Totentanz (Distler)
| Totentanz | |
|---|---|
| Motets by Hugo Distler | |
From the Lübecker Totentanz, which inspired the work | |
| Opus | 12/2 |
| Occasion | Totensonntag |
| Text |
|
| Language | German |
| Composed | 1934 |
| Movements | 14 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 24 September 1934 |
| Location | Katharinenkirche, Lübeck |
Totentanz (Danse Macabre), Op. 12/2, is a composition of 14 motets by Hugo Distler which he composed in 1934 for Totensonntag. The work was inspired by the medieval Lübecker Totentanz. The music is interspersed with twelve spoken texts. The motets are scored for a four-part choir a cappella, while the texts can be recited by one or more speakers. The text for the sung parts is taken from the Baroque poem Der Cherubinische Wandersmann by Angelus Silesius. The spoken stanzas were written by Johannes Klöcking, a contemporary of Distler.