Both as violist and composer, Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) was thoroughly involved with contemporary music--he was a leading exponent of New Objectivity and neoclassical styles, and was much in demand as a soloist, premiering, among other works, Walton's Viola Concerto. During the rise of fascism in Germany, he emigrated to the United States, where he became a much-respected pedagogue.
Hindemith has a strong musical legacy for string players, with several concertos and many more sonatas and other chamber music to his name. His Op.11 collection of six sonatas contains, among several for violin and one for cello, two viola sonatas, both of which contributed to his decision to devote himself fully to the viola. He composed these sonatas while serving in World War I; appropriately, they show him acknowledging the styles of the past (Reger, Brahms, and Debussy are noticeable influences) while looking toward his future neoclassical styles. For advanced players.
