Evening star., 1937-04-10
HINDEMITH MUSIC
is FEATURED HERE

THE Eighth Festival of Chamber
Music at the Library of Congress.
which opened last evening, has two
programs in which the compositions
of Paul Hindemith, celebrated Ger
man composer, will be featured Mr.
Findemith, who is also a violinist.
will be present TO play his own con-
certo for viola and chamber orchestra
at tomorrow evenings concert and
took part in the program devoted to
his compositions at this mornings con-
cert
Paul Hinderhith's present visit to
this country is his first, prompted by
an invitation by Mrs. Coolidge to par
ticipate in the Washington festival.
After filling engagements as soloist
and conductor in New York, Boston,
Buffalo and Chicago he returns to his
native land early in May Next season
he is planning to return here for an
extended concert tour.
Mr.. Hindemith was born in the year
1895 in Hanau, in the immediate vi
cinity of the Goethe city Frankfurt,
an offspring of family of craftsmen
domiciled in the extreme east of Ger
| many. He had hard life as youth
being compelled to earn his own liv-
ing almost from childhood which
served to make him take himself and
the world seriously Even as a child
he had leaning toward music and
from the first there was no question
but that he would follow this calling
He studied composition first with
Bernhard SekleS in Frankfurt and
later with Arnold MendelSsohn. But
soon he learned all that both masters
(who had died meanwhile) could
teach him, and the essentials of mod
ern composition and harmony are
the fruits of his own efforts.
At the age Of l9 he went to war
| which made him serious and mature
man and artist. Shortly after the end
of the war he became concert master
at the opera house in Frankfurt. He
chose the viola as his principal instru-
ment, and his triumphal tours
throughout Europe, as distinguished
soloist in the Amar- Quartet founded
by him, soon brought him to public
| notice. He studied other instruments
also. however, and from strings to
wind there is no orchestral instrument
which he cannot play. In 1927 he was
appointed professor of composition at
the Hochschule in Berlin, with which
he is still connected.
In this connection he found the in
spiration for his creative work in his
field OF activity and his inherent love
Of music. He began with composing
chamber music for his principal in
struments-the violin and viola. He
wrote quartets for his concert work.
and his activity as teacher and his
own early education prompted him to
be The first to write the new German
"sociable" music which today is the
model for contemporary efforts in this
field. His most important contribu-
tlons to this music for amateurs is
the "Ploner Musiktag," suite of
pieces for various instrumental COM
binations which fills up the festive
day of group of young people. Then
came the works for orchestra. at first
in chamber music Instrumentation
which seemed natural consequence
OF after-war conditions, partly due to
material circumstances. He then
turned to opera, beginning with three
startling one-act operas which showed
the influence of expressionism. There
followed later, interrupted by numer-
Gus other works, his "Cardillac" and
"Neues vom Tage," which were sensa =
tlonal successes on every German
stage. At present Hindemith is work.
ing on a new book on composition
which will elucidate and confirm the
results OF his experiences in theory and
composition. 1t is the work for which
the initiated have been waiting for
years and which with one stroke will
bring the solution of questions which
can no longer be answered by existing
theories of harmony,