Paul Hindemith

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"Hindemith" redirects here. For other uses, see Hindemith (disambiguation).

Paul Hindemith
Hindemith in 1923
Born(1895-11-16)16 November 1895
Hanau, German Empire
Died28 December 1963(1963-12-28) (aged 68)
Frankfurt, West Germany
EducationDr. Hoch's Konservatorium
Occupations
  • Violist
  • Composer
  • Academic teacher
Organizations
WorksCompositions
Awards

Paul Hindemith (

Nazi
German regime. In his later years, he conducted and recorded much of his own music.

Most of Hindemith's compositions are anchored by a foundational tone, and use musical forms and counterpoint and cadences typical of the Baroque and Classical traditions. His harmonic language is more modern, freely using all 12 notes of the chromatic scale within his tonal framework, as detailed in his three-volume treatise, The Craft of Musical Composition.

Life and career

Paul Hindemith was born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, the eldest child of the painter and decorator Robert Hindemith from Lower Silesia and his wife Marie Hindemith, née Warnecke.[1] He was taught the violin as a child. He entered Frankfurt's Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium, where he studied violin with Adolf Rebner, as well as conducting and composition with Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles. At first he supported himself by playing in dance bands and musical-comedy groups. He became deputy leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra in 1914 and was promoted to concertmaster in 1916.[2] He played second violin in the Rebner String Quartet from 1914.

After his father's 1915 death in

New Grove Dictionary.[3] After the armistice he returned to Frankfurt and the Rebner Quartet.[3]

In 1921, Hindemith founded the Amar Quartet, playing viola, and extensively toured Europe with an emphasis on contemporary music. His younger brother Rudolf was the original cellist.[4]

Das Marienleben
the opening of the song cycle
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As a composer, he became a major advocate of the

Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) style of music in the 1920s, with compositions such as Kammermusik. Reminiscent of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, they include works with viola and viola d'amore as solo instruments in a neo-Bachian spirit.[5] In 1922, some of his pieces were played in the International Society for Contemporary Music festival at Salzburg, which first brought him to the attention of an international audience. The next year, he composed the song cycle Das Marienleben (The Life of Mary) and began to work as an organizer of the Donaueschingen Festival, where he programmed works by several avant-garde composers, including Anton Webern and Arnold Schoenberg. In 1927 he was appointed Professor at the Berliner Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.[6] Hindemith wrote the music for Hans Richter's 1928 avant-garde film Ghosts Before Breakfast (Vormittagsspuk) and also acted in the film; the score and original film were later burned by the Nazis.[7] In 1929, Hindemith played the solo part in the premiere of William Walton's viola concerto, after Lionel Tertis
, for whom it was written, turned it down.

On 15 May 1924, Hindemith married the actress and singer Gertrud (Johanna Gertrude) Rottenberg (1900–1967).[1] The marriage was childless.[8]

The

Berlin Sports Palace, Germany's Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels publicly denounced Hindemith as an "atonal noisemaker".[9] The Nazis banned his music in October 1936, and he was subsequently included in the 1938 Entartete Musik (Degenerate Music) exhibition in Düsseldorf.[10] Other officials working in Nazi Germany, though, thought that he might provide Germany with an example of a modern German composer, as, by this time, he was writing music based in tonality, with frequent references to folk music. The conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler's defence of Hindemith, published in 1934, takes this line.[11]
The controversy around his work continued throughout the thirties, with Hindemith falling in and out of favour with the Nazis.

During the 1930s, Hindemith visited

Ankara State Conservatory owes much to his efforts. Young Turkish musicians regarded Hindemith as a "real master", and he was appreciated and greatly respected.[9]

Hindemith during the 1940s

Toward the end of the 1930s, Hindemith made several tours of America as a viola and viola d'amore soloist.

He emigrated to Switzerland in 1938, partly because his wife was of part-Jewish ancestry.[12]

At the same time that he was codifying his musical language, Hindemith's teaching and compositions began to be affected by his theories, according to critics such as

Harvard, from which the book A Composer's World (1952) was extracted.[16] Hindemith had a long friendship with Erich Katz, whose compositions were influenced by him.[17] Also among Hindemith's students were the future rocket scientist Wernher von Braun[18] and the composers Franz Reizenstein, Harald Genzmer, Oskar Sala, Arnold Cooke,[19] Robert Strassburg,[20] and dozens of other notables
.

Hindemith (left) received the Wihuri Sibelius Prize in 1955 from Antti Wihuri.

