Paul Hindemith

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Biography

Born: 1895   Died: 1963   Country: Germany   Period: 20th Century
A theorist, teacher, violist, conductor, and composer who is regarded by many as the foremost German composer of his generation, Paul Hindemith was one of the most central figures in music between the First and Second World Wars. Born outside of Frankfurt, Hindemith moved with his family to the city in 1902. It was here, in 1904, that Hindemith began taking violin lessons. By 1908, Hindemith became a student of Adolf Rebner, a teacher at the Hoch Read more Conservatory in Frankfurt, who arranged for Hindemith to be awarded a free place at the conservatory the following year. Although he had long been composing, Hindemith, in addition to continuing his study of the violin, began to study composition formally. However, he was forced to leave the conservatory in 1917 when he was called up for military service. He spent most of his service as a member of a regimental band stationed about 3 kilometers from the front line.

After returning from the war, Hindemith again took to the concert stage, having switched to viola in 1919. In 1923 he was invited to join the administrative committee of the Donaueschingen Festival, a group over which he exerted an ever increasing amount of control; programming works of such composers as Schoenberg and Webern. The next year he married Gertrud Rottenberg, the daughter of the conductor of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra, an ensemble in which Hindemith had been playing. In 1927 he received an appointment as professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. In addition to maintaining an active performing career, Hindemith soon developed a strong interest in teaching, and even took on an evening class at the Volksmusikschule NeuKolln.

Early in 1934, the Nazi party began a campaign to discredit Hindemith, which culminated in a boycott of the composer's works announced by the Kulturgemeinde in November of that year. In January 1935, Hindemith was given a six-month leave from the Hochschule. However, as the boycott of his music was not endorsed by the music division of the Nazi party until 1937, Hindemith was allowed not only to return to teaching, but also to undertake a series of concert tours abroad, to have his music published, and to enter into an agreement with the government of Turkey to build an organized musical life in that country. However, in 1937, Hindemith left Germany for Switzerland, and in 1940 came to the U.S.

After a series of lecture and teaching engagements which had been arranged by friends, Hindemith took a position at Yale, teaching composition and, from 1945 to 1953, conducting the Collegium Musicum. In 1946, Hindemith became an American citizen. In 1951 he accepted a position at the University of Zurich and, after retiring from Yale in 1953, took up permanent residence in Switzerland. After retiring from his post in Zurich, in 1955, he became more active as a conductor. In November 1963, he was taken ill and transferred to a hospital in Frankfurt, where he died of acute pancreatitis. Read less

Featured Paul Hindemith CDs & DVDs:

Miraculous Metamorphoses: Hindemith, Prokofiev, Bartok
Miraculous Metamorphoses: Hindemith, Prokofiev, Bartok
Release Date: 03/11/2014   Label: Reference Recordings  
Catalog: 132   Number of Discs: 1
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Hindemith: Complete Viola Works, Vol. 2 - Sonatas For Viola & Piano And Solo Viola
Hindemith: Complete Viola Works, Vol. 2 - Sonatas For Viola & Piano And Solo Viola
Release Date: 03/11/2014   Label: Myrios Classics  
Catalog: 11   Number of Discs: 2
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1919: Viola Sonatas - Clarke, Hindemith, Bloch
1919: Viola Sonatas - Clarke, Hindemith, Bloch
Release Date: 03/11/2014   Label: Cavi Music  
Catalog: 8553304   Number of Discs: 1
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...pour Clarinette - Hindemith, Debussy, Trojahn, Poulenc / Kam, Vogt, Et Al
...pour Clarinette - Hindemith, Debussy, Trojahn, Poulenc / Kam, Vogt, Et Al
Release Date: 09/09/2008   Label: Cavi Music  
Catalog: 8553128   Number of Discs: 1
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Boulanger, Hindemith, Debussy
Boulanger, Hindemith, Debussy
Release Date: 09/10/2013   Label: Cavi Music  
Catalog: 8553295   Number of Discs: 1
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Work: Der Schwanendreher

