I find this account of Hindemith’s teaching style to be disturbing. Often the way this man speaks of him is more like a cult of personality than like a teacher. Why should students be anxious that they don’t know enough around their teacher? Isn’t that the point of learning under a great master, to learn? And what is this terrible phrase “I don’t have time for people who don’t know what I’m talking about“? I love Hindemith’s music, but this account of him seems highly unflattering.
I agree. Like you, I love Hindemith's music but... I'm about halfway through a book by Luther Noss called "Paul Hindemith in the United States." Like Re, Noss is clearly in 'cult' mode, as he tries to paint Hindemith at Yale in the most positive light possible. But little by little, an ugly picture emerges despite Noss's best efforts to sugar-coat the story. The fact is, for Hindemith the relation with his so-called 'students' was just a cruel cat-and-mouse game since he clearly despised ALL of his so-called students -- so much so that he 'forbid' them to arrange for their compositions to be read through or performed. (Instead, the student was meant to focus solely on theory and on the exercises that Hindemith devised for them.) But we can't blame Hindemith in particular too much. The story of Hindemith at Yale is part of a much larger pattern of famous authors and composers and painters "having students" in so-called "workshops" or "retreats" -- a whole cottage industry which is idiotic from the get-go -- granted that there are rare exceptions where a legitimate teacher-student relation exists, as between Schoenberg and his students Webern and Berg.
This is fascinating. Thank you for posting it.
Thanks for watching!
Yeah thank you
highly interesting - rip peter ré
He was a genius, and they are not always easy and friendly to be with.
Is the background music by Peter Ré? It's beautiful, almost haunting, and very resemblant of Hindemith.
Yes it is from my Peter Re's CD which is on Amazon. I grew up with those notes floating around our house, I was very lucky.
What is the music played at the beginning and end of this video. Is it by Peter Ré or by Hindemith?
The music is by Peter Re and can be found here www.allmusic.com/album/peter-r%C3%A9-string-quartets-divertimento-mw0001849761
''an institute within an institute''
I find this account of Hindemith’s teaching style to be disturbing. Often the way this man speaks of him is more like a cult of personality than like a teacher. Why should students be anxious that they don’t know enough around their teacher? Isn’t that the point of learning under a great master, to learn? And what is this terrible phrase “I don’t have time for people who don’t know what I’m talking about“? I love Hindemith’s music, but this account of him seems highly unflattering.
Given the tenuous position serious music occupies in the world Hindemith's teaching style seems both accurate and appropriate.
I agree. Like you, I love Hindemith's music but...
I'm about halfway through a book by Luther Noss called "Paul Hindemith in the United States." Like Re, Noss is clearly in 'cult' mode, as he tries to paint Hindemith at Yale in the most positive light possible. But little by little, an ugly picture emerges despite Noss's best efforts to sugar-coat the story. The fact is, for Hindemith the relation with his so-called 'students' was just a cruel cat-and-mouse game since he clearly despised ALL of his so-called students -- so much so that he 'forbid' them to arrange for their compositions to be read through or performed. (Instead, the student was meant to focus solely on theory and on the exercises that Hindemith devised for them.) But we can't blame Hindemith in particular too much. The story of Hindemith at Yale is part of a much larger pattern of famous authors and composers and painters "having students" in so-called "workshops" or "retreats" -- a whole cottage industry which is idiotic from the get-go -- granted that there are rare exceptions where a legitimate teacher-student relation exists, as between Schoenberg and his students Webern and Berg.
@@TheTheurgist Perhaps, but what Hindemith students went on to make a great and noteworthy contribution to composition?