Teaching Methods
On 1 May 1927 began teaching composition at the Music Academy in Berlin. His pupils included Georg Blumensaat, Remi Gassmann, Harald Genzmer, Walter Leigh, Franz Reizenstein, Oskar Sala and Rudolf Wittelsbach. Hindemith was convinced that technical skill in dealing with the musical material was an essential prerequisite for successful composing alongside ideas and inspiration
His teaching was therefore clearly practically orientated, as a report shows in which he explained his method with the help of various examples: «The lesson begins at 9:00 AM. Pupil A brings the instrumentation of a piano piece from the period of around 1900. It is scored for large orchestra, the pupil has mastered the technique of orchestration quite well since, as an aspiring conductor, he will have a great deal to do with the orchestra. He has difficulties in handling the full orchestra, and the mixtures between woodwinds and brass are not satisfactory. He is then corrected, and a number of scores of Brahms, Wagner and Bruckner are brought forward to consolidate the instructions. The trombones have a low E, and because he does want to accept that this note is not applicable in some combinations, he is shown the execution on the instrument. When he sees before him, in practice, that the player has to move the slide a half metre for the interval of E to B-flat, he will surely take care next time not to demand this connection in a quick tempo.»
Hindemith also talked to his pupils «about concert life in general, about mediators, halls, advertising, concert societies and performance fees.»