitler," with its theme of vernal lust and its tunes redolent (according to a German acquaintance of mine) of the songs sung in the 30's by Nazi youth clubs, can't we take Hitler away now and just leave innocent springtime or, at least, innocent music?" From what 1968 movie and 2001 stage play is "Springtime for Hitler"?

Answer: The Producers

The extremely interesting article "Was Carl Orff a Nazi?" can be read at www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/orff.html. Various sources I consulted differed on this subject, some going so far as to link Orff with the German anti-Nazi resistance; others, such as Mr. Taruskin's, are far more critical.

"The Producers", though, is a completely wonderful movie and play.
7. In the 1930s, Carl Orff wrote a score for Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" ("Ein Sommernachtstraum") to replace the 1826 music of Felix Mendelssohn. Why was Mendelssohn's work banned?

Answer: Mendelssohn was Jewish

Despite Mendelssohn's Lutheran baptism, Protestant wife, and Christian burial, the only part of his pedigree that really interested the Nazis was his Jewish ancestry.

Although Orff worked on his "Midsummer" music for many years, both before and after the Third Reich, it is Mendelssohn's that remains the most popular. His "Wedding March" is one of the most recognized classical music pieces in the world.
8. "Catulli Carmina" (1943) was inspired by the work of the first century BCE Roman poet Gaius Valerius Catullus, much of whose work is lusty and erotic. "Catulli Carmina", like its more popular predecessor "Carmina Burana", is written in the same language Catullus would have spoken. What language is that?

Answer: Latin

Orff was quoted as saying that he preferred "Catulli" to the far more critically acclaimed (and enduring) "Carmina Burana". "Catulli", although it also contrasts Youth and Age, is primarily about love...and sexual love at that. For most of its existence, the Prelude to "Catulli Carmina" had a great many of its earthier expressions censored.
9. Orff's "Carmina Burana" was adapted from 13th century Bavarian erotic verses. The three-part composition has as its subjects some of the most beloved aspects of secular 13th century life. Which of the following is NOT a major theme in "Carmina Burana"?

Answer: Religious duties

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana)
"The lyrics of the poems cover a wide range of secular topics, as familiar in the 13th century as they are today: the fickleness of fortune, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasures of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust."

At the same website can also be found a list of the many places this music has found its way into, including commercials, movies, and even a video game.
10. "Carmina Burana" and "Catulli Carmina", along with a third piece called "Trionfo di Afrodite" comprise Orff's "Trionfi" trilogy. This work was first performed in its entirety in 1953 at La Scala. In which city is this famous opera house?

Answer: Milan

(It's too bad it isn't in Munich, where Orff began and ended both his life and his career, but Milan it must be.)

I hope you have enjoyed this very basic look at Carl Orff and his work and will be inspired to discover more.
Source: Author LilahDeDah

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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