Hindemith became a U.S. citizen in 1946, but returned to Europe in 1953, living in Zürich and teaching at the university there until he retired from teaching in 1957.[5][10] Toward the end of his life he began to conduct more and made numerous recordings, mostly of his own music.[10]

In 1954, an anonymous critic for Opera magazine, having attended a performance of Hindemith's Neues vom Tage, wrote: "Mr Hindemith is no virtuoso conductor, but he does possess an extraordinary knack of making performers understand how his own music is supposed to go."[21]

Hindemith received the Wihuri Sibelius Prize in 1955.[22] He was awarded the Balzan Prize in 1962 "for the wealth, extent and variety of his work, which is among the most valid in contemporary music, and which contains masterpieces of opera, symphonic and chamber music."[22][23]

Swiss gravesite

Despite a prolonged decline in his physical health, Hindemith composed almost until his death. He died in Frankfurt from pancreatitis, aged 68. He and his wife are buried in Cimetière La Chiésaz, La Chiésaz, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.[1]

Music

Hindemith is among the most significant German composers of his time. His early works are in a late

contrapuntally complex style in the 1920s. This style has been described as neoclassical,[24] but is quite different from the works by Igor Stravinsky labeled with that term, owing more to the contrapuntal language of Johann Sebastian Bach and Max Reger than the Classical clarity of Mozart.[citation needed
]

Kleine Kammermusik
performed by the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet
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The new style can be heard in the series of works called

sonata for double bass, and a concerto for trumpet, bassoon
, and strings (both in 1949).

In the 1930s Hindemith began to write less for

Mathis der Maler
, which is one of his most frequently performed works. In the opera, some portions of the symphony appear as instrumental interludes; others were elaborated in vocal scenes.

Hindemith wrote Gebrauchsmusik (Music for Use)—compositions intended to have a social or political purpose and sometimes written to be played by amateurs. The concept was inspired by Bertolt Brecht. An example of this is Hindemith's Trauermusik (Funeral Music), written in January 1936. He was preparing the London premiere of his viola concerto Der Schwanendreher when he heard news of the death of George V. He quickly wrote Trauermusik for solo viola and string orchestra in tribute to the late king, and the premiere was given that same evening, the day after the king's death.[26] Other examples of Hindemith's Gebrauchsmusik include:

  • the Plöner Musiktage (1932), a series of pieces written for a day of community music-making in the city of Plön, culminating in an evening concert by grammar-school students and teachers.
  • a Scherzo for viola and cello (1934), written in several hours during a series of recording sessions as a "filler" for an unexpected blank side of a 78 rpm album, and recorded immediately upon its completion.
  • Wir bauen eine Stadt ("We're Building a City"), an opera for eight-year-olds (1930).

Hindemith's most popular work, both on record and in the concert hall, is probably the Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, written in 1943. It takes

melodies from various works by Carl Maria von Weber, mainly piano duets, but also one from the overture to his incidental music for Turandot
(Op. 37/J. 75), and transforms and adapts them so that each movement of the piece is based on one theme.

In 1951, Hindemith completed his

Symphony in B-flat. Scored for concert band, it was written for the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own". Hindemith premiered it with that band on 5 April of that year.[27] Its second performance took place under the baton of Hugh McMillan, conducting the Boulder Symphonic Band at the University of Colorado. The piece is representative of Hindemith's late works, exhibiting strong contrapuntal lines throughout, and is a cornerstone of the band repertoire. He recorded it in stereo with members of the Philharmonia Orchestra for EMI
in 1956.

Musical system

Opening of 2nd movement of Hindemith's Flute Sonata (1936)

Most of Hindemith's music employs a unique system that is tonal but non-

diatonic, often notated without a traditional key signature. Like most tonal music, it is centred on a tonic and modulates from one tonal centre to another, but it "attempts ... the free use of all the twelve tones of the chromatic scale",[28] rather than relying on a diatonic scale as a restricted subset of these notes. He even rewrote some of his music after developing this system. One of the core features of Hindemith's system is a ranking of all musical intervals of the 12-tone equally tempered scale, from the most consonant to the most dissonant. He classifies chords in six categories, on the basis of dissonance, whether they contain a tritone, and whether they clearly suggest a root or tonal centre. His philosophy also encompassed melody—he strove for melodies that do not clearly outline major or minor triads.[29]

In the late 1930s Hindemith wrote an instructional treatise in three volumes, The Craft of Musical Composition, which lays out this system in great detail. He also advocated this system as a means of understanding and analyzing the harmonic structure of other music, claiming that it has a broader reach than the traditional

J. S. Bach, Richard Wagner, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and a composition of his own.[30]

Hindemith's 1942 piano work Ludus Tonalis contains twelve fugues, in the manner of Johann Sebastian Bach, using traditional devices like inversion, diminution, augmentation, retrogradation, stretto, etc. Each fugue is connected by an interlude to the next, during which the music moves from the key of the last to its successor. The order of the keys follows Hindemith's ranking of musical intervals around the tonal center of C.[31]

Another traditional aspect of classical music that Hindemith retains is the idea of dissonance resolving to consonance. Much of Hindemith's music begins in consonant territory, progresses into dissonant tension, and resolves in full, consonant chords and

Concert Music for Strings and Brass
(1930).

