(1860 - 1911)
Conductor and composer of symphonies and lieder cycles. Mahler was known for the length, depth, and scale of his works. He loved nature and life and, based on early childhood experiences, feared death (family deaths, a suicide, and a rape he witnessed). This informed almost all his compositions, especially the Kindertotenlieder ("Songs on the Deaths of Children"), which are actually about the loss of innocence. Mahler's orchestral music is clear, complex, and full of musical influences from the heavenly to the banal (the family lived near a military barracks, so march tunes sometimes appear; an argument was associated with the sound of a hurdy-gurdy outside the window). It has been said that when Mahler was at his best when he manged to balance just on the edge of bad taste. For example in Das Lied von der Erde ("Songs of the Earth"). He composed ten symphonies, ther last of which was incomplete. I still can't listen to the eighth because it is just too massive and jumbled. I prefer the humour of the fourth.
Mahler composed a large and generally impressive body of work. I provide here a (as far as I know) complete listing of all of his compositions from my CD database.
Songs
Three Songs for tenor and pianoforte
Year Written: 1880
All that survive of a projected Five Songs 'dedicated to Josephine'
Movements/Components:
Im Lenz;
Winterlied;
Maitanz im Grünen
Lieder und Gesänge (Vol 1) Five Songs for voice and pianoforte
Year Written: 1880-1883
Movements/Components:
Frühlingsmorgen (Spring Morning)
Text by Leander
Erinnerung (Remembering)
Text by Leander
Hans und Grethe (Hans and Grete)
Text by Mahler
Serenade aus "Don Juan"
Text by Tirso de Molina
Phantasie aus "Don Juan"
Text by Tirso de Molina
Lieder und Gesänge (Vol 2) Nine Songs for voice and pianoforte
Year Written: 1887-90
Movements/Components:
Um Schimme Kinder Artig Zu Machen (To Teach Naughty Children to be Good)
Ich Ging Mit Lust Durch Einen Grünen Wald (Full of Joy I walked through a Green Wood)
Aus! Aus! (Finished! Finished!)
Starke Einbildungskraft (Strong Imagination)
Lieder und Gesänge (Vol 3) Four Songs for voice and pianoforte
Year Written: 1888-1891
Movements/Components:
Zu Strassburg Auf Der Schanz' (On the Ramparts of Strassburg)
Ablösung Im Sommer (The Changing of the Summer Guard)
Scheiden und Meiden (Farewell and Forgo)
Nicht Wiedersehen! (Never to Meet Again)
Selbstgefühl (Self-Assurance)
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer)
Year Written: 1884
For voice and orchestra or pianoforte
Movements/Components:
Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
Ging heut' morgen über's Feld
Ich hab' ein glühend Messer
Die zwei blauen Augen
Lieder aus 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn' (The youth's magic horn)
Year Written: 1892-1899
Ten orchestral songs
Movements/Components:
Der Schildwache Nachtlied (Sentry's Night-Song) (1892)
Trost im Unglück (Consolation in Misfortune) (1892)
Verlor'ne Müh (Wasted Effort) (1892)
Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht? (Who made up this little song?) (1892)
Rheinlegendchen (Little Rhine Legend) (1893)
Das irdische Leben (Earthly Life) (1893)
Das Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt (Antony of Padua's Sermon to the Fishes) (1893)
Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen (Where the Splendid Trumpets are Sounding) (1895)
Lied des Verfolgten im Turm (Song of the Prisoner in the tower) (1895)
Lob des hohen Verstandes (In praise of Lofty Intellect) (1896)
Revelge (Reveille) (1899)
Tamboursg'sell (The Drummer Boy) (1901)
Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the death of children)
Year Written: 1901-1904
Text by Rückert
Movements/Components:
Nun well die Sonn' so hell aufgeh'n
Nun seh' ich wohl, warum so dunkle Flammen
Wenn dein Mütterlein
Oft denk' ich, sie sind nur ausgegangen
In diesem Wetter
Fünf Lieder nach Rückert (Five Rückert Songs)
Year Written:
Movements/Components:
Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder(1901)
Ich atmet' einen linden Duft(1901)
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen(1901)
Um Mitternacht(1901)
Liebst du um Schönheit(1902)
Cantatas
Das Klagende Lied
Year Written: 1878-1880
Movements/Components:
Waldmärchen (Forest Legend)
Der Spielmann (The Minstrel
Hoch zeitsstück (Wedding Piece)
Song-Symphony
Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)
Year Written: 1911
For tenor, contralto (or baritone) and orchestra. First performed after his death by Bruno Walter
Movements/Components:
Das Trinklied vom jammer der Erde (The Drinking Song of Earth's Sorrow)
Der Einsame im Herbst (Autumn Loneliness)
Von der Jugend (Youth)
Von der Schönheit (Beauty)
Der Trunkene im Frühling (Wine in Spring)
Der Abschied (The Farewell)
Symphonies
The chronology of Mahler's composition of a particular work may appear confused. There are many reasons for this. In the 1-4 symphonies, Mahler did not really compose them sequentially. The first movement of the 2nd existed first as a single movement. Unable to continue with the work, Mahler relabeled it as a one-movement tone-poem. Then he figured out how to continue, modified the movement, and back it went to being the first movement of the second symphony. The final movement of the 4th was originally intended as the final movement of the 3rd. And so on.
