- Childhood and Initial Education 1895-1914
Paul Hindemith was born on 16 November 1895, the son of an artisan and a maid in Hanau. He experienced his childhood as a time full of deprivations and very strict parenting. His musical talent was recognised early on. He began studying the violin at the age of twelve at Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt. more ›››
- Start in Professional Life 1914-1918
Hindemith gained his first experiences as an orchestral musician from 1913 onwards. In August 1917 he was drafted for military service and transferred with his unit to the western front in January 1918. With a great deal of luck, he survived the numerous battles and bombings unscathed and experienced the end of the war on 10 November in Flanders. more ›››
- From Donaueschingen to Baden-Baden 1918-1927
After World War I, Hindemith was very musically productive indeed. The young composer attracted the attention of Schott Music Publishers in Mainz in 1919. Hindemith made his breakthrough in 1921 at the first Donaueschingen Chamber Music Days. He established his reputation as an interpreter of contemporary music here and, as a composer, moved virtually overnight to the forefront of the musical avant garde in Germany. more ›››
- Berlin Years 1927-1933
At the end of the 1920s, Hindemith was not only one of the most successful contemporary composers but also one of the outstanding interpreters of his time.
In 1927 he took over a professorship as composition teacher at the Music Academy in Berlin and enjoyed the variety of possibilities offered by cultural life in the pulsing metropolis. more ›››
- Politics and Music 1933-1939
After the accession to power of the National Socialists in January 1933, Hindemith's position in Germany became increasingly unclear. In the spring of 1937 Gertrud Hindemith reported: «Paul is somehow fed up with the whole thing.» By the time Hindemith's music was pilloried at the exhibition "Entartete Musik" (Degenerate Music) in May 1938, he had long since decided to emigrate to Switzerland. more ›››
- United States 1939-1945
In February 1940, Hindemith used a lecture tour through the USA to settle in that country. His wife Gertrud followed him there in August. At the beginning, Hindemith called the United States the land of «limited impossibilities», but he was also grateful for the positive reception that he found there. In January 1946, the Hindemiths received American citizenship, which they retained for the rest of their lives. more ›››
- Between America and Europe 1945-1953
Hindemith's music was performed again in Germany with great success after the end of World War II. Hindemith viewed this rather sceptically: «I think people are exaggerating the whole thing…» This great recognition encouraged him, however, to think more intensively about a return to Europe. In 1951 he began a teaching commitment at the University of Zurich. Finally, on 3 June 1953, the Hindemiths boarded a ship for Europe in order to settle in Switzerland more ›››
- Blonay/Switzerland 1953-1963
In August 1953 the Hindemiths bought the villa «La Chance» in the village of Blonay overlooking Lake Geneva. The villa, in which they lived for the rest of their lives, served as a retreat into their private sphere. Hindemith developed very intensive career as a conductor. «I regret all the more, ... that an artist prematurely leaves us who would still have had so much to say,» wrote the painter and poet Oskar Kokoschka after Hindemith's death in 1963. more ›››
