History and Development
After Hindemith's
death in 1963, his widow Gertrud began to examine, sort out, organise
and also partially complete the valuable materials in their last home
in Blonay. The most important sources amongst these documents, from the
historical standpoint, are the autograph scores and sketches of the composer,
the manuscript versions of his musico-theoretical writings, his autobiographical
catalogues of works and the extensive correspondence that clearly reflects
Hindemith's significance in international cultural life. Besides these
there were also testimonies of his activity as interpreter, Hindemith's
musical instruments, recordings made by him sound
documents in the DRA: www.dra.de, concert programmes and reviews of
his concerts, all kept in the Villa La
Chance in Blonay. Many biographical documents were preserved, such
as Hindemith's address book from the Berlin years, photographs, certificates
and documents, Hindemith's literary texts, including his burlesque Dramatic
Masterworks from the years 1913-1920 which partially bear autobiographical
traits, and also drawings and caricatures by the composer.
Gertrud Hindemith decided on the place to keep these documents in her
will, in the following terms:
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...
The entire archive with manuscripts, sketches, library, instruments
and possibly some furniture and drawings, etc., should be donated
to an institute willing to volunteer several rooms (or a floor)
and to supply the necessary professional personnel for the care
and supervision of these materials...
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The Hindemith
Foundation decided after its constitution, however, to fulfil this
task itself, and seized upon an offer from the City of Frankfurt am Main
to establish the institute there. At first, an independent Paul Hindemith
Institute was set up in the rooms of the former Rothschild Palace, in
the middle of Hindemith's Frankfurt sphere of activity, where in 1974
two musicologists took up their work by appointment from the Hindemith
Foundation.
After the City of Frankfurt decided to establish a Jewish Museum in the
historically rich house of the Rothschild family, the province of Hessen
placed rooms in the Frankfurt Academy of Music at the disposal of the
Hindemith Institute. The history of this building is also connected with
the development of Paul Hindemith in many ways; in the present concert
hall of the Music Academy, in those days the broadcasting hall of the
radio station in Frankfurt, the world premiere of the Kammermusik No.
7 op. 46/2 took place in 1928 under the baton of Hindemith's father-in-law,
Ludwig Rottenberg. After the Second World War, Hindemith returned for
two concert projects with the students of the Academy in this building.
A musicological team, meanwhile expanded to five persons by the Hindemith
Foundation, now works on a spacious floor of the Academy, attending to
the constantly growing archives, the principal item of which remains the
actual estate of Paul Hindemith. The director of the Institute is Prof.
Dr Giselher Schubert.
