April's Song

What a wonderful way to begin the month. This morning was "Music Sunday" at church. Our remarkable adult choir, children's choir, guest soloists, and piano and percussion players performed Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.


This church amazes me every week with its talented, humane, welcoming congregation. Today this austere beautiful building was filled to the rafters with laughter, joy and song.


Is it rare that a church would perform this piece on Palm Sunday? I believe it is. Orff wrote the music to accompany selected 10th to 13th century poems found in Germany in 1803. The Carmina Burana's overall thesis is that in both life and love, man is the pawn of capricious fate. With the famous "O Fortuna" as the first and final of the 24 songs. In between come songs of tragedy, whimsy and love.


The photos were mostly taken during rehearsal. The performance was time to focus on the music fully.

Some song descriptions follow.

Veris leta facies (Spring's joyous face shines upon the earth)


Floret silva (The forest is becoming green again, but where is my lover? He has ridden far away. Who will love me now?)


Estuans interius (Inwardly burning with violent rage, I speak bitterly to my soul.)


Si puer cum puellula (If a lad were to dally in a room with a sweet lass, what a happy union!)


The piece including the children's choir of cupids: Tempus est iocundum (Oh,oh, oh! I am bursting out all over! I am burning all over with first love!)


And the silliest: Olim lacus colueram ("Once a lake was my home" the song of a roasted swan about to be served "Miserable me! Now I am black and roasting fiercely!"


The performances of our choirs and guests were spectacular. The ovation went on and on. I carried the feeling of joy and renewing spring out with me into my day.


Information about the work and the translations are from our church service bulletin from the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music and Michael Moore from 2004 program notes for the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.