Carmina Burana: Cantiones Profanae [Paperback]

Carl Orff (Author), Judith Lynn Sebesta (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0865162689 | ISBN-13: 978-0865162686 | Publication Date: June 1, 1996

Carl Orff's 24 selections from the 200 poems of the Carmina Burana celebrate the universal range of human emotion and experience: passion, longing, exuberance, humor, rebellion, ennui, resignation. Now tender, now tragic; secular, yet reverent; the poems of the Carmina touch the chords of our purest and darkest spirituality.

An excellent resource for the student, the performer, the audience, and the general reader, this dual-language edition provides two moving translations of the original Latin, facing vocabulary, and informative essays. This text will enrich understanding and heighten appreciation of these beloved medieval poems.

Special Features

* Original Latin poems with facing vocabulary, translation, and essays
* Additional literary translation by Jeffery M. Duban
* Featuring medieval woodcuts as well as 17 original illustrations by Thom Kapheim
* Carmina Burana, with its provocative subject matter and evocative music, makes Latin a vibrant, living language!

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

Some of the areas we publish in include:

Selections From The Aeneid
Latin Grammar & Pronunciation
Greek Grammar & Pronunciation
Texts Supporting Wheelock's Latin
Classical author workbooks: Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Cicero
Vocabulary Cards For AP Selections: Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Horace
Greek Mythology
Greek Lexicon
Slovak Culture And History

Editorial Reviews

Review

A must for anyone interested in performing Carmina Burana. An engaging book for both singers and conductors. Literal and poetic translations and plentiful period illustrations fascinate and entertain the reader.

Vance George, Director, San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Review

We use it whenever we perform it.

Gregory Boals, Choral Director, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. -- Gregory Boals, Choral Director, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

A must for anyone interested in performing Carmina Burana. An engaging book for both singers and conductors. Literal and poetic translations and plentiful period illustrations fascinate and entertain the reader.'Vance George, Director, San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Review: 'We use it whenever we perform 'Gregory Boals, Choral Director, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. -- Gregory Boals, Choral Director, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

'A delightful and educational supplement for your daily Latin fare...Sebesta's commentary keeps the music constantly in mind... -- Peter L. Reid, NEC Newsletter

Eminently suitable for teaching pupils and students, this extremely thorough and useful book... can be used with equal advantage by singers and conductors alike... A number of delightful illustrations, both old (woodcuts) and modern, complement the text while a comprehensive bibliography and list of available recordings provide stimulation for those wishing to gain more information. -- Alta Schoeman, University of Stellenbosch, Scholia Reviews

I am writing with compliments for the Judith Lynn Sebesta Carmina Burana text...This book was an invaluable resource to me while student teaching during this past term. My pupils were third-year Latin students at a public high school. During the unit, I would play a recording of the specific carmen following our reading of the Latin. -- Lisa Heath Altevogt

We should welcome [Sebesta's] book which will contribute much to the pupil's appreciation of Orff and the Carmina Burana...this would be an excellent investment for the school library...' --The Joint Association of Classical Teachers

A delightful and educational supplement for your daily Latin fare...Sebesta's commentary keeps the music constantly in mind... -- Peter L. Reid, NEC Newsletter

Eminently suitable for teaching pupils and students, this extremely thorough and useful book... can be used with equal advantage by singers and conductors alike... A number of delightful illustrations, both old (woodcuts) and modern, complement the text while a comprehensive bibliography and list of available recordings provide stimulation for those wishing to gain more information. -- Alta Schoeman, University of Stellenbosch, Scholia Reviews

I am writing with compliments for the Judith Lynn Sebesta Carmina Burana text...This book was an invaluable resource to me while student teaching during this past term. My pupils were third-year Latin students at a public high school. During the unit, I would play a recording of the specific carmen following our reading of the Latin. -- Lisa Heath Altevogt

We should welcome [Sebesta's] book which will contribute much to the pupil's appreciation of Orff and the Carmina Burana...this would be an excellent investment for the school library... --The Joint Association of Classical Teachers

Language Notes

Text: English, Latin (translation)
Original Language: Latin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865162689
• ISBN-13: 978-0865162686
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible!, July 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Carmina Burana: Cantiones Profanae (Paperback)

This is essentially a text book.

The level of writing makes it appear that this book is intended for the instruction of adolescents, and considering the rather recent date of publication they would have to be remarkably atypically "innocent" for this day and age. The questions intended to stimulate discussion are embarrassingly simpleminded in many cases. It is difficult to imagine that this book wouldn't be laughed out of the classroom by most of today's students.

An appendix in the back of the book contain an acceptable translation of the Latin lyrics by someone other than the author. However, the body of the book contains the author's renderings of the Latin poems as well as her comments. What she has done to the poems is a travesty - even as "free" renderings they go way beyond what is acceptable in giving an unfamiliar audience an understanding of the originals.

This has almost nothing to recommend it - there are many that are better.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a very good book., March 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Carmina Burana: Cantiones Profanae (Paperback)

Sebesta's Cantiones Profanae is excellent as BOTH a textbook and an analysis of this beautiful medieval poetry. Sebesta's translations make for good reading, and the original text with glossaries on the opposing page make this a textbook conducive to both learning and reading for pleasure. We used this book in my university Latin class, and it was both challenging and insightful. It gives a glimpse into medieval European life not often shown in most history classes. I heartily recommend this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Adequate, but this subject needs a better book, October 12, 2006

By 

T. Sparfeld (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carmina Burana: Cantiones Profanae (Paperback)

Carmina Burana has become one of the favorite compositions of the 20th century, Carl Orff's setting of the profane medieval Goliard poems has been performed countless times and the opening movement is recognizable by nearly everybody.

Judith Lynn Sebesta has written a book about the text and Orff's music, while some reviewers seem to think the book is intended for adolescents, the complexities of the questions and the illustrations suggest otherwise.

The information in the book is useful. After an overview of the Goliards and the history of the text, Sebesta breaks the Latin text up into segments. Within these segments are the Latin text with definitions, a poetic English translation, and analysis of the text and Orff's setting of the music. The final section contains an alternate English translation.

There are several great things about this book. First, there's nothing else like this out there right now, so it remains a good source. Sebesta is effective at analyzing the text and areas of special interest. The illustrations are also interesting additions, and the Latin definitions can be helpful. For these reasons, this book is recommended to anyone performing CB.

This book is far from perfect. Sebesta asks direct questions of the reader about the relationship between text and music. While this engages the reader's thought, Sebesta provides few answers, making the book less of a resource.

In addition, the book seems to have a fragmented structure. One has little idea what to expect when one turns to the next page. Moreover, the musical analysis is quite lacking.

Despite its shortcomings, this seems to be the best book out there on the subject. Hopefully there will be a Cambridge Music Handbook or a similar publication regarding CB which will be of the quality which it deserves.