Carmina Burana 1936, German composer Carl Orff composed music, also called "Carmina Burana", for 24 of the poems. The single song "O Fortuna" (the Roman goddess of luck and fate), from the movement "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi", is often heard in many popular settings such as films. Orff's composition has been performed by many ensembles. Other musical settings include: Notes Bibliography Carmina Burana Carmina Burana (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" ["Buria" in Latin]) is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent,
Carl Orff of considerable debate and analysis. His "Carmina Burana" was hugely popular in Nazi Germany after its premiere in Frankfurt in 1937. Given Orff's previous lack of commercial success, the monetary factor of "Carmina Burana"'s acclaim was significant to him. But the composition, with its unfamiliar rhythms, was also denounced with racist taunts. He was one of the few German composers under the Nazi regime who responded to the official call to write new incidental music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" after the music of Felix Mendelssohn had been banned. Defenders of Orff note that he had already composed music for