3rd symphony (Mahler)

The 3rd Symphony in D minor is a symphony with alto solo , boys' choir and women's choir by Gustav Mahler .

Emergence

The 3rd symphony was written over a period of about four years. Mahler began to conceptualize the work in 1892 and on July 28, 1896 he finished work on the extensive composition. The main creative period was the summers of 1895 and 1896, which Mahler spent in Steinbach am Attersee . As with the first two symphonies, Mahler based the music on a program as a “guide” for the mood content. Originally the sentences were supposed to have this programmatic name: “Pan awakens. Summer is coming ”,“ What the flowers tell me in the meadow ”,“ What the animals tell me in the forest ”,“ What man tells me ”,“ What the angels tell me ”,“ What love tells me ” . Mahler kept this increasing concept in terms of content, but decided to refrain from the programmatic naming of the sentences. In the original plan, Mahler provided for a seventh sentence, “What the child tells me”. This was later removed, however, and then formed the final movement of the 4th symphony under the title “Das himmlische Leben” .

To the music

occupation

Alto solo , women's choir, boys' choir, 4 flutes (all also piccolo flute ), 4 oboes (4th also English horn ), 5 clarinets (1st and 2nd in Bb, 3rd in Eb, 4th in Eb, Bb, 5th in Bb and bass clarinet ), 4 bassoons (4th also contrabassoon ), 8 horns , 4 trumpets (1st if possible also cornet ), 4 trombones , double bass tuba , 2 timpani, each with 4 timpani , percussion : bass drum , several cymbals , Basin at the Gr. Tr. attached, snare drum, tambourine , triangle , rod, tam-tam, 2 glockenspiels , 2 harps , 1st violin , 2nd violin, viola , cello , double bass . In addition, an isolated distant orchestra with post horn in Bb (as if from a distance), several small drums (set up in the distance), 6 bells in b, c ′, d ′, f ′, g ′, a ′ (positioned high up ).

1st movement: Strong. Decided

The first movement is enormous and was completed last. The large number of motifs can hardly be grasped analytically. The form of the sonata movement is roughly the basis of the overall structure of the movement, but the individual components are fairly freely designed. Mahler uses a kind of collage technique in the exposition , which, according to Adorno, is "anti-architectural". The march-like main theme is reminiscent of the finale of the 1st Symphony by Johannes Brahms . In the course of the symphony it returns, changed several times.

So the main theme of the Adagio develops from this march theme. The theme, resolutely presented by the horn, alternates strangely between Dorian and B flat major. This impulse sets a musical development in motion only extremely slowly. A marching rhythm of the winds and wildly rising motifs of the strings are part of the development process of the march. This huge introduction to the marching movement lasts for 163 bars and increases slowly. The power developments sometimes strive towards one another, which leads to a chaotic and sometimes dissonant sound. Again and again the impression of a military band emerges, since Mahler mainly uses brass, unison- led woodwinds and percussion in the introduction . After some time, a new vocal march theme emerges from the opening theme, which, however, quickly gives way to the recurring first development part. On his return Mahler put it out on to the later implementation return to it. This begins with a fugato of the bass, which is, however, repeatedly disturbed by chords thrown in by the wind instruments. The march now appears in large form and, in the orchestra's forte presentation, is reminiscent of a banal military song. According to Natalie Bauer-Lechner , there is a kind of “fair polyphony”. The large-scale increase in several waves reaches its climax at the end of the execution. At this point Mahler prescribes "with terrible violence". The strings break out into a chasing 16th note movement, while the brass section blows to the "storm attack". The marching songs can only be heard as torn fragments. The marching order collapses completely, as the violence and development of power emanating from the music goes nowhere. The unleashed energy does not cause a change for the better, but leads to complete breakdown. The subsequent beat of the snare drum is an expression of paralyzing immobility. This moment represents an impressively disturbing sound image. The recapitulation that is now beginning runs off to some extent. The march appears more clearly articulated and loses its martial tone. It now sounds in an almost cheerful form. In the middle of this chant, a tutti D flat major chord breaks in from the outside and brings the movement to a standstill. An abrupt shift to F major via the “Neapolitan” G major clears up the musical events with a show of strength. These harmonic peculiarities point to the musical future, as they expand the chromatics . In the final bars the march builds to unprecedented cheers and “shouts of triumph” to celebrate the victory over the persevering forces. After this sentence Mahler prescribes a “longer pause”.

