Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 6 in A minor, is a symphony by Gustav Mahler.
Formation
The 6th Symphony was 1903-1904, right after the 5th Symphony. Mostly Mahler wrote the work in Vienna, where he worked as court opera. The tragic tone of the symphony anticipated at most dramatic events in the life of the composer, who had not yet arrived at the time of origination. At this time Mahler was seen as conductor and composer in Vienna and was able to develop high artistic ideal. For two years, Mahler was not unhappily married to his wife Alma and had the origination date of two children with her. That is why the true forecast Mahler, that the new work " riddles " will.
About the Music
Occupation
Piccolo, 4 flutes (3rd and 4th also Piccolo ), 4 oboes (3rd and 4th also English horn ), 5 clarinets ( 4 in Eb / D and A) ( 5 bass clarinet ), 5 bassoons (5th also contrabassoon ), 8 horns, 6 trumpets, 4 trombones ( 4 and bass trombone), tuba, timpani 4, percussion (including a hammer ), 2 harps, celesta and strings.
The performance lasts about 85 minutes.
1st movement: Allegro energico. Fierce, but pithy
The main clause begins with a pounding rhythm of the low strings, followed by a march tune developed. This develops from an A minor triad. This motif occurs in a veiled way, in all the movements of the symphony on. A chorale-like, reminiscent of Bruckner motif in the woodwinds soothes the troubled events. After that, the strings intone a second, troubled thoughts, which soars to an enormous size. This exposure is then, unusually for Mahler, repeated almost verbatim. The re- starting march rhythm initiates the development section. In the center of performing it comes to musical stagnation and cattle bells are silent, how to listen from a distance, to xylophone and delicate woodwind accompaniment. An idyll in the midst of the gloomy march set. Short motifs of the woodwinds get the picture the Austrian natural paradise upright for several minutes. Only the modest return of the march rhythm ends the delicate insertion, which acts as a small idyllic island in the middle of the raging action. The stomping rhythm intensified further in the recapitulation. In the rousing coda to the pounding of the drums accelerated more and more, resulting in a relatively non- transmitting end according to a likewise accelerated motif of the second theme.
2nd movement: Scherzo. massive
The Scherzo is immediately adjacent to the marching rhythm of the first movement in A minor, which speaks in second place of the symphony for his position. A barely articulated theme unfolds in the greatest agitation on this rhythm. A slow decay of the pounding leads to a trio that is rhythmically irregular and unequal gentler than the main theme. In the brass sounds then suddenly the march rhythm, resulting in the return of the Scherzo. This resulted in a new, restless, dance-like theme, which is always suddenly interrupted by the marching rhythm unfolds. Once again, then you will hear a trio, the first indeed similar, but not its repetition. Quite unexpectedly it comes then to a dramatic tutti chord, which leads to an immediate standstill, which is overcome by tentative woodwind motifs, but the sentence can finish behave with some threatening motives. Through his sudden upheavals and change the character set is very restless and kontinuitätslos.
3rd movement: Andante moderato
The Andante in E flat major is the resting point of this symphony. The lyrical subject matter is often interpreted as his wife Alma contends. The instrumentation is more moderate and restrained compared to the other sets. A lyrical mood unfolds very slowly in the strings and woodwinds. The timid and insecure acting beginning of the block is overcome by the intonation of an elegiac song, this is only in the epilogue to a complete blade. A second section is heralded by the woodwind. In the background, the elegiac main theme heard in the solo horn. An increase in wave reaches then the whole orchestra without a musical breakthrough is achieved, which occurs only at a comparable later point in the sentence. A short motif in folk Landler rhythm, again using the cowbells, then appears quite abruptly. A short blade through the main motif is blowing from dramatic tremolos in the strings. It works, especially as supported by cowbells, like a short happy moment in the distance, which is, however, dramatized by his appearance in a minor key and the disturbing string accompaniment. Shortly thereafter manage the short musical breakthrough when the subject is ausgesungen in sublime beauty of the strings and capable of producing a short moment of happiness. With some soothing chords of poignant sentence fades in delicate Eb major chord of celesta and strings.
4th movement: Finale, sostenuto - Allegro moderato - Allegro energico
In this set come Mahler's fears and despair to light that can be found for example in his song cycle Kindertotenlieder. The finale of the symphony is often interpreted as an anticipation of future personal and historical disasters. The fateful final movement represents a kind of extended sonata form dar. It lasts over 30 minutes, making it one of the longest sentences Mahler symphony and music history at all. A restrained input thought is quickly stifled by a aufpeitschenden tutti chord. The result is an early musical standstill, in the short motivic fragments into sound. A mystical -looking use of the carillon resounds in indecisiveness. Again appears the aufpeitschende motif of the sentence beginning. A chant of deep blower then heard in sublime drama. Time and again in this design collection too short, aufpeitschenden dramatic outbursts. After some time creating a to -enhancing march -like run, which connects to the first two sentences. Briefly, the issue applies even to major before it is driven into vibrant vitality forward. Often Mahler moved here at the edge of tonality. After some time there will be a musical point of rest, resound again in the subdued motivic fragments and the cowbells are heard again. This resulted in a renewed frenzy, which is a dramatic development, on which culminated in full force heard a hammer blow develops. Still, the total collapse is not the result of this musical compression. Nevertheless, the action as it piles up on in cascades and strives against the return of the march rhythm. A lyrical thought in between then leads directly to the second hammer blow, which draws dramatic effect, however. A musical outcry from complex tone formations piled upon themselves to overthrow with a bang after a caricature-like recording of the marching rhythm down. At the latest by the following further Tutti blow breaks the tone formations together. Only with difficulty bring some blank chords of bassoons and harp again life in the musical events. The mystical chimes theme of the sentence beginning resurfaces as additional designs. One last time creates a dynamic enhancement process that culminates briefly in some radiant tutti chords and brings an acceleration of events with them. Again heard the march in expanded form. It develops an unprecedented increase, which sweeps everything and stands at the end point of the fateful last mighty hammer. The result is a slow verklingender bang some troubled harp chords and the last time rearing strings motives which slowly fall to the ground and into space. Dissonant wind chords convey only empty and mystical sound, the last hammer has the musical events irretrievably destroyed. A quiet aushauchender Kontrabasston suffocated in a sudden outcry of the orchestral tutti, which acts as a sealing of the collapse. The work fades away in musical hopelessness and despair in pianissimo.
