Born in Hanau, nr Frankfurt, Nov 16, 1895
Died in Frankfurt, Dec 28, 1963
- Paul Hindemith was the foremost German composer of his generation, in addition to being a respected theorist, violist, educator, and conductor.1
- In 1921, Hindemith founded the Amar Quartet so that he would have a group that was able and willing to play his own (extremely difficult) music. The ensemble was named after its first violinist, Licco Amar. Hindemith’s brother, Rudolf, played cello.2
- Hindemith’s music was tonal but not based on the traditional scale. He ranked the 12 tones from most consonant to most dissonant and sought to blend tradition and modernity.
- He was also a big proponent of utility music (Gebrauchsmusik), music composed to serve a specific purpose. He considered composing music as craftsmanship to meet social needs rather than a practice to satisfy one’s artistic expression.
- Hindemith’s music was grounded in the tradition of Bach’s counterpoint. One clear example is his massive Ludus Tonalis (“Game of Tones”), comprising interludes and fugues in all 24 keys and an apparent reference to Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier.
- A description of Hindemith by the composer’s friend, conductor and arts patron, Paul Sacher:
“…the bad boy of contemporary music. His early music was really impudent, without consideration for his listeners, outside the tradition. In contrast to that of the Second Viennese School, his music – like Stravinsky’s – had a strong rhythmic element, and that appealed to me greatly. And he could be merry and humorous.”
BBC Music Magazine
- Fun Fact – Glenn Gould was one of the composer’s greatest admirers. Gould wrote that Hindemith’s music represented a “true amalgam of ecstasy and reason.” Not only did Gould record many of his works, but he also won his only Grammy for his liner notes accompanying a recording of Hindemith’s piano sonatas.3
Learn More
Biography from the Hindemith Foundation
Biography from Deutsche Grammophon
Sources
- Giselher, Schubert, “Hindemith, Paul,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed July 31, 2023, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000013053.
- “Amar Quartet – Founding,” Hindemith Foundation, accessed July 31, 2023, https://www.hindemith.info/en/life-work/biography/1918-1927/work/amar-quartet-founding/.
- John Allison, “Composer of the Month: Paul Hindemith,” BBC Music Magazine Vol. 29, No. 2 (2020), 58-61.