Goal of the Foundation

In her will dated 4 December 1966, Gertrud Hindemith already roughly outlined the goal of a Hindemith Foundation; the preservation and evaluation of the estate of her late husband was to be the main and essential object of this establishment. Apparently Gertrud Hindemith had suspected, however, that the financial means of such a foundation would not be sufficient to maintain an autonomous Hindemith Research Centre, for she suggested that she donate the documents from Hindemith's life and work that she had already gathered together to an institute that would want to take on the cultivation and maintenance of these valuable sources.
After Gertrud Hindemith's death in 1967, a group of friends met together to pave the way for the founding of the foundation. This particular group had been suggested by her in her will to undertake this task. A set of statutes and articles could already be proposed by January 1969, taking up and specifying Gertrud Hindemith's plans for her husband's estate in the following terms:

The Foundation endeavours

- to further and cultivate music in the spirit of Paul Hindemith, most especially contemporary music,
- to disseminate and propagate the works of Paul Hindemith and to awaken understanding for his art,
- to arrange for scholarly research in the field of music and to support the publication and circulation of the results of this research.
- The Foundation will remain neutral in political and religious orientation and will refrain from furthering contrary opinions in the field of music. Its activity will not be limited by national or territorial boundaries.

The Foundation Council extended the area of activity of the Foundation beyond Gertrud Hindemith's suggestion by one essential factor. Not only was the musicological treatment of the compositional and musico-theoretical work of Paul Hindemith firmly stipulated as a future concern of the Foundation, but also the cultivation of practical music-making should become a matter of central concern; after all, Hindemith began his musical career as a violinist and violist and was considered one of the great virtuosi of the 20th century.
For this reason the Foundation established two long-term institutions; it maintains the Hindemith Music Centre in Blonay that concerns itself primarily with practical music making, and the Hindemith Institute in Frankfurt am Main for the musicological evaluation and maintenance of the Hindemith estate.
Since 1999, Prof. Dr Andreas Eckhardt (Bonn) and François Margot (Vevey) administer the Foundation as President and Vice President, respectively. The Foundation office is in Blonay.

Page up