Carl Orff's O Fortuna in popular culture Carl Orff's O Fortuna in popular culture In 1935–36, the 13th-century poem "O Fortuna" was set to music by the German composer Carl Orff for his twenty-five-movement cantata "Carmina Burana". The composition appears in numerous films and television commercials and has become a staple in popular culture, setting the mood for dramatic or cataclysmic situations. For instance, it is used to portray the torment of Jim Morrison's drug addiction in the film "The Doors." In 1983, Doors' keyboardist Ray Manzarek released his third solo album, "Carmina Burana", which is an interpretation of the piece in a contemporary framework. "O Fortuna"
Carl Orff of the human spirit through sexual and holistic balance. The work was based on thirteenth-century poetry found in a manuscript dubbed the "Codex latinus monacensis" found in the Benedictine monastery of Benediktbeuern in 1803 and written by the Goliards; this collection is also known as "Carmina Burana". While "modern" in some of his compositional techniques, Orff was able to capture the spirit of the medieval period in this trilogy, with infectious rhythms and simple harmonies. The medieval poems, written in Latin and an early form of German, are often racy, but without descending into smut. "Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi", commonly known