Paul Hindemith was born on 16 November 1895 in Hanau and died in Frankfurt on 28 December 1963. This dissertation examines his life, family, patrons, mentors, friendships and relationships with teachers alongside his compositional development from 1895 until 1922. Hindemith's compositional output before 1919 was largely produced with these individuals in mind (and dedicated accordingly), inspiring an eclectic combination of genres, including the so-called Puppenspiele and Dramatische Meisterwerke.