2nd movement: Tempo di Menuetto. Very moderate

The second section of the symphony begins with the second movement and comprises the other five movements of the work. The movement is designed in the traditional form of the minuet . The contrast to the huge main clause could hardly be greater. A delicate theme in simple two-part voices creates a pastoral image.

The oboe acts like a reed pipe and through the Pizzicatobegleitung creates a mood of a pastoral idyll of the Rococo recalls. The first trio brings a change of mood through a rhythmic dance. The return of the minuet between the trios brings with it a small variation. Alienated harmonies, which are typical of Mahler, are increasingly establishing themselves here through secondary chromatic tones. This means an alienation of the initially classical sounds. In the second trio Mahler even uses the tambourine and rod , which leads to an even more drastic tonal distinction from the minuet. In the final part, elegiac melodies and chorale-like sounds create a layer that is foreign to dance over the movement. The theme then loses its rhythmic peculiarity and gets lost in the remaining triplets . This means its dissolution, which is often interpreted as Mahler's farewell to the historicizing 19th century.

3rd movement: Comodo. Scherzando

The content of the also purely orchestral Scherzo is based on the Wunderhorn song “Ablösung im Sommer”. The movement represents a typical Mahler scherzo in which the composer views the world with grotesque humor. Often he stylizes primitive folklore in this sentence. The text on which the Scherzo is based says at the beginning: "The cuckoo has fallen to its death". A sudden bird call therefore marks the beginning of the sentence. The tragicomic scene is drawn into the grotesque, as Mahler once a lament appends that but everything else sounds as sad. This is followed by a simple polka melody that soon becomes chromatically distorted. “Frau Nachtigall”, which is supposed to replace the cuckoo, also only has banal melodies and nothing new to offer. The animal world continues to turn in the "entertainment delirium" despite death. Mahler's friend Natalie Bauer-Lechner writes: “The animal piece is the most bizarre and tragic thing that has ever been there. This piece really is as if all of nature was making grimaces and sticking out its tongue. "

In the long trio that follows , a post horn solo can be heard that has similarities with the melody to which the folk song Heidschi Bumbeidschi is sung today - but probably not when the symphony was written . In this way the popular finds its way into the music. The return of the scherzo increases the hustle and bustle. First in the funny, then even in the rough and completely over the top. The post horn sounds again in a second trio. The return of the scherzo leads to catastrophe. A sudden E flat minor chord lets the elementary forces of the first movement break loose. It seems like the dance floor of the bizarre animal scene has collapsed. An empty fifth is left on which the last fragments of the dance song break in. It looks like the nightingale's mocking laughter. This is done in line with Jean Paul's crushing idea of ​​humor .

4th movement: Very slowly. Misterioso

The fourth movement contains a poem by Friedrich Nietzsche sung by the alto solo . It is Zarathustra's nightwalker song “ O man! Pay attention! “From Thus spoke Zarathustra . The fourth level of the symphony is about humans, which is why the human voice is used for the first time. In terms of content, this is a great leap from relapse into animal forms in the Scherzo. The singing is like a new beginning.

