Respected as one of the most distinguished viola-players of his time, Hindemith devoted the earlier part of his career to performance, first as a violinist and then as violist in the Amar-Hindemith Quartet, while developing his powers as a composer and his distinctive theories of harmony and of the place of the composer in society. His name is particularly associated with the concept of Gebrauchsmusik, and the composer as craftsman. He was prolific in composition and wrote music in a variety of forms. Attacked by the National Socialists, he left his native Germany in 1935, taking leave from the Berlin Musikhochschule, where he had served as professor of composition for some eight years. In 1940 he settled in the United States, teaching at Yale University, a position he combined after the war with a similar position at the University of Zurich. He died in his native city of Frankfurt in 1963.

Operas and Stage Works

Hindemith found himself in open conflict with the National Socialist government of Germany in 1934 with his opera Mathis der Maler, the banning of which brought about the resignation of the conductor Furtwängler from his official positions. He derived a symphony of the same title from the opera. The dance legend Nobilissima visione, based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi and first performed in London in 1938, is better known in occasional instrumental excerpts, although there is a concert suite from the work.

Orchestral Music

In addition to the Mathis der Maler Symphony, the Symphonic Metamorphoses

ARUTIUNIAN, A.: Armenian Scenes / ANDRESEN, M.: 3 Norwegian Dances / BERG, O.: Brass Quintet / HINDEMITH, P.: Ploner Musiktag (Arctic Brass)	BACH, J. / HINDEMITH / SANDSTROM: Music for Brass Ensemble	BARBER: Summer Music / JOLIVET: Serenade / HINDEMITH: Kleine Kammermusik
BEETHOVEN / HAYDN / MOZART / BRAHMS / HUSA / SHIFRIN / BARTOK / HINDEMITH / MARTINON: String Quartets (Fine Arts Quartet) (1967-1973)	BERG / HINDEMITH / HARTMANN: Piano Sonatas / SCHOENBERG: 3 Piano Pieces	BERG / HINDEMITH / STRAVINSKY: Violin Concertos
BLISS: Colour Symphony / HINDEMITH: Symphony, "Mathis der Maler" (Bliss, Hindemith) (1955)	Brass Arrangements - DUBENSKY, A. / BACH, J.S. / DEBUSSY, C. / GROVLEZ, G. / RAVEL, M. (Pittsburgh Symphony, low brass section)	Brass Quintet Arrangements - SCHEIN, J.H. / MONTEVERDI, C. / BACH, J.S. / COUPERIN, F. / GABRIELI, G. / IVES, C. (Eastern Brass Quintet)
BRAUNFELS: Te Deum / HINDEMITH: Konzertmusik, "Bostoner Sinfonie" (Wand Edition, Vol. 15)	Cello Recital: Rosenfeld, Raphael - BEETHOVEN, L. van / SCHUMANN, R. / LISZT, F. / JANACEK, L. / DEBUSSY, C. / HINDEMITH, P.	Cello Recital: Turovsky, Yuli - HAYDN, J. / MOZART, W.A. / BOCCHERINI / TARTINI / VIVALDI / BERNSTEIN, L. (Cello from Haydn to Bernstein)
CHACONNE - Music for Viola and Orchestra	Chamber Music - KLUGHARDT, A. / LOEFFLER, C. M. / WHITE, F. / HINDEMITH, P. (Alex Klein, Richard Young, Ricardo Castro) (Poetic Inspirations)	CHERKASSKY, Shura: Piano works by Rameau, Haydn, Hindemith, Chopin, Berkeley
Choral Music (French) - ABSIL, J. / RAVEL, M. / POULENC, F. / HINDEMITH, P. (Europa Chor Akademie, Cambreling)	CINCINNATI WIND SYMPHONY: Paradigm	COMPOSERS IN EXILE - ZEMLINSKY, A. von / SCHREKER, F. / SCHULHOFF, E. / ULLMANN, V. / HINDEMITH, P. / SCHOENBERG, A. / MILHAUD, D.