Mahler Foundation

Energisch, Stormily agitated – Energetic. The fourth movement is by far the most involved, and expansive. It brings back several elements from the first movement, unifying the symphony as a whole. The movement begins with an abrupt cymbal crash, a loud chord in the upper woodwinds, string and brass, and a bass drum hit, all in succession. This contrasts greatly with the end of the third movement. As the strings continue in a frenzy of notes, fragments of a theme in F minor appear, presented forcefully in the brass, before being played in entirety by the majority of winds:

The movement continues frantically until an expansive lyrical theme is presented in the strings. Eventually, the opening fragments in the brass emerge, and the energy picks up once more.

Mahler then presents the initial motive, in the brass, this time in D major, and the horns play a full-forced altered version of the descending fourth pattern from the beginning of the symphony, as if heading to a climax.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 1 - 4th Movement with Lew Smoley.

The Symphony No. 1 in D major by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)  was mainly composed between late 1887 and 03-1888, though it incorporates music Mahler had composed for previous works. It was composed while Mahler was the second conductor at the Leipzig Opera, Germany.

Although in his letters Mahler almost always referred to the work as a symphony, the first two performances described it as a ‘Symphonic poem’ or ‘Tone poem’.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 1 - Intro with Lew Smoley.

Solemnly and measured, without dragging, very simple, like a folk-tune, once again somewhat more agitated, as at the start. A funeral march based on the children’s song “Frère Jacques” (or “Bruder Jacob”). The third movement acts as the slow movement in the four-movement plan. The extra-musical idea behind it is that of a hunter’s funeral and a procession of animals that follows.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 1 - 3rd Movement with Lew Smoley.

Moving strongly, but not too quickly, restrained, a trio Ländler. The second movement is a modified minuet and trio. Mahler replaces the minuet with a Ländler, a 3/4 dance-form that was a precursor to the Austrian waltz. This is a popular structure in Mahler’s other symphonies, as well as Franz Schubert’s. One main theme repeats throughout the Ländler, and it gathers energy towards a hectic finish. The main melody outlines an A major chord.

The trio contains contrasting lyrical material; however, as it comes to a close, Mahler alludes again to the Ländler by interjecting brief rising material from the first section. Finally, the Ländler makes a formal return, shortened and orchestrated more heavily to close the movement.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 1 - 2nd Movement with Lew Smoley.

The ink was barely dry on the score of his First Symphony in 1888 when Mahler began to toy with the idea of a new large symphonic work in c. The opening movement was soon completed and named Todtenfeier (Funeral Ceremony), but it then languished among his papers until 1891, the year in which he left the Budapest Opera to become conductor in Hamburg. There he attracted the attention of the great conductor Hans von Bulow (1830-1894), well known as a champion of new music. When Mahler played him Todtenfeier on the piano, however, Bulow covered his ears and groaned: “If what I have heard is music, I understand nothing about music. […]
Compared with this, Tristan is a Haydn symphony.”

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 2 - Intro with Lew Smoley.

Blumine translates to ‘floral’, or ‘flower’, and some believe this movement was written for Johanna Richter (1858-1943), with whom Mahler was infatuated at the time. 
The style of this movement has much in common with Mahler’s earlier works but also shows the techniques and distinct style of his later compositions.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 1 - Blumine Movement with Lew Smoley.

Very restrained throughout, D major. The first movement is in modified sonata form, with a substantially slow introduction. The introduction begins eerily with a seven-octave drone in the strings on A, with the upper octaves being played on harmonics in the violins. A descending two-note motif is then presented by the woodwinds, and eventually establishes itself into the following repeated pattern:

This opening, in its minimalist nature and repeated descending motif, alludes to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 in D minor. This theme is then interrupted by a fanfare-like material first presented in the clarinets, and later by offstage trumpets, indicated in the score as “In sehr weiter Entfernung aufgestellt” (At a very far distance). A slow melody is also played by the horns, and the descending two-note motif is sped up in the clarinet, imitating the sound of a cuckoo. This opening is very true to Mahler’s style, putting the emphasis on the winds, and not more traditionally on the strings.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 1 - 1st Movement with Lew Smoley.

The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler’s cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the trumpet solo that opens the work with the same rhythmic motive as used in the opening of Beethoven’s 5th symphony and the frequently performed Adagietto.

The musical canvas and emotional scope of the work, which lasts over an hour, are huge. The symphony is sometimes described as being in the key of C? minor since the first movement is in this key (the finale, however, is in D major). Mahler objected to the label: “From the order of the movements (where the usual first movement now comes second) it is difficult to speak of a key for the ‘whole Symphony’, and to avoid misunderstandings the key should best be omitted.”

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 5 - Intro with Lew Smoley from ClassicalPodcasts.com.

Very comfortably. Strophic. The fourth movement opens with a relaxed, bucolic scene in G major. A child, voiced by a soprano, presents a sunny, naive vision of Heaven and describes the feast being prepared for all the saints. The scene has its darker elements: the child makes it clear that the heavenly feast takes place at the expense of animals, including a sacrificed lamb. The child’s narrative is punctuated by faster passages recapitulating the first movement.

Unlike the final movement of traditional symphonies, the fourth movement of Mahler’s No. 4 is essentially a song, containing verses, with interludes, a prelude, and a postlude (a strophic structure). By the time the postlude is heard, there is a modulation to E major (the tonic major of the relative minor) and unusually stays in this key, ending the symphony away from the tonic of G major. Several ties to the Third Symphony can be heard in these passages as well.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 4 - 4th Movement with Lew Smoley.

Peacefully, somewhat slowly. Theme and variations. The third movement is a solemn processional march cast as a set of variations. Mahler uses the theme and variation structure in a more unconventional way.

This movement can be divided into five main sections: A1 – B1 – A2 – B2 – A3 – CODA. The theme is presented in the first 16 bars of A1, but the true variations don’t appear until section A3, although the theme is developed slightly within the preceding sections; sections A1, A2, B1, and B2 are in bar form. This movement remains mostly in G major, but does modulate to D minor, E minor, and E major; the B2 section has a rather unstable tonality, being more chromatic and moving through many keys.

---

A listening guide of Symphony No. 4 - 3rd Movement with Lew Smoley.