The influence of Paul Hindemith on trumpet repertoire

William Rabun
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:58:51 PDT

The volume of quality trumpet repertoire available today is miniscule in comparison to the amount accessible for other instruments such as flute or violin. One significant reason for this disparity in repertoire is due to the vast developmental change that the trumpet has undergone since the turn of the 19th-Century. As a result, few well-known composers wrote for the instrument. This paper will discuss the impact of Paul Hindemith and his student Harald Genzmer on repertoire that features the trumpet as a solo instrument as well as the influence of jazz, and the 12-tone technique on Hindemith's compositional style. Additionally, the merit of the works of Hindemith's pupil will be discussed as well as the similarities found in the style of composition between student and teacher. Another issue that will be covered is to identify the difficulty of each work. To assess the difficulty o f the pieces I will analyze the range, technical ability required as well as the level of endurance needed to successfully perform each piece.