An Emerging Neoclassicist: Paul Hindemith’s String Quartet №4
I found in the Times (of London) archives a brief article about a concert given by the Pro-Arte Quartet, an ensemble founded in a conservatory in Brussels in 1912. This concert review, from 5 December 1928, praises both the composers and performers. The subtitle, “A New Composition,” refers to Paul Hindemith’s fourth string quartet, which would eventually become his most popular work in the genre. (The string quartet was composed in 1921, seven years earlier, so it was not exactly brand new. I assume that the spread of art pieces between countries was significantly less speedy pre-Internet.) In this program, Hindemith’s quartet was juxtaposed with one of Beethoven’s (in)famous late string quartets.
The author here describes Hindemith in a positive light, but certainly mirrors Hindemith’s lack of sentimentality in tone:
In this short paragraph we understand the often-praised nature of Hindemith’s work as concise and effective, pushing the boundaries but never to excess. Again, as with many other writings on music around this decade of the twentieth century, there seems to be an appreciation for music that follows a logical progression of compositional evolution. For example, Schoenberg believed that atonality was a logical next step, not a pointed departure from the norm. In a 1968 essay on the Neoclassic movement and its influence, Copland admired Hindemith’s proclivity for adhering to an eighteenth-century sense of purpose and simplicity, while utilizing twentieth-century tools.
The energetic, rhythmically driven second movement of this quartet (linked below) shows us Hindemith’s command of structure, with rapidly changing rhythms and tonalities that manage to form a cohesive sound-world. This movement also demonstrates, however, complete freedom from Classical harmonic tropes.
Right when I started thinking about how much the pitch material and rhythmic momentum reminded me of Stravinsky, I heard the material at timestamp 6:03. The eighth notes here, at rehearsal letter G, are not just reminiscent of Stravinsky, but basically a direct quotation of The Rite of Spring. Of course, as we read in Copland’s “Music Between the Wars” essay, Hindemith was undoubtedly influenced by Stravinsky’s work and it is not unusual to hear this sort of homage, but I was nevertheless excited to find the connection between these two (eventual) Neoclassicists so clearly evidenced in a piece of music.
Sources:
Copland, Aaron, Richard Kostelanetz, and Steven Silverstein. 2004. “Music Between the Wars.” In Aaron Copland: a reader : selected writings 1923–1972. New York: Routledge.
“The Pro-Arte Quartet.” Times, 5 Dec. 1928, p. 12. The Times Digital Archive, link-gale-com.ezproxy3.library.arizona.edu/apps/doc/CS202448773/TTDA?u=uarizona_main&sid=TTDA&xid=6a103bae.
