The Life and Teachings of Carl Orff

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The Life and Teachings of Carl Orff

• Presented by
• Courtney Moore

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The Early Years

• Born in Munich on July, 10th 1895
• In 1900 Orff received instruction for piano,
  organ and cello.
• In 1911 Orff wrote approximately 50 songs to
  texts of classical authors.

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The Early Years Continued

• In 1913 Orff wrote his first opera "Gisei, after
  a Japanese legend
• Until 1914 he studied at the academy of the clay
  and tone art in Munich.
• 1914 Short term war service in World War I

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1924 to 1935

• 1924 Carl was the joint founder along with
  Dorothée Günther of the "Guenther school", which
  aimed at a new connection of movement and music.
• 1930-1935 Publication of his educational work in
  the musical "school work for children"

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Carmina Burana

• 1937 Premier of Carmina Burana
• Secular Songs for soloist and chorus with
  Accompanying Instruments
• A compilation of songs that are performed to mime
  and dance

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Carl Orffs Beliefs

• He described himself as a wild flower
• He aimed to provide stimulation for new
  independent growth
• He believed music was never conclusive and
  settled, but always developing and always growing
  and flowing

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Guentherschule

• A school for gymnastics, music, and dance
• Aimed at rhythmical education and a reciprocal
  interpenetration of movement and music education
• Students would acquire a well-developed technique
  of improvisation

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Orff Instruments

• Pitched percussion instruments with wooden and
  metal bars
• Xylophones, metollophones, glockenspiels, various
  drums, cymbals, woodblocks, rattles, viola da
  gambas, and lutes

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Rhythmic Training

• Carl Orff believed that rhythmic training should
  not start after adolescence, but during the first
  schools years and even earlier
• In his teaching method, movement, singing, and
  playing become a unity

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Music in the Elementary Classroom

• "Elementary music is never music alone but forms
  a unity with movement, dance and speech. It is
  music that one makes oneself, in which one takes
  part not as a listener but as a participant. It
  is unsophisticated, employs no big forms and no
  big architectural structures, and it uses small
  sequence forms, ostinato and rondo. Elementary
  music is near the earth, natural, physical,
  within the range of everyone to learn and to
  experience it, and suitable for the child"

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A Musical Starting Point

• Melodic The cuckoo-call (a falling third)
• A melodic range of notes The five-note
  pentatonic scale that has no semi tones
• Speech name-calling, counting out rhymes and the
  simplest of childrens rhymes and songs

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The Orff Institute

• The department Orff Institute" at the University
  for Music in Salzburg is devoted to the teaching
  and research of music and dance education as well
  as to the documentation and further development
  of Orff Schulwerk.

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Orff Schulwerk

• Orff published a five volume work Music for
  Children which is called Schulwerk.
• These works have been translated and adapted
  around the world.
• Orffs Schulwerk involves children in creative
  activities that include singing, playing, and
  moving in ways that are natural to them.
• Childrens speech texture, dynamics, pitch
  patterns, and rhythms is the basis for musical
  development.

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Two quotes from Carl Orff

• Elementary music, word and movement play,
  everything that awakens and develops powers of
  the spirit, this is the humus of the spirit,
  the humus without which we face the danger of
  spiritual erosion

• Everyone can learn elementary music, bit those
  who want to teach, especially those in primary
  schools, must learn it unconditionally. Only
  when primary schools have laid the foundations
  can the secondary schools build up a successful
  musical education

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• Ich habe das Meinige gethan
• I have done my part now do yours

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References

• Mark, M. (1986). Contemporary music education
  (2nd ed.). New York Schirmer
• Orff, C. Orff-Schulwerk Past and Future.
• This Speech, given by Professor Dr. Carl Orff at
  the opening of the Orff Institute in Salzburg on
  the 25th of October, 1963, is published by kind
  permission of B. Schotts Soehne, Mainz, from the
  Orff Institute Jahrbuch 1963. The Translation is
  by Margaret Murray.