Orff, Carl (1895-1982), was a German composer and music educator. His major works were for the stage. They combine instrumental music, singing, and gesture and dance into a unified spectacle. Orff's music emphasizes simple, folklike melodies and harmonies that are sometimes colored with dissonance. He used instruments percussively to create a powerful rhythmic drive. Orff used Oriental and medieval scales and texts in several languages, sometimes simultaneously.