Paul Hindemith: The Craft of Musical Composition Book 2 | Music Theory and Composition Study Guide for Composers and Musicians Exploring Melody Construction, Tonality, and Two-Voice Setting

The Craft of Musical Composition: Book 2 by composer and teacher Paul Hindemith is a respected music theory and composition study for serious students, composers, and professional musicians. First published in the 1940s and still widely referenced today, this volume continues Hindemith’s systematic approach to melodic construction and tonal organization, offering insight into how melodies are formed and structured within a tonal framework.

This book focuses on building and expanding melodic ideas through progressively more complex techniques. Readers explore the construction of simple one-voice melodic patterns, the development of two-voice settings, and the elaboration of melodic lines through auxiliary tones, returning tones, and passing tones. Hindemith also introduces concepts such as tonal higher-units, the tonality of melodies, and methods for expanding melodic models into developed musical ideas.

Rather than presenting abstract theory alone, Hindemith’s approach connects compositional principles directly to practical musical thinking. By examining how melodies function structurally and tonally, composers gain tools for writing clearer musical lines. Students studying classical composition and advanced music theory often find this volume valuable as a bridge between foundational theory and compositional practice.

Song List
Preface * Construction of the Simplest One-Voice Melodic Patterns * Beginning of Two-Voice Setting * Elaborated Melody (Auxiliary or Returning Tones, Passing Tones) * Elaborated Melody (Continuation) * Principles of Melodic Construction * Elaborated Melody (Conclusion) * Tonal Higher-Units * Tonality of the Melodies * Elaboration of the Melody Model * Free Two-Voice Setting I * Free Two-Voice Setting II