Eclectic Approaches, Influences, and Stylistic Parallels in Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos

Abstract

This article will focus on Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos and attempt to exemplify its eclectic approaches as well as technical and stylistic parallels and influences, both from the piece’s past and future. Examples that predate the piece do not necessarily mean they are direct references but should be perceived as having common ancestors, much like how Darwinian evolution trees are understood, and examples that postdate the piece do not necessarily mean they have been directly influenced but rather that the original work foreshadowed certain concepts that were meant to appear in due time. Although Hindemith was one of the most important and prolific composers of the 20th century, his works did not receive as much attention from many musicologists and performers as his contemporaries. The purpose of this article is to renew interest in Sonata for Two Pianos, which deserves to have a significant high standing in the piano repertoire. Paul Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos should be considered as a piece that should be played more frequently in piano recitals and studied more deeply by musicologists. In addition, Hindemith’s eclectic compositional approach in his works needs to be examined thoroughly. This article uses the methods of qualitative analysis and comparative analysis on the works before and after Hindemith’s Sonata for Two Pianos in addition to a score analysis.