Hugo Distler

German composer Hugo Distler (1908-1942) was a tragic figure whose career was initially fostered by the National Socialists; Distler took his own life when they turned against him. Distler's music was neo-Baroque, informed by Bach and Schütz, though modern in harmonic approach. Distler's compositions are mainly for chorus, organ, piano, and harpsichord and anticipate some aspects of minimalism, which did not appear elsewhere until nearly two decades after his death. Initially on board with Nazi approval, Distler gradually joined the open opposition to them spearheaded by the Lutheran Church in Germany, and the Nazis responded by conscripting him into the German Army.