CARMINA BURANA

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was pronounced [fEliks] with an open “e” sound as in “bed” in the fi rst syllable. Christian Thielemann, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Eugen Jochum pronounced the word [filiks] with a closed “e,” as in “beet.” Harold Copeman best describes this discrepancy as follows: Latin vowels … all had more than one sound, sometimes three or four. The vowels can all indicate different moods. In rejoicing “e” can have a bright sound (Eu, Euge, Euoe, Euare); in sorrow it can have a more open sound (He, Hei, Heu, Heiulare). 5 However, Copeman goes on to describe the pronunciation of the word Felix: “Felix, found on coins as FEELIX, the mouth is fi rst half closed, then open, with lips moderately forward, with more vigorous breath, letting the tongue touch the front teeth, (a rather open [e:]).” 6 2. Another inconsistency between recordings lies in the pronunciation of the word Ecce (behold) in those recordings using the Germanic pronunciation of Latin. According to Copeman, “cc” before “e” should be pronounced [kts] according to the rules of Middle High German. 7 None of the chosen recordings observed this rule. Instead, Ecce was either pronounced [EtSe] or [Eke]. According to Copeman, “cc” before front vowels did not become generally [ts] until the seventh century, but in (northern Europe), the Irish Latin [k] of Columbanus and St. Gall was kept for centuries. 8 This explanation justifi es the pronunciation as [Eke]. The pronun- Taken from Burana Codex Depicting the Fortuna Wheel. ciation [EtSe] follows the Ecclesiastical Latin rules; therefore, is incorrect in a Germanic Latin performance. 3. In Movement 7 (Floret silva), all of the recordings using Germanic Latin diction pronounced fl oret (he/she/it fl ourishes) [flçrEt] or [florEt], except for the Eugene Ormandy recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In this recording, fl oret was pronounced [flore]. According to Copeman, the proper pronunciation of fl oret is [florEt]. No justifi cation was found for the pronunciation [flore]. Latin held a unique position in Western civilization in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, perhaps similar to that of present day English in Africa and India. Although it was the principal offi cial and literary language in Western Europe, it was no one’s fi rst tongue. 9 No one spoke Latin at home. It was taught in school to a very small class of society and it did not come naturally to anyone. 10 The constant use of Latin by speakers of vernacular languages caused it to adapt its grammar and pronunciation to vernacular patterns. 11 As vernacular speakers spoke Latin according to their own idiom, the pronunciation of Latin divided according to national and regional languages and dialects. 12 There were as many pronunciations of Latin across Europe as there were languages. The Goliardic poets of the Carmina Burana and the monks who compiled the Burana Codex 13 were located primarily in the region known as Bavaria, or Southern Germany. 14 Therefore, their pronunciation of Latin would refl ect the German vernacular of the day. Bearing this in mind, it is most appropriate for the Latin texts to be pronounced using Germanic diction rather than ecclesiastical. Moreover, an ecclesiastical pronunciation lends itself to a more “prayerful” hearing of the text, rather than the secular, profane intentions of the poets. German Text Movements 7 – 10 contain German texts. In the sixteen chosen recordings, two basic diction philosophies were followed: • Modern German diction rules were applied to the texts; or CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 4 55
CARL ORFF'S <strong>CARMINA</strong> <strong>BURANA</strong> • A modifi ed form of Middle High German pronunciation was applied. 15 The most obvious differences between the two styles came in the pronunciation of “v” and “w.” Those recordings that followed the Modern German diction pronounced “v” as [f ] and “w” as [v]. Those following the modifi ed Middle High German diction pronounced “v” as [v] and “w” as [w]. The recordings that used Modern German pronunciation were conducted by Ormandy, Muti, Jochum, Tilson Thomas, Shaw, Ozawa, Thielemann, Stokowski, Gunzenhauser and Mahler. The recordings using a modifi ed version of Middle High German were by Delogu, Dorati, Sawallisch, Penderecki, Slatkin, and Frübeck de Burgos. 56 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 4 There were no signifi cant differences in pronunciation among those recordings that used modern German diction. Among those using modifi ed Middle High German, the following discrepancies were noticed: • The pronunciation of “e” at the end of a word following a consonant, for example umbe, had two different variations. Several recordings pronounced this as [umb´] while others used a more open sounding ending [umbE] or [umbe]. According to Peter Frenzel, “e” is pronounced [e], as in stay, when unstressed in open syllable, but lax and tending to a more open sound. It was noted that [´] is also a possible ending. 16 • In movement 10 (Were diu werlt alle min), measure 13 contains the words ih and mih. The “h”s in these words were interpreted in two different ways. Some kept the consonant silent [i] and [mi]. Others interpreted the “h” as the allophone [C]. According to Frenzel, medial “h” had probably become silent or lightly aspirated by the fi fteenth century in many European dialects. However, the digraph “ch,” pronounced generally [x] in Middle High German, at some point in the early modern period split into the allophones [C] (after “e” and “I”). 17 He further explains that German spelling varied by region prior to the 15th century. Letters were often excluded.
Page 1 and 2: CARL ORFF’S CARMINA BURANA An Ana
Page 3 and 4: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA The cond
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Page 15 and 16: CARL ORFF'S CARMINA BURANA Shinyuka

CARMINA BURANA

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