Neoclassical Music Composers : Paul Hindemith

Paul Hindemith, who is among one of the greatest neoclassical music composers, was born in Germany  in 1895. As an early child Hindemith was taught the violin. He later entered the Hochsche Konservatorium in Frankfurt am Main. At the Hochsche Konservatorium he studied violin with Adolf Rebner. He also studied composition and conducting with Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles. In 1914 Hindemith became deputy leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra and three years later he became leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra. Hindemith founded the Amar Quartet in 1921. At the International Society for Contemporary Music festival at Salzburg, Germany in 1922, some of his pieces were showcased. This provided Paul Hindemith with an international audience. Following this, Hindemith began to work with avant garde composers. Some of the composers he worked with were Anton Webern and Arnold Schoenberg. Hindemith began touring in America toward the end of the 1930s.

Early works of Hindemith were regarded as romantic, expressionist and contrapuntally complex. He was also described as a great neoclassical music composer. Although his neoclassical music style was different from Neoclassical music master Igor Stravinsky, he was still regarded as rival of Stravinsky at that time. Hindemith composed Kammerimusik which stands for Chamber Music. Kammermusik is his turning point to neoclassical music. He also wrote solo pieces within the Kammermusik series that featured instruments which were not known to be solo instruments at that time. Kammermusik No. 6 is a good example of this with a solo from the viola d’amore. Hindemith composed non-traditional pieces as well, such as the sonata for double bass which he composed in 1949.

Paul Hindemith wrote Mathis der Maler in 1952 which was based on the life of Matthias Grunewald, the painter. Mathis der Maler was an opera and was much respected in music circles. Mathis der Maler combined neoclassical opera with folk song. He later translated this from an opera into a purely instrumental symphony. He wrote Gebrauchsmusik which stands for Utility Music which had a political purpose. He wrote the brilliant piece Trauermusik in 1936. Trauermusik referred to Funeral Music. He composed this piece when he heard of the death of George V. Trauermusik was written for solo viola and string orchestra.

After Mathis der Maler, he produced a new version of his forth opera, Cardillac that he wrote in 1926. Cardillac stands out with its theatrical features and regarded as one of his greatest neoclassical works. This powerful opera is a story of a famous goldsmith Cardillac, a murder story based on a short story of Hoffmann. Cardillac opera begins with a striking opening scene. Especially the pantomime scene is a proof of theatrical skills of Paul Hindemith.

Paul Hindemith also authored a book in the 1930s called The Craft of Musical Composition. The book was theoretical and laid out the compositional techniques that Hindemith used.

Although Hindemith’s wife was Jewish he accepted a position on the Reich Music Chamber during the 1930s.

In 1935 Hindemith was asked to reorganize the musical education curriculum in Turkey. To this day he is highly regarded by musical educators and composers in Turkey.

Hindemith’s most popular work is the Symphonic Metamorphoses of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. Hindemith wrote Symphonic Metamorphoses in 1943. Years later Paul Hindemith completed Symphony in B-flat which was scored for concert band and premiered with the U.S. Army band in 1951.

Hindemith came to the United States in 1940 where he taught music at Yale. He got his American citizenship in 1946 and promptly moved back to Zurich.

Paul Hindemith was later awarded the Balzan Prize in 1962. He was sick with acute pancreatitis and past away in Frankfurt on December 28th, 1963 at the age of 68.