It was in Stuttgart that Distler first discovered Eduard Morike.

He was fascinated by the lyric poetry of the Swabian poet.

In the foreword to the Choral Song Book, he emphasized

that the "rhythmic power and freedom of movement",

"the objectivity of the poetic content, suggestive of old

folk song", but also the "ardent subjectivity and stead-fast/

self-reliant character" drew him to Morike. The present recording offers, in it's selection of movements

for mixed choir, women's and men's choirs, a cross-section of

all the various compositional techniques and stylistic devices

which Distler was able to combine so brilliantly.