Paul Hindemith composed the two Violin Sonatas, Op. 11 No. 1 and No. 2, in 1918 while serving as a soldier during World War I, despite experiencing terrible wartime conditions.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith, the composer, successfully sight-read an extremely difficult passage from Richard Strauss's opera Salome during an audition for the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra at age 19.
Historical Context
Paul Hindemith's music was branded 'culturally Bolshevik' by the Nazi regime, leading to his opera Mathis, der Maler being banned and his eventual emigration from Germany.
Compositional Technique
The Sonata in E major (1935) is considered the beginning of Paul Hindemith's 'mature sonata period,' where he rediscovered a new tonality after a relatively atonal period in the 1920s.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith was able to play every orchestral instrument, some to a very high standard, and was regarded as the leading German viola player by the end of the 1920s.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Paul Hindemith believed composers should only write if they knew the reason for doing so, stating that the days of 'composition as an end in itself' were perhaps over.
Composer Biography
Paul Hindemith was a versatile musician who played light music in Swiss spa bands at 17, led the Frankfurt New Theatre Orchestra playing operetta, and was an almost fanatical chamber musician.
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L'esprit français
Ives: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-4
Bartók: Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2
Busoni, Dohnányi & Ives: Violin Sonatas
Skoryk / Schnittke / Franck - Kammermusik für Violine und Klavier
Bartók: Sonata For Violin And Piano No.1, Sz. 75 / Janácek: Violin Sonata / Messiaen: Theme And Variations For Violin And Piano