Oh man! Pay attention!
What does deep midnight say?
“I slept, I slept -,
I woke up from a deep dream: -
The world is deep,
And deeper than the day thought.
Her pain is
deep -, lust - deeper than heartbreak:
Weh says: Pass away!
But all pleasure wants eternity -,
- wants deep, deep eternity! "

The movement begins with a gloomy harp chord and a two-tone motif of the low strings, which creates a mysterious mood and seems like a natural sound. The singing unfolds only hesitantly between the richly occurring instrumental motifs. There is a puzzlingly unreal atmosphere. The thematic material develops very sparingly from the initial motif. The key terms “depth”, “night”, “day”, “lust” and “suffering” form a network of mysterious references. The concept of “pleasure” has an emphatically upward motive. The sound continuum is canceled out and replaced by a simple melody. The principle of pleasure does not appear universal here as in Nietzsche, but highly subjective and ephemeral. The third quickly changes back to the minor and the plaintive natural sound of the beginning returns. The music immediately falls back into the depths of the uncertainty of the beginning. The sentence ends in an aporia and demands a solution on another level and thus in another sentence.

5th movement: Funny in the pace and bold in the expression

The fifth movement contains the song “ It sings three angels ” from the songs of Des Knaben Wunderhorn , which were written in 1892.

The fifth level thus appeals to the dimension of religion . However, this is not dealt with particularly deeply in this short and joking sentence. Openly displayed naivety contrasts with the serious theme of confession . The sinner Peter confesses his guilt to Jesus and receives the prospect of salvation through his repentance. The boys' choir, supported by six tuned bells, intones a childlike-naive “ bimm-bamm ”.

This constant background sound fades out everything subjective and sentimental from the previous sentence. A clearly articulated singing in F major develops on this foundation. The middle part of the poem appears in Mahler in a dialogical form. The style of the music here becomes increasingly chorale-like . Mahler brings humorous elements of exaggerated drastic into this mood. Jesus, represented by a choir voice, bursts out much too early and roughly. Peter's contrition about his sins takes hold of the whole orchestra in a dramatic gesture and briefly leads to dissonances . The scenery quickly calms down, however, and returns to the lively style of the beginning. The short sentence ends with an open ending, as the bell suddenly stops on a “Bimm”. The promised salvation is not yet final. For this Mahler needs the last level, which he reaches in the Adagio.

6th movement: Adagio

The sixth movement is again a purely instrumental adagio. In this sentence Mahler reaches the highest level of worldview in the form of love . This becomes the solution and exaggeration of human existence. All the humorous elements of the previous sentences are given up here in favor of great intimacy. The connection to the fifth movement is given by the fact that Mahler understands God as this love. For this he composes a large-scale final movement that ends with a splendid apotheosis . The moving main theme is reminiscent of Anton Bruckner's late Adagios , in which a similarly solemn and lofty mood was achieved. The clear and simple D major theme (love theme) is in the style of perfect cantability . It unfolds from the march theme of the first movement.

In addition to this hymn there is a moving theme of affective emphasis. This is mainly caused by upward sequencing leads and double hits. After a while, a second contrapuntal theme in F sharp minor is added. This material is now led to apotheosis in a fourfold increase. This development is fraught with conflict. Whenever the waves of increase approach an anthemic peak, the increase collapses. The first caesura arises from sudden dissonance of the horn, which leads to a disoriented seventh chord that eventually dissolves into a simple f ′. The love theme comes back with difficulty and re-establishes the lost, solemn mood. The second break-in is even more drastic. The fortissimo of the brass leads to a diminished seventh chord on which the movement comes to a standstill. Here Mahler goes back to the end of the exposition of the first movement. The horn intonated the three-tone motif, which already caused paralysis in the first movement. The main theme is re-established with difficulty after this collapse. The last crisis of the finale seems to be the most hopeless. The horns seem to want to insist on a noisy es' and threaten to destroy the solemn atmosphere for good. The result is a “collapse part” of the whole orchestra that comes close to a complete collapse. One last time the love theme can stand up with the greatest effort and find its way to apotheosis, which is the only possible exit in the context of the stepped idea. The music of the 6th symphony will not be able to stand up again later after such a collapse. A delicate flute melody gently introduces the triumphant coda . From this, the jubilant apotheosis of the love theme develops with a great increase throughout the entire orchestra. This represents one of the most splendid symphonic closings in music history. All previous approaches to the first five movements find the liberating solution in love.

