Paul Hindemith

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) was a German composer, violist, conductor, teacher and theorist, born in Hanau. In the 1920s he was a leading figure of the Neue Sachlichkeit, writing in a contrapuntal style that drew on Bach. He also wrote music for amateurs and everyday use (Gebrauchsmusik), and composed a large body of chamber music for the viola and other instruments. Hindemith played viola in the Amar Quartet, whose first cellist was his brother Rudolf.