Awards and honors

Walk of Fame, Vienna
Paul Hindemith Park, Frankfurt

Honorary doctorates

Compositions

Main articles: List of compositions by Paul Hindemith and List of operas by Paul Hindemith

Pedagogical writings

Hindemith's complete set of instructional books, in possible educational order:

  • Elementary Training for Musicians. London: Schott; New York: Associated Music Publishers, 1946.
    ISBN 978-0-901938-16-9
  • A Concentrated Course in Traditional Harmony
Book 1: With Emphasis on Exercises and a Minimum of Rules, revised edition. New York: Schott, 1968.
ISBN 978-0-901938-42-8
Book 2: Exercises for Advanced Students, translated by Arthur Mendel. New York: Schott, 1964.
ISBN 978-0-901938-43-5
Book 1: Theoretical Part, translated by Arthur Mendel. London: Schott; New York: Associated Music Publishers, 1942.
ISBN 978-0-901938-30-5
Book 2: Exercises in Two-Part Writing, translated by Otto Ortmann. London: Schott; New York: Associated Music Publishers, 1941.
ISBN 978-0-901938-41-1
Book 3: Übungsbuch für den dreistimmigen Satz [Exercises in Three-Part Writing]. Mainz: Schott, 1970. Only available in the original German.
ISBN 978-3-7957-1605-9

Notable students

For Hindemith's notable students, see List of music students by teacher: G to J § Paul Hindemith.

Recordings

Hindemith was a prolific composer.

New York Philharmonic Orchestra, with Louise Parker and George London as soloists, was made for Columbia Records in 1963 and later issued on CD. He also appeared on television as a guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's nationally syndicated "Music from Chicago" series; the performances have been released by VAI on home video. A complete collection of Hindemith's orchestral music was recorded by German and Australian orchestras, all conducted by Werner Andreas Albert and released on the CPO
label.

Hindemithon Festival

An annual festival of Hindemith's music has been held at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, from 2003 through at least 2017. It features student, staff, and professional musicians performing a range of Hindemith's works.[43]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Maurer Zenck, Claudia (2018). "Paul Hindemith". In Maurer Zenck, Claudia; Petersen, Peter; Fetthauer, Sophie (eds.). Lexikon verfolgter Musiker und Musikerinnen der NS-Zeit. Hamburg: Universität Hamburg. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  2. Newspapers.com
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  4. ^ Potter, Tully (2003). Hindemith as Interpreter: The Amar-Hindemith Quartet (Liner notes). Arbiter Records. 139. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Paul Hindemith — People — Royal Opera House". www.roh.org.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  6. ^ A Dictionary of Twentieth Century World Biography. United Kingdom: Book Club Associates, 1992, p. 267.
  7. ISBN 978-3-7705-4923-8
    .
  8. ^ "Marriage: Paul Hindemith". www.hindemith.info.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0-9777908-8-3
    . Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d "Music and the Holocaust: Paul Hindemith". holocaustmusic.ort.org. ORT. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  11. ^ Furtwängler 1934.
  12. ISBN 978-0-19-802634-1
    . Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  13. ^ Ansermet 1961, note to p. 42 added on an errata slip.
  14. Newspapers.com
    .
  15. ^ "Courses as an Instructor: Paul Hindemith". www.hindemith.info.
  16. ^ Hindemith, Paul (1952). A Composer's World: Horizons and Limitations. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  17. ^ Davenport 1970, p. 43.
  18. ISBN 978-1-591-14926-2
    .
  19. ^ Lessing, Kolja (2002). Notes to Franz Reizenstein: Solo Sonatas. EDA Records.
  20. ISBN 978-1-4422-7225-5
    – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Opera (June 1954): 348.
  22. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  23. ^ "Paul Hindemith: 1962 Balzan Prize for Music". Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  24. ^ Taylor 1997, p. 261.
  25. ^ Holland 1995.
  26. ISBN 978-0-19-802634-1
    . Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  27. ^ "Biography". Hindemith Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 April 2001.
  28. ^ Searle, Humphrey (1955). Twentieth Century Counterpoint (2nd ed.). London: Ernest Benn. p. 55.
  29. ^ "Principles and Categories". www.hindemith.info. Hindemith Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  30. ^ Hindemith, Paul. Unterweisung im Tonsatz. 3 vols. Mainz: B. Schott's Söhne, 1937–1970. First two volumes in English, as The Craft of Musical Composition, translated by Arthur Mendel and Otto Ortmann. New York: Associated Music Publishers; London: Schott & Co., 1941–1942.
  31. ISBN 9780198165422
    .
  32. ISBN 0193141183
    .
  33. ^ a b c "Influence in America". www.hindemith.info.
  34. ^ "Paul Hindemith". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g "Schott Music". en.schott-music.com.
  36. ^ "Pour le Mérite: Paul Hindemith" (PDF). www.orden-pourlemerite.de. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  37. ^ "Hessian Biography". www.lagis-hessen.de.
  38. ^ "APS Member History". American Philosophical Society. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  39. ^ "(5157) Hindemith". IAU Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  40. ^ Allison, John (4 December 2013). "Paul Hindemith: The 20th century's most neglected composer". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  41. ^ "Review: Hindemith Conducts Hindemith". Gramophone: 40. 20 April 1987.
  42. ^ "Hindemith Conducts Hindemith: The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon". Amazon. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  43. ^ "Midday Artists Series". William Paterson University. Spring 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2023.

Sources

Further reading

External links

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