The most detailed text is the central one, "Oben und Unten", which gives instructions for three actors and a group of instrumentalists. Twelve of the other pieces describe musical processes or states, in three different general types, and the remaining two, "Litanei" and "Ankunft" are more in the nature of manifestos, to be read aloud either by a single speaker or a speaking choir. In 1997, Stockhausen made a performing version of the former text, considerably reworked under the title "Litanei 97", for a speaking choir with occasional sung interjections. This was given the separate work number 74 in Stockhausen's catalogue of works.