Paul Hindemith Dichotomy

Hindemith in Relation to The Nazi Regime
When the name Paul Hindemith is mentioned, two opposing perspectives come to mind: the view that he was strongly allied to the Nazi party, and the view that he was a dissident whose musical works directly opposed Nazi ideals. Neither of these views are wrong, for Hindemith had an extremely complex relationship with the Nazi party where both sides of the spectrum are manifested. From early in his career, Hindemith’s compositions were seen as controversial. This view was reinforced by his 1933 opera Mathis Der Maler and its complementary Symphony. Individual members of the party had different reactions to both works, further complicating Hindemith’s relationship with the party as a whole. This dichotomy within the party is related to the dichotomy between Hindemith’s two components of Mathis Der Maler. Because his work had
However, Hindemith lasted in Nazi Germany much longer than his counterparts, largely due to the extraordinary reception of his Symphony Mathis Der Maler (“Paul Hindemith”). This extreme contrast in reception between these works is what created such a mixed relationship with the Nazi party. On one hand, his early works were offensive and his opera Mathis Der Maler was a direct attack on the Nazi regime. On the other hand, he created some of the most characteristically German, yet still modern, works of his time. Even today, scholars cannot come to a consensus on the relationship between Hindemith and the Nazi party because almost every account from Nazi officers at the time offers a different perspective. Unfortunately for Hindemith, this entanglement in the Nazi party has somewhat tainted his name. He will forever be associated with the Nazi regime, because no one, not even the foremost scholars on the subject, can prove