effect

The first performance of the complete symphony took place on June 9, 1902 at the 38th Tonkünstlerfest in Krefeld . Mahler conducted the Krefeld Municipal Chapel and the Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra in the Krefeld City Hall . Before that, individual movements of the symphony had been premiered on various occasions. For example, the second movement was played several times by the Berlin Philharmonic under Arthur Nikisch ; Felix Weingartner conducted the 2nd movement in Hamburg, Leo Blech conducted it in Prague. The premiere of the entire gigantic work was long awaited by the public and turned into a sensational event. Although some critics viewed the work as weaker, the premiere was one of Mahler's greatest successes. The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik wrote: “It was no longer just a celebration, it was a tribute.” Arnold Schönberg was also deeply impressed by the new symphony. He attested to Mahler that he had set “the most ruthless truth” to music and assured Mahler that he had “seen his soul” in the 3rd symphony. Between 1902 and 1907 Mahler himself performed the symphony 15 times with great success.

The work has a great reception history. It is often played by major orchestras and is also very popular with today's audiences. The music of the 3rd symphony was also widely used outside of the concert hall. For example, the Adagio was used as a film score in Call to Glory . John Neumeier choreographed a ballet in Hamburg to Mahler's music in the 1970s .

Status

Mahler's 3rd Symphony is the middle of the three symphonies, which set texts from the collection of poems Des Knaben Wunderhorn by Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim . At least it surpasses the 4th symphony in terms of size and monumentality. With an approximate playing time of 95 minutes, it is Mahler's longest work and, like Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony, is one of the long symphonies of Romanticism. The orchestra resembles the large line-up of the previous 2nd symphony . Instrumentation of similar size can only be found in the 6th and 8th symphonies . The symphony has the unusual number of six movements, which Mahler divides into two sections. The gigantic first movement alone represents the first section and, with a playing time of 34 minutes, is one of Mahler's longest movements. The closing Adagio is also very large, which means that the symphony is framed by two monumental corner movements, similar to the 2nd symphony . In the middle there are two song and two dance movements, which doubles the usual number. In terms of content, the work follows the motto Per aspera ad astra (Through darkness to light). The thoughts on which the individual sentences are based form a climax . The final highest level is love. In this respect the work resembles the conception of the 8th symphony . The overall course of the work is therefore extremely heterogeneous. Typical for Mahler is the juxtaposition of elements with contradicting content. For example, delicate melodies follow hard military music and mystical sounds follow naive dance music. Mahler intensifies this approach in the 4th Symphony .

The main movement of the 3rd symphony is once again a large marching movement, as also occurs in the 5th and 6th symphonies . The use of military forms in music is part of Mahler's compositional style. The grotesque elements of the scherzo are also typical. This form of humor, based on Jean Paul , is taken to extremes in the 4th and 9th symphonies . The final Adagio is one of Mahler's deepest and most poignant slow movements. In its solemn and lofty mood it is reminiscent of the Adagi of the late Bruckner . It is precisely this Adagio that defends the late Romantic emphasis with which Mahler breaks radically in the 4th Symphony . In the sense of Bruckner, the final apotheosis is the only conceivable outcome in the context of the stage model of the symphony, despite some seemingly hopeless collapse. In the 6th symphony the finale will end tragically after such collapses and will no longer come to a triumphant end like that of the 3rd symphony. Mahler's late style, which emerges more and more clearly from the 5th symphony and is characterized by the borderline utilization of the tonal space and the expansion of the chromaticism , can already be heard at some points in the 3rd symphony. Nevertheless, the work is still influenced by the romantic era. The main theme of the first movement, for example, is clearly reminiscent of the theme of the finale of the 1st Symphony by Johannes Brahms . With the 3rd symphony Mahler has reached the peak of monumentality, which only the 8th symphony can reach again in a different form. From the 4th symphony a new path begins, which is heading towards the era of new music . Mahler's 3rd Symphony is considered to be one of the last symphonies of the late Romantic period, even if it itself breaks with some traditions.

