Guy Rickards' innovative biography examines three German composers -
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), Karl Amadeus Hartmann (1905-63) and Hans
Werner Henze (b. 1926) - and demonstrates how a number of parallels can
be drawn between their works, influences and roles in musical history,
despite their varied backgrounds, musical approaches and political
leanings. A combination of new directions and German traditions was
common to the music of all three composers; their works acknowledged the
musical heritage of their homeland while also expanding and adding to
it. During the twentieth century, the entwined lives of these three men
served to create new paths and possibilities for the development of
German music.