Carl Orff - Music for 1936 Olympics

This is a strange record. Its music that Carl Orff wrote for the 1936 German Olympics. A youth orchestra is conducted by Gunild Keetman. Although famous for Carmina Burana, Orff mostly wrote music for children to play, often collaborating with Keetman. Certainly not the bombast you would except from the Nazi's Olympics.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Orff
• Olympics
• 1936
• Nazis
• orthophonic

[wehaveasituation]

What insipid pap! I knew Orff was intentionally diatonic and "simple" in a reaction to the densely spun post-Romantic swirlings of his day, but this is just irritating and childish.

[merrihew]

It was written for children of course. Your criticism is valid based on your criteria, but does that mean everyone should use these same criteria? Is everything you don't like bad?

[merrihew]

Wow! I strongly urge viewers to check out the video response.

[merrihew]

That is a sad story. Were you aware that this record existed? I have been unable to find out anything about it.

[Verhoeventube]

Thats so beutiful! remember when i was in Berlin stadiun in olimpic games! Remember my father and all my family! I am was a so happy! I was Believe in germany people! This music make me happy! Family, brothers and hope! Thats what this music make me feel!

[emarum]

separate art and ideology, ey..

[HConstantine]

@searcherboy If they were, we known they looked nothing like Hitler, Himmler, or Goebbels (maybe Goering before he put on weight and started wearing makeup to staff meetings)--Hypocrites on top of everything else!

[HConstantine]

@merrihew Thanks for posting this unheard of rarity!

[HConstantine]

@wehaveasituation Well, you have to bear in mind the child-like intellect (combined with low animal cunning) and complete lack of taste of his patron on this piece.

[baxxterhp]

A nice happy, cheerful tune... Got that 'bouncy-ness' to it! Sort of got me nodding my head side to side with a smile!

[Akhaggar]

@searcherboy - why do you have to be so hateful, geez. It's Olympics. An international sports event, attended by 49 nations. There were many BEAUTIFUL things going on in the world during Nazi period, believe or not. Children were born, beautiful music was played, flowers were growing. Apparently, for you it's all black and white though. Well, it must be easy to live like that.

[HerrWagnerfreund]

Sir, I know that I'll go to Hell. And that's good. I wouldn't know anyone in Heaven.

[searcherboy]

@HerrWagnerfreund Your post is vile. You condemn yourself with your own words. By 1936, the 'Sondergerichte' (Special Courts) had condemned thousands of political undesirables, all German nationals, to death. Some were 'guilty' of nothing more than labor union activism or expressing Liberal views. The concentration camp system was operational and the liquidation of Jews, gypsies and other enemies was under way. Naziism was no more than state-sanctioned murder. You celebrate this? Disgusting.

[HerrWagnerfreund]

And: you don't have to be a member of the party to be a National Socialist. Most Germans supported NS ideology, and I can only say? Why shouldn't they? Until 1939, the National Socialist government succeeded in everything the democrats weren't able in 14 years. They re-united the Altreich with Austria and Bohemia which is for us what Wales is for the English, they broke the unfair Versailles Treaty and so on. That's why Germans supported them, and if we'd won the war, still would do.

[HerrWagnerfreund]

Of course the "Nazi" flags waved since the Swastika banner was the official flag of the German state as your funny Maple Leaf is your official flag -- do I complain? And that German men wore German uniforms isn't disgusting at all. I love uniforms. You might have a slight Nazi complex, sir. Germany back in 1936 was, however, a much greater and better country than modern-day democratic, weak and self-hating piece-of-shit "Germany." And German children performing German music is also great.

[searcherboy]

@SamHawkens What a slick rationalization. Anyone who would shout "Heil Hitler", metaphorically or otherwise, for any reason, is an idiot. Most Germans were not members of the Nazi party - though millions of Germans were complicit, either passively or actively, in acts of genocide and war crimes. Who manned the railroads that shipped millions of Jews to the death camps? Who manufactured Zyklon B? Ordinary Germans. Who cares? Germans do, for one. HIstory will never forget.