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Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Biography
must fuse music, words and movement, a goal no doubt partly inspired
by his work with the Gntherschule.
Orf embodied his conception of music in the fabulously successful
Carmina Burana (1937), which in many ways defined him as a
composer. Based on an important collection of Latin and German
Goliard poems found in the monastery of Benediktbeuren, this work
exemplifies Orf's search for an idiom that would reveal the elemental
power of music, allowing the listener to experience music as an
overwhelming, primitive force.
In 1982, Carl Orf died in Munich, where he had spent his entire life.
Process
Imitation
Exploration
Improvisation
Composition
Basic principles
Music, dance and speech complement each other and at the same
time provide starting points for creative activities.
2
Instruments
Folk music and music composed by the children themselves are mostly
used in the Orf classroom. Xylophones (soprano, alto, bass),
metallophones (soprano, alto, bass), glockenspiels (soprano and alto),
castanets, bells, maracas, triangles, cymbals (finger, crash or
suspended), tambourines, timpani, gongs, bongos, steel drums and
conga drums are but some of the percussion instruments used in the
Orf classroom. Other instruments (both pitched and unpitched) that
may be used include cowbell, shakers, wood blocks, rhythm sticks and
etc.
In the Orf classroom, the teacher acts like a conductor who gives cues
to her eager orchestra. If the teacher selected a song, some students
will be chosen as instrumentalists while the rest of the class sings
along. Parts may or may not be notated. If notated, it should be simple
enough for the students to understand. The teacher then provides
students a copy of the notes and/or creates a poster.
Rhythm was the most important aspect of music and believed that
music, movement, and speech were inseparable.
Teaching and learning should be active, participatory, and group
oriented rather than receptive, soloistic, and static.
Body percussion (stomp, patschen, clap, snap) is used extensively in
music education, because of its accessibilitythe human body is the
original musical instrument and the only instrument that every student
possesses.
Used for improvisation in pentatonic scale provide simple bourdon
(drone) and ostinato (repetitive) accompaniments for rhythmic speech
and singing, and for ensemble performance of childrens song only
after students have acquired a working vocabulary of musical
experiences are notational symbols introduced.
Orf Notation
REFERENCES
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Carl_Orf.aspx
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/carl-orf-mn0000937423/biography
http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/orf101.asp