Browse 1-16 of 16 Available Recordings
  • 1.
    Hindemith: Orchestral Music / Kegel, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
    Hindemith: Orchestral Music / Kegel, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
    Label: Brilliant Classics   Catalog: 9441 Release Date: 09/24/2013   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Ludwig Güttler,  Eckardt Königstedt,  Walter Hartwich,  Ralf-Carsten Brömsel  ... 
    Conductor:  Herbert Kegel,  Otmar Suitner,  Hans Sandig
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra,  Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Dresden Staatskapelle  ... 
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  • 2.
    Hindemith: Complete Viola Works, Vol. 1 / Zimmermann, Graf, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin
    Hindemith: Complete Viola Works, Vol. 1 / Zimmermann, Graf, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin
    Label: Myrios Classics   Catalog: 10 Release Date: 07/09/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Tabea Zimmermann
    Conductor:  Hans Graf
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
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  • 3.
    Hindemith: Complete Viola Music Vol. 3 - Concertos / Lawrence Power
    Hindemith: Complete Viola Music Vol. 3 - Concertos / Lawrence Power
    Label: Hyperion   Catalog: 67774 Release Date: 01/11/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Lawrence Power
    Conductor:  David Atherton
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
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  • 4.
    Arthur Fiedler's Sinfonietta
    Arthur Fiedler's Sinfonietta
    Label: Rca Victor Gold Seal   Catalog: 62571 Release Date: 12/17/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Stanley,  George Frideric Handel,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Paul Hindemith  ... 
    Performer:  E. Power Biggs,  Paul Hindemith
    Conductor:  Arthur Fiedler
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Arthur Fiedler Sinfonietta
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  • 5.
    Bela Bartok, Paul Hindemith: Viola Concertos; Schonberg: Verklarte Nacht
    Bela Bartok, Paul Hindemith: Viola Concertos; Schonberg: Verklarte Nacht
    Label: New Pan   Catalog: 934021 Release Date: 01/05/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Arnold Schoenberg,  Paul Hindemith,  Béla Bartók
    Performer:  Nobuko Imai
    Conductor:  Gábor Takács-Nagy
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  • 6.
    Hindemith: Mathis Der Maler, Concerto Music, Der Schwanendreher / Steinberg, Barenboim
    Hindemith: Mathis Der Maler, Concerto Music, Der Schwanendreher / Steinberg, Barenboim
    Label: Eloquence   Catalog: 4800662 Release Date: 08/04/2009   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Daniel Benyamini
    Conductor:  William Steinberg,  Daniel Barenboim
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Symphony Orchestra,  Orchestre de Paris
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  • 7.
    Hindemith: Nobilissima Visione; Der Schwanendreher / Kegel
    Hindemith: Nobilissima Visione; Der Schwanendreher / Kegel
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 962 Release Date: 11/28/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Davia Binder,  Alfred Lipka
    Conductor:  Herbert Kegel,  Heinz Bongartz
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 8.
    EMI 20th Century Classics - Hindemith
    EMI 20th Century Classics - Hindemith
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 6863 Release Date: 07/22/2008   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Tabea Zimmermann
    Conductor:  Herbert von Karajan,  David Shallon,  Paul Hindemith,  Eugene Ormandy  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Philharmonia Orchestra,  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 9.
    Gemini - Hindemith: Kammermusik 1-7, Der Schwanendreher
    Gemini - Hindemith: Kammermusik 1-7, Der Schwanendreher
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 97711 Release Date: 10/23/2007   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Lars Vogt,  Georg Faust,  Kolja Blacher,  Wolfram Christ  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  David Shallon
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 10.
    Hindemith: Mathis Der Mahler Symphonie, Der Schwanendrehrer, Etc
    Hindemith: Mathis Der Mahler Symphonie, Der Schwanendrehrer, Etc
    Label: Dg 20th Century Classics   Catalog: 423241 Release Date: 06/24/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Daniel Benyamini
    Conductor:  William Steinberg,  Daniel Barenboim
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Boston Symphony Orchestra,  Orchestre de Paris
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  • 11.
    Bartok: Viola Concerto; Hindemith / Hillyer, Watanabe
    Bartok: Viola Concerto; Hindemith / Hillyer, Watanabe
    Label: Albany Records   Catalog: 76 Release Date: 10/24/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith,  Béla Bartók
    Performer:  Raphael Hillyer
    Conductor:  Akeo Watanabe
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 12.
    Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher; Brahms / Primrose, Pritchard
    Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher; Brahms / Primrose, Pritchard
    Label: Urania   Catalog: 927 Release Date: 11/29/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms,  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  William Primrose
    Conductor:  John Pritchard
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Columbia Chamber Orchestra
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  • 13.
    Hindemith: Noblissima Visione, Etc / Lipka, Suitner, Kegel, Bongartz
    Hindemith: Noblissima Visione, Etc / Lipka, Suitner, Kegel, Bongartz
    Label: Berlin Classics   Catalog: 3041 Release Date: 10/01/2005   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Alfred Lipka
    Conductor:  Herbert Kegel,  Heinz Bongartz,  Otmar Suitner
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra,  Dresden Staatskapelle
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  • 14.
    Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works Vol 3 / Albert , Et Al
    Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works Vol 3 / Albert , Et Al
    Label: Cpo   Catalog: 999784 Release Date: 04/17/2001   Number of Discs: 4
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Rosalinde Haas,  Brett Dean,  Dene Olding,  Liviu Varcol  ... 
    Conductor:  Werner Andreas Albert
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Queensland Symphony Orchestra,  Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
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  • 15.
    Hindemith: Viola Concertos / Dean, Albert, Queensland So
    Hindemith: Viola Concertos / Dean, Albert, Queensland So
    Label: Cpo   Catalog: 999492 Release Date: 01/25/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Brett Dean
    Conductor:  Werner Andreas Albert
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Queensland Symphony Orchestra
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  • 16.
    Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher, Konzertmuzik / Blomstedt
    Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher, Konzertmuzik / Blomstedt
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 433809 Release Date: 06/29/1998   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Paul Hindemith
    Performer:  Geraldine Walther
    Conductor:  Herbert Blomstedt
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
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