November of 2025 marked the 130th anni­versary of the birth of one of the most outstanding composers of the 20th century, Paul Hindemith. In this essay author highlights important milestones in the musician’s life and work. Hindemith followed a para­doxical path from radical rebel to guardian of classical traditions. The text examines in detail the master’s early artistic period, during which he earned a reputation as a “terror of the burghers.” His major works from this period included the operas “Murderer, Hope of Women,” “The Nusch-Nuschi,” and “Sancta Susanna,” which provoked public protests. During this period, the composer also created chamber music that embodied a deliberately urban, machine-like aesthetic. Particular attention is given to the historical and cultural context: the composer’s conflict with the ideology of national socialism, his forced emigration to the United States, and his long-term teaching career at Yale University, which influenced an entire generation of American musicians. The essay analyzes Hindemith’s fundamental turn in the 1930s toward neoclassicism, his rethinking of baroque polyphony, and the creation of his own musical theoretical system, reflected in such mature works as the opera “Matthias the Painter,” the symphony “The Harmony of the World,” and the polyphonic cycle “Ludus Tonalis.” The latter is interpreted not only as one of the most important examples of 20th-century polyphonic mastery but also as an attempt to establish a creative dialogue with J. S. Bach.