On the problem of record order
The order of the two middle movements Scherzo and Andante is not clear. Originally wanted Mahler scherzo before the andante movement make, and in this form appeared the first edition of the symphony in the publisher CF Kahnt. Even before the first tournament in 1906, however, Mahler decided the order in Andante - Scherzo switch change. Mahler himself always led the work on only in this form. Mahler Artist Willem Mengelberg Mahler's widow Alma asked in 1919 according to the correct order. However, these propagated the older order Scherzo - Andante. Also in the first issue of the critical edition (1963 ), the symphony was published in this row order. Many conductors lead the symphony today in order Scherzo - Andante on what the last assignable statement contradicts Mahler on this topic.
Compositionally speaks a lot for the Andante third. The Scherzo is with a minor and one -step one of the basses and thus is directly linked to the header record. It complements this forth of the recapitulation, as Mahler reserving the due re-entry of the fundamental key of A minor for the beginning of the scherzo here. The C minor, with the uses of the final movement, on the other hand is based on clearly -flat major of the Andante. This makes it clear that the basic concept of the symphony quite in the order Scherzo - was Andante, and was changed later.
Effect
The first performance of the symphony was on May 27, 1906 Essen hall building as the highlight of the Festival of Musicians of the General German music club instead. It played the Essen Philharmonic, united with the Symphony Orchestra of Utrecht, under the composer's direction. Mahler conducted except the premiere only two more performances of the work: in Munich on November 8, 1906, the last time in Vienna on January 4, 1907 This show is the only one in which the now partially familiar epithet "Tragic Symphony" was on the program list. . Although Mahler himself probably did not use that title, he accepted the mention of the name in the program at this show. Mahler never added this name in the score prints, which is why the name is not officially use.
In contrast to the first performance of the Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 6 came entirely on goodwill. Many critics praised the clarity of expression and the classical form of the work. Also the differentiated orchestral sound with its innovative uses of the striking mechanism has been praised for example, in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. Negative comments of contemporaries mostly limited to a too large orchestra and thus offers a partial noisy character of the music. Richard Strauss was speaking of an " over-instrumentation " of the work. The tragic tone of the symphony, which expresses a longing, lamentation and despair, was largely perceived by the public and perceived as creatively valuable. It is this depth of feeling makes the work to one of the most difficult symphonies of Mahler, which is a great artistic challenge to date. The symphony is one of the strongest works by Mahler, but due to their pessimistic character not as frequently performed as some other symphonies of the composer.
Status
The 6th Symphony stands in the middle of the three purely instrumental symphonies from the 5th - 7th Symphony of Mahler. Formally, this symphony is quite traditionally kept as it is in four movements and the outer movements are in sonata form. In addition to the Symphony No. 4, it can therefore be described as its most classic. Compared to the previous 5th Symphony falls the greater performance period which adjoins the formal extension of the Symphony No. 3, on. Even the orchestra is here extended over a large area. It represents the largest instrumentation of all symphonies of Mahler, except the 8th Symphony, represents the creative phase began with the 5th symphony, here a new peak. This work is in some places at the limits of tonality and applies a progressive chromaticism. This clearly indicates the Symphony No. 9, in the Mahler makes the tonal space behind and finally finds the path to transcendent music. However, the unique feature of the 6th Symphony is their fundamentally tragic, sometimes desperate tone. With the tragic outcome of the last sentence the work is unique among the symphonies of Mahler. All other symphonies end in a major final apotheosis in the optimistic tone, aside from the 9th Symphony, which ends in a kind of transcendent resignation. This is an approach that is not based biographically at first glance. The emergence period falls in a really happy time of the composer. The intensity of the musical- tragic message of the work thus suggests that Mahler gives here deeper emotional states expression. Also seems to anticipate upcoming Mahler personal and historical disasters. The sound of a hammer is heard in the final movement of this symphony three times, points out. So said Alma Mahler that her husband was subsequently precipitated by three mighty blows of fate, one of which was the death of his daughter. It sets these blows of fate in relation to the three-time sounding of the hammer in the final movement. Thus she sees the hammer also as a kind of foreshadowing to the subsequent fate of Gustav Mahler. The third hammer blow in clock 783 was by Mahler in 1907 with the revision of the symphony, probably for superstitious reasons, deleted. From the editors of the critical edition of the works of Gustav Mahler however, he was restored. The anticipation of the upcoming historical seminal catastrophe of the First World War seems to be included in the powerful finale.
This symphony is a new quality of musical expression dar. Much like the Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 gives the music the deepest and innermost feelings of despair expression. Such intense emotional abyss is a representation of this intensity extremely rare case in the history of music. Alma Mahler reported this: " No work is flowed to him directly from his heart. The Sixth is his most personal work and a prophetic top of that. "