Paul hindemith biography sonata form and movement

Paul hindemith most famous works

One of the most important composers of the first half of the 20th century, Paul Hindemith dominated German musical life during the Weimar Republic — A versatile musician, he sustained an astonishing level of productivity in his composing while pursuing a successful career as a solo violist and member of a professional string quartet. These gifts, coupled with his dedication to teaching, ensured that he was able to prosper even after he chose to leave Germany during the Third Reich and make his home in the United States.

Hindemith came from a humble background and faced severe poverty during his childhood. Nevertheless his parents encouraged him to learn music and his burgeoning talent as a string player was quickly recognised. Awarded a scholarship at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt just before the First World War, he was taught composition by Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles while still continuing his violin studies.

Controversial in a different way was his decision to feature a foxtrot in the Finale of his Kammermusik no. This iconoclastic approach was also reflected in his performance directions. Look on the piano here as an interesting kind of percussion instrument.

Paul hindemith compositions

Hindemith was astonishingly prolific during this period, turning out music in all genres. This is a series of neo-Baroque concertos for individual solo instruments and chamber orchestra, excepting the first, mentioned above, which does not have a main soloist. At the same time Hindemith was an active performer with a growing interest in historical performance practice.

On top of all this he undertook administrative duties at the Donaueschingen and Baden-Baden contemporary music festivals. His programmes featured mechanical music, radio and film music and chamber operas. With his move in to Berlin, where he took up the post of professor of composition at the Musikhochschule, Hindemith began to reflect on the role of a composer in modern society.