Paul Hindemith and the Idea of Progress, Tradition and Neoclassicism

Paul Hindemith is one of the most famous composers of the 20th century as well as the most important thinkers in the field of music. His aesthetic beliefs are inspired mainly by Boethius and Saint Augustine. He raises an issue of ideas of tradition and progress, which seemed quite disputable in the music of the 20th century. Hindemith believes that in the world exist some universal spiritual principles, which must be integrated by composers in the process of creating music. He criticises the approaches in which the technique itself appears to be predominant, therefore he negates such techniques as the twelve-tone chromatic scale. According to Hindemith, the development of music must be based on traditional fundaments, which, however, can be linked to modern styles and ideas. That seems crucial not only in the process of composing, but also in teaching music, both in theory and in practice.