Contemporary

Hugo Distler

b. Nuremberg, June 24, 1908
d. Berlin, November 1, 1942

Biography

From his early years, German-born Hugo Distler was integrally connected with the music of the church. The majority of his musical training was received from the Leipzig Conservatory, but upon completion he immediately turned back to the church, becoming organist of St. Jacobi in Lübeck in 1931. Distler later taught at the School for Church Music in Spandau, after which he became a professor of church music in Stuttgart.

Distler's deep religious roots strongly influenced his compositional style. His pieces are very polyphonic, free, and frequently melismatic. Many are based on the pentatonic scale. These features are all characteristic of early scared music. His works, few in number, are also quite virtuosic. Unfortunately, Distler's works were stigmatized by the Nazi regime as "degenerate art". Unable to cope with the horrors of World War II, Distler committed suicide in 1942.

Works