Paul Hindemith holds a unique place in the history of twentieth century classical music. His compositional style does not fit into one simple category of composition like many of his contemporaries. He wrote in a Neo Classical style but completely unlike that of Stravinsky’s, his music was tonal but not diatonic, and he was not confined to the rules of Schoenberg’s twelve tone method. Instead, Hindemith had a musical language all of his own - combining the intricate counterpoint reminiscent of J.S. Bach with expressionism and German folk song. His Symphony entitled Mathis der Maler (‘Mathias the Painter’) is a bold representation of all of these varying facets of Hindemith’s musical language.
Very few works in the history of classical music have had as focused of a theme as Hindemith’s opera of the same name. It addressed the deeply personal issue of the artist’s role in society through the lens of the turbulent Peasant’s War in Germany from 1524-1525. The war, which was rooted in the rhetoric and ideologies of Protestant Reformation, presented with serfs revolting against their feudal lords in the name of fairness and equality. The opera, loosely based on history, is a fictional account of the life of painter Mathias Grunewald. Faced with the brutal revolution, Mathias was torn over his place as an artist in society, and …show more content…
It features a folk song (“Es sungen drei Engel ein süssen Gesan”) followed by a different theme for each of three angels which ultimately mix together through Hindemith’s counterpoint in a beautiful moment of composition. This movement reappears in the opera as its overture. The second movement, ‘Grablegung’ (Enthombment) is based on an image of Christ being placed in a tomb. This movement is featured twice in the opera, and most notably in the last scene, where Mathias dies. The movement opens with soft strings introducing the theme