Musica Poetica, Orff-Schulwerk, Das Klingende Bilderbuch Series

Das Klingende Bilderbuch (Musical Picture Books) was originally a 3-volume set published/released as part of the "Musica Poetica, Orff Schulwerk" series of recordings. A fourth volume was later added to the series with music composed by Paul Hindemith. Each book came with an accompanying 7" record. The Musica Poetica recordings began in May 1963 under the artistic direction of Gunild Keetman and Carl Orff. The wide array of choirs and ensembles employed this time included the Tölzer Knabenchor under the direction of Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, the Kammerchor der Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik, München under the direction of Fritz Schieri, the Kölner Kinderchor under the direction of Hans-Günter Lenders, and the Stuttgarter Sprecherin under the direction of Heinz Mende. The instrumental ensemble was prepared by Karl Peinkofer and directed by both Carl Orff and Herman Regner. Godela Orff-Büchtemann fulfilled the role of speaker. These ensembles and artists were involved with the recording process for many years. Their singing style, their expressive presentation of text and music, determined the sound quality of the record series to a great extent.