early work

As a young man, Carl Orff frequently set poems to music, resulting in several song cycles. After the premiere of Carmina Burana and the development of his own musical language, he rejected his early works. Some of his early works were not performed during Carl Orff's lifetime.

Gisei

The Japanese play Terakoya inspired Carl Orff to write his first stage work.
Composed: 1913
Premiere: 30 January 2010 in Darmstadt

Tanzende Faune

Inspired by Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Carl Orff composed this purely instrumental work.
Composed: 1914
Premiere: 6 December 1995 in Munich

Songs

In search of his own style, Carl Orff experimented particularly with song composition. Between 1911 and 1921, he wrote several individual works and song cycles based on texts by Münchhausen, Nietzsche, Klabund, Werfel and others.

Eliland. Ein Sang vom Chiemsee, after Karl Stieler
Composed: 1911
Premiere: around 1912, Munich

Märchen, according to Max Haushofer
Composed: 1911

Frühe Lieder, based on works by Richard Beer-Hofmann, Hermann Lingg, Nikolaus Lenau, Friedrich Nietzsche, Klabund and Franz Werfel
Composed: 1911, 1919–1921

Der Tod und die Liebe, according to Börries von Münchhausen
Composed: 1912

Des Herzen Slüzzelin 
Composed: 1912

Liebessorgen, according to Martin Greif
Composed: 1912

Toskanische Volkslieder, Translation: Paul Heyse
Composed: 1912

Kantaten nach Texten von Werfel

Werkbuch I contains three cantatas composed by Carl Orff to texts by Franz Werfel. Veni creator spiritus, Der gute Mensch and Fremde sind wir each consist of three poems.
Composed: 1930
Revised: 1968
Premiere (in parts): 11 October 1930 in Munich

Des Turmes Auferstehung

Carl Orff sets Franz Werfel's poem to music with a large orchestra and double choirs.
Composed: 1920/1921
Premiere: 6 December 1995 in Munich

Kleines Konzert

Carl Orff arranged lute pieces from the 16th century for wind instruments, harpsichord and percussion.
Composed: 1927 Revised: 1975
Premiere: 11 December 1928 in Munich

Entrata

William Byrd's The Bells arranged by Carl Orff for a five-part choir and organ.
Composed: 1928
Revised: 1940
Premiere: June 1930 during a radio experiment in Königsberg

Kantaten nach Bert Brecht

Carl Orff combines six compositions based on poems by Bert Brecht into cantatas.

Vom Frühjahr, Öltank und vom Fliegen, based on Bertolt Brecht
Composed: 1930
Revised: 1973
Premiere: 11 July 1965, Stuttgart

Von der Freundlichkeit der Welt, based on Bertolt Brecht
Composed: 1930
Revised 1973
Premiere: 19. March 1979 Leipzig