• 1895 Born on 10 July in Munich
• 1898 Birth of his sister Maria (Mia)
• 1900 First piano tuition and first recording of compositions on a slate
• 1905 Music composed for his own puppet theatre
• 1912-14 Studies at the Academy of Music in Munich
• 1914 Further studies with Hermann Zilcher
• 1916 Musical director of Munich Chamber Theatre
• 1917 Military service, trapped on the Eastern front
• 1918 Musical director in Mannheim and Darmstadt
• 1919 Study of old masters of the 16th and 17th century; private circle of students in Munich
• 1920-27 Married to Alice Solscher
• 1920 Studies with Heinrich Kaminski
• 1921 Birth of daughter Godela

• 1924 Foundation of Günther School in Munich
• 1925 First performance of new arrangement of ›L'Orfeo‹ by Monteverdi
• 1926 Begins cooperation with Gunild Keetman
• 1930 Performance of ›Entrata‹ originally by William Byrd
• 1931 First editions of Schulwerk
• 1932 Arrangement and adaptation of the St Lukas Passion attributed to Bach
• 1932-33 Musical director of Munich Bach Society
• 1936 Music for ›Olympic Festival‹: “Einzug und Reigen”
• 1937 First performance of ›Carmina Burana‹
• 1939-53 Married to Gertrud Willert
• 1939 First performance of ›Der Mond‹ and first performance of ›Ein Sommernachtstraum‹ (3rd version)
• 1943 First performance of ›Die Kluge‹ und ›Catulli Carmina‹
• 1944 Günther school closed down by the Nazis

• 1947 Receives music prize from the city of Munich; first performance of ›Bernauerin‹
• 1948 First school radio broadcasts ›Orff Schulwerk. Musik für Kinder‹
• 1949 First performance of ›Antigonae‹
• 1950-54 Schott Music publishes ›Orff Schulwerk. Musik für Kinder‹
• 1950-60 Director of master class for composition at the Music College in Munich
• 1953 First performance of ›Trionfo di Afrodite‹
• 1954-59 Married to Luise Rinser
• 1956 Member of the fraternity ›pour le mérite‹ for arts and sciences
• 1959 First performance of ›Oedipus der Tyrann‹; honorary professor of the University of Tübingen
• 1960 Married Liselotte Schmitz
• 1962, 1963 und 1966 Gives lectures on ›Schulwerk‹ abroad
• 1968 First performance of ›Prometheus‹
• 1972 Honorary professor of the University of Munich, awarded Great Cross of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany
• 1973 First performance of ›De temporum fine comoedia‹
• 1975-81 Work on the documentation ›Carl Orff und sein Werk‹ in eight volumes
• 1982 Died on 29 March in Munich, buried in the Chapel of sorrow in the monastery church of Andechs

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^{Images: all OZM; except 4: Minna Ronnefeld; 7: Christa Feiler}