Symphony No. 1
Year Written: 1889/11/20
Movements/Components:
Langsam. Schleppend - Im Anfang gehr gemächlich
Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen
Stürmisch bewegt
Blumine (Andante)
Year Written:
Originally the 2nd movt of the 1st Symphony
Symphony No. 2
Year Written: 1895/12/13
For soprano, contralto, chorus, orchestra and organ
Movements/Components:
Allegro Maestoso
Andante moderato
In ruhig fliessende Bewegung
Urlicht
Text from (from 'Des Knaben Wunderhorn')
Im Tempo des Scherzo's
Text: 'Die Auferstehung)
Symphony No. 3
Year Written: 1902/06/09
Movements/Components:
Kräftig. Entschieden
Tempo di minuetto. Sehr mäßig
Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast
Sehr langsam. Misterioso. Oh Mensch! Gib acht!
Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck
Bimm bamm - Es sungen drei Engel einen süßen gesang
Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden
Symphony No. 4
Year Written: 1901/11/25
For solo soprano and Orchestra
Movements/Components:
Bedächtig, nicht eilen
In gemächlicher Bewegung. Ohne Hast
Ruhevoll
Sehr behaglich
Wir genießen die himmlischen Freuden from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Symphony No. 5
Year Written: 1904/10/18
Movements/Components:
Trauermarsch. In gemessenem Schritt. Streng. Wie ein Kondukt
Stürmisch bewegt. Mit grösster Vehemenz
Scherzo. Kräftig, nicht zu schnell
Adagietto. Sehr langsam
(Used in the film 'Death in Venice,' hence the movement someone not familiar with Mahler would be most likely to have heard before.
Rondo - Finale Allegro griocoso Frisch
Symphony No. 6
Year Written: 1906/05/27
Movements/Components:
Allegro energico, ma non troppo
Scherzo. Wuchtig
Andante
Finale: Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 7
Year Written: 1909/09/19
Movements/Components:
Langsam - Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo
Nachtmusik: Allegro moderato
Scherzo. Schattenhaft
Nachtmusik: Andante amoroso
Rondo - Finale
Symphony No. 8
Year Written: 1909
For three sopranos, two contraltos, tenor, baritone, bass, double choir, boy's choir, orchestra and organ
Movements/Components:
Hymn: Veni, Creator Spiritus
(Final scene from Faust)
Symphony No. 9
Year Written: 1910
First performed in Vienna under Bruno Walter
Movements/Components:
1st Movement
2nd Movement
3rd Movement
4th Movement
Symphony No. 10: Adagio
Year Written: 1911
The 10th Symphony was never completed by Mahler. Performing editions have been made using drafts by Mahler, the most often used edition being by Deryck Cooke.
Juvenilia and Fragmentary Works
Projected but uncompleted operas
Herzog Ernst von Schwaben
Year Written: 1875
Libretto by J. Steiner, probably based on Uhland
Die Argonauten
Year Written: 1879-80
Libretto by Mahler, probably based on Grillparzer
Rübezahl
Year Written: 1880-90
Libretto by Mahler
Orchestral
Symphony
Year Written: 1876-8
Rehearsed at Vienna Conservatory
Symphony in A minor
Year Written: 1876-8
(3 movements in Manuscript)