Composer Information: Paul Hindemith

German composer, violinist, violist, conductor, theorist and teacher, Paul Hindemith was one of the most versatile musicians of the 20th century.  Trained at the Conservatory in Frankfurt, Hindemith performed in several string quartets that emphasized contemporary music. 

He left Germany after the Nazis banned his music and eventually came to the United States where he taught at Yale University.  While much of Hindemith’s music was considered modern for the time, there are strong elements of the Baroque and Classical eras in the form and texture of his music.  However, he makes use of an overlying insistence of dissonant tensions, creating drama and intrigue in his music.

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