Quotes

“My symphony will be something the world has not yet heard! The whole of nature gets a voice in it and tells so deeply secret things that one may suspect in dreams! I tell you, I sometimes feel weird myself in some places, and it seems to me as if I hadn't done that at all. "

- Gustav Mahler to Anna Bahr-Mildenburg, July 18, 1896

Literature (selection)

• Paul Bekker : Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. Schuster & Loeffler, Berlin 1921. Reprint: H. Schneider, Tutzing 1969.
• Alma Mahler-Werfel : Gustav Mahler - memories. Amsterdam 1940.
• Theodor W. Adorno : Mahler - A musical physiognomics. , Frankfurt a. M. 1960.
• Constantin Floros : Gustav Mahler. Volume 3: The symphonies. Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 1977, ISBN 3-7651-0210-5 .
• Herbert Kilian (Ed.): Gustav Mahler in the memories of Natalie Bauer-Lechner. With comments and explanations by Knut Martner (revised and expanded edition), Hamburg 1984.
• Friedhelm Krummacher: Gustav Mahler's 3rd Symphony. World in reflection. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1991, ISBN 3-7618-0999-9 .
• Renate Ulm (Ed.): Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. Origin - interpretation - effect. Bärenreiter, Kassel and dtv, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-7618-1533-6 .
• Gerd Indorf: Mahler's symphonies . Rombach, Freiburg i. Br./Berlin/Wien 2010, ISBN 978-3-7930-9622-1 .

Web links

• History of origin, analysis and discography (French)
• 3rd Symphony (Mahler) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project

References and footnotes

1. ↑ ^{a b} The singing voice is often sung by a mezzo-soprano
2. ^ Letter to Anna von Mildenburg, June 1896. Quoted from: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies . P. 116.
3. ↑ Alma Mahler-Werfel : Gustav Mahler. P. 55.
4. ^ Theodor Adorno : Mahler - A musical physiognomics. P. 109.
5. ↑ Jörg Handstein: “A tremendous laugh over the whole world”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 106.
6. ↑ Herbert Kilian: Gustav Mahler in the memories of Natalie Bauer-Lechner . P. 165.
7. ↑ Jörg Handstein: “A tremendous laugh over the whole world”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 109.
8. ↑ Schönberg , quoted from: Jörg Handstein: “A tremendous laugh over the whole world”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 110.
9. ↑ Herbert Kilian: Gustav Mahler in the memories of Natalie Bauer-Lechner . P. 136.
10. ↑ Brigitte Esser (ed.): Harenberg cultural guide concert. 7th edition. Meyers Lexikonverl., Mannheim 2007, ISBN 978-3-411-76161-6 , p. 377 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
11. ^ Jean Paul : Preschool of Aesthetics. P. 55.
12. ↑ Friedrich Nietzsche himself already indicates exegetically at this point: "Pain is also a pleasure, a curse is also a blessing, night is also a sun [...]". In addition: Friedrich Nietzsche: Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part 4, Das Nachtwandlerlied, 12.
13. ↑ Jörg Handstein: “A tremendous laugh over the whole world”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 113.
14. ^ Letter from Gustav Mahler. Quoted from: Herta Blaukopf: Letters. P. 167.
15. ^ Adorno : A musical physiognomy. P. 65.
16. ^ Max Hehemann: Article in New Journal for Music , June 18, 1902, In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 117.
17. ^ Letter from Arnold Schönberg to Gustav Mahler dated December 12, 1904. Quoted from: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 117.
18. ↑ Both works are dominated by Jean Louis Nicodé's “Gloria Symphony”, which is the longest symphonic work of the Romantic period.
19. ↑ Jörg Handstein: “A tremendous laugh over the whole world”. In: Renate Ulm: Gustav Mahler's Symphonies. P. 114.
20. ^ Dieter Schnebel: The late work as new music . P. 176.
21. ↑ Gustav Mahler: Letters 1879–1911, ed. by Alma Maria Mahler. Paul Zsolnay, Berlin / Vienna / Leipzig 1924, p. 162 f.