JAVS Fall 2012

Variation twelve as it appears in Hindemith’s sketchbook seen below (m. 279 onward) is not included in the final version, although thematic material is very closely related. A short section is incorporated in figure 20. The Finale could be likened to a crazy folk-fiddling marathon with one variation after another requiring the soloist to demonstrate dexterous antics. Hindemith’s writing frequently employs Baroque figu rations and sequences—a seemingly neo-baroque bea con thrown in at the end of this extraordinary work. The sketch of the Finale is mostly complete, with the exception of the last part of variation one, where Hindemith began the solo viola line in a light pencil but did not fill in the following three bars, just leav ing them blank (see figure 21). Hindemith perhaps did not deem it necessary to write out repetitive fig urations in the solo viola line, when he quite obvi ously knew what he was going to notate. This Finale is inventive, virtuosic, and packed with energy; an enthralling and boisterous end contextu alizing Hindemith’s creative capabilities, despair, and humor within his extraordinary life circumstances during this period. Figure 20. Sketch of the beginning of Variation XII from the third movement of Der Schwanendreher. Sketchbook 1935 Silesius Lieder / Rondo for Trautonium / Geigensonate in E, II Satz / III / Bratschenkonzert. III. & II. Satz (with kind permission of the Hindemith Institute, Frankfurt am Main).

Figure 21. Sketch from the third movement of Der Schwanendreher. Sketchbook 1935 Silesius Lieder / Rondo for Trautonium / Geigensonate in E, II Satz / III / Bratschenkonzert. III. & II. Satz (with kind permission of the Hindemith Institute, Frankfurt am Main).

Conclusion

Hindemith’s desire for privacy knew no bounds, and even during this desperate stage of loss in his career he was still unable to openly bare his true emotions. This concerto comes perilously close to revealing the prevailing darkness, although he ingeniously crafted the work around ambiguous texts and a perplexing title. Nevertheless, the power of the music alone speaks for itself, an individual and moving testament to his connection with his chosen instrument and beloved Germany. Der Schwanendreher holds an important place in the viola repertoire, but even more significantly it serves as an inadvertent biogra phical commentary on an excruciatingly painful period in Hindemith’s life.

J OURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETy 48