Paul Hindemith

Quatre mouvements de choral

Singing, especially singing in small groups, is a valuable and even the most natural musical activity - that is what Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) firmly believed: 'Everybody has got a voice ... A choir is the least demanding and at the same time best educational tool.' And that is why singing had always been part of his teaching activities, be it while trying and practising musical-theoretical tasks, be it while rehearsing old and modern choral settings. No wonder that the composer had dealt with choral music all his life, addressing himself to all different kinds of vocal ensembles: to mixed choirs, male-voice and children's choirs, professional choirs and trained singers. He developed his a-cappella style during his training with Arnold Mendelssohn and Bernhard Sekles at the Hoch Conservatoire in Frankfurt. As a consequence, the sketch books from his student days also contain three-part vocal settings on cantus firmi. The sacred choral works presented here (1. Christus, der ist mein Leben, 2. Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort, 3. Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, 4. Gott des Himmels) are not only interesting as compositional studies, but also as sonorous and catchy choral music which can be easily performed by any good church choir.