The Music of Gustave Mahler Copmposer - Essay Example

Gustave Mahler Gustav Mahler was a romantic Australian composer born in eastern Bohemia; on July 7 1860. He came from a humble background. Mahler’s grandmother was a street peddler. The composer’s family was part of a Germany-speaking minority among the Bohemians (Fischer 11). In 1860, Mahler’s family moved to a town called Iglau (Jihlava). Mahler’s father became a prominent businessperson in the new town. Mahler was introduced into music through “street songs, dance tunes, folk melodies and the trumpet calls and marches” of the local military band (La 5). As young as four years old, Mahler discovered his grandparent’s piano which he adopted immediately. He developed skills immediately and gave his first public performance when he was ten years old. Academically the teachers said he was slow, and most of the time absent minded. Even after being transferred, he made no improvement leading to his return to the town of Iglau. He suffered the loss of his younger brother Ernst in 1874, who passed on after a long illness. He sought music to express his feelings. Josef Steiner was the friend that assisted him to work on an opera (Littlewood 11). Mahler’s father was supportive of his son’s music ambitions and talent, thus he agreed to take him to Vienna conservatory where he auditioned, and was admitted in 1875-1876 (Mitchell 5). He was a good pianist and he won a number of awards in his first two years. The final years in the school, he advocated in learning about composition and harmony under Robert Fuchs and Frank Krenn. Nonetheless, only few of his student’s composition survived the rest he abandoned them after discovering they were not satisfactory. In 1878, he left conservatory with a diploma he then joined Vienna University and pursued courses, which mirrored his developing interests in literature and philosophy. After completion of his studies at the university, Mahler made money as a piano teacher and kept on composing. In 1880, he completed a dramatic “cantana, das klagende lied (the song of lamentation)” (Moricz 359). Nonetheless, his first performance was delayed until 1901 when he presented a shortened performance of his song. Mahler developed a liking in Germany philosophy and most of his compositions were influenced by diverse philosophers of the time. During the summer of 1880, Mahler took his first professional directing job in a small wooden theatre in the spa town of bad hall, south of Linz. Mahler was reluctant on taking the job, but he was advised that he would work his way up by beginning in small jobs. In 1881, he was involved at the “landestheater” in Laibach, whereby the small but inventive company was ready to attempt work that is more promising (Spencer 12). Through the company, Mahler was able to conduct his first full-scale opera. After completion of his six-month appointment, Mahler moved back to Vienna and was employed as a part-time chorus master at Vienna Carltheater. In 1883, Mahler became a conductor at a run down theatre in olmutz. Later he composed “from the moment I crossed the threshold of the olmutz theatre I felt like one awaiting the wrath of God” (Moricz 360). At the beginning, he had poor relations with the orchestra, despite the poor associations, he brought five new operas to the theatre that included Bizet’s Carmen and was received well with the press people who were previously hostile. He became the theatre “musical and choral director” from august of 1883. Mahler struggled to work in different places until his breakthrough in 1888 (Whitall 90). He became famous, and a great composer at the time, in November of 1901 he met Alma Schindler . They got married the following year, and they had two daughters Maria born in 1902 and Anna born in 1904. Although their marriage was faced with a lot of criticisms, they made it work. In 1907, they were faced with a tragedy after they returned from Maiernigg. Both daughters fell sick after their return with “scarlet fever and diphtheria” (Whitall 91). Anna recovered but Maria died after a two weeks struggle. Soon after the loss, Mahler discovered his heart was malfunctioning, he was told to seek rest after every vigorous performance a practice that he overlooked. Mahler experienced a number of emotional distractions during the summer of 1910 he worked on his tenth symphony. He returned to New York with his wife and he advocated to work for new seasons, concerts and tours. Around the year-end, he began suffering from sore throat that persevered. He performed his last concert in February 1911. Afterwards he was restrained in bed where he was diagnosed with “bacterial endocarditis” whereby the survival rate at the time was zero. While still in bed, he had the heart to work once more but the sickness was serious, and on may 18 he died in Vienna (Zychowicz 457). Mahler’s musical work can be divided into three creative periods. With the first period being the first and the longest period from 1880 to 1901, a middle period that was rather made of compositions and his departure to new York in 1907, and a short later period of elegiac works prior to his death in 1911 (Chakwin 264). The first four symphonies make up the first period. In his first periods, songs and symphonies are directly related and the symphonic works are programmatic. The middle period, was made of triptych, which was purely instrumental symphonies. He developed the fifth to eight symphonies during this period. During this period he advocated to write absolute pure music. The short final period made up the ninth and the tenth symphonies whereby his works were mainly made up of his personal experience as he faced death (Fischer 12). Mahler was considered a late romantic part of the required Astro-German classical music. His work was considered to be spiritually and philosophically motivated. Mahler was one of the major composers of the line, which involves among others “Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Wagner, Bruckner and Brahms”. From these people, Mahler developed many features that were to define his music. For instance, from “Beethoven’s ninth symphony” he developed the idea of including soloist and choir in symphonic genre. Additionally, from “Beethoven Liszt and Berlioz” he developed the concept of composing music with an innate narrative; as a result, he also broke away from the traditional four-movement symphony style. The use of diverse styles by Mahler was considered influebntial and has assisted a number of composers in expressing their feelings through instruments and music (Zychowicz 458). Mahler’s work can be classified to be symphonic. At the beginning of his career, his work was well received, and he got a number of shows as a result. Nonetheless, after his death to the beginning of 1950s his work was neglected. A number, of people tried to revive Mahler’s work to no success. During the Nazi era, Mahler’s work was banned altogether. However, in the early twentieth century efforts were made by his widow and contemporaries to preserve Mahler’s work in collections of letters and documents, which later were crucial in developing diverse biographies (Barham 25). At the beginning of 1960s, Leonard Bernstein revived Mahler’s work. A generation developed that liked Mahler’s work. He later became a major influence to many composers. For instance, Mahler majorly influenced America’s Aaron Copland when he was developing his music career. Even though, his music work did not survive to the end of time, Mahler influences still lives on and a number of musicians, and composers still look up to his work for inspiration. Mahler is now remembered as a late-romantic Austrian composer, and one of the principal conductors of his generation. He developed his skills from his humble background, and developed to be the best composer of all time. Work cited Barham, Jeremy. Perspectives on Gustav Mahler. Aldershot, Hants: Ashgate, 2005. Print. Chakwin. Symphony 3. American Record Guide. 2011. 74 (6), 264-266. Fischer, Jens M. Gustav Mahler. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. Internet resource. La, Grange H.-L. Gustav Mahler: Triumph and Disillusion (1904-1907). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print. Littlewood, David. Mahler's Abschied. Musical Opinion. 2012. 135 (1486), 10-12. Mitchell, Donald. Gustav Mahler: The Wunderhorn Years : Chronicles and Commentaries. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980. Print. Moricz, Klara. Seeing Mahler: Music and the Language of Antisemitism in Fin-de- Siècle Vienna. Notes. 2011. 68 (2), 359-361. Spencer, Mel. Mahler and the Common Man. Musical Opinion. 2011. 124 (1483), 11-13. Whitall, Arnold. Maximum volume. Musical Times. 2008. 149 (1904), 89-96. Zychowicz, James. Gustav Mahler's second century: achievements in scholarship and challenges for research. Notes. 2011. 67(3), 457-482. Read More