Carl Orff

Carl Heinrich Maria Orff was born in Munich on 10 July 1895, trained as a composer in a Germany still steeped in Romanticism, but spent decades finding his own voice. In 1937 he premiered Carmina Burana, a cantata setting medieval poems to rhythm-driven, percussive music that stripped away orchestral fat and hit like a hammer. The work made his name and never let go. Alongside composing, he developed the Schulwerk, a teaching method built on rhythm, movement, and simple instruments that reshaped how children learn music worldwide. He continued working in Munich until his death on